So we hear you have a new sourdough starter…

Thanks for taking interest in our starter. We are very lucky to have obtained it. We actually received this starter from a friend in Brooklyn, who got it from a friend who originally started it in Portland, OR, who lived in Brooklyn, but moved back to Portland, and is now en route to San Francisco. Funny how these things get around just as we do.

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1) If you don’t plan on feeding your culture immediately, put it in the fridge to keep it stable.

2) As soon as your ready to feed your starter, put it in a larger jar and add 1 cup of flour and 1 cup of water. Let it sit out for half a day and get excited from being fed.

3) That’s all you need to do to keep your new pet happy! Feed it once a week with equal parts flour and water. You can even let this one go longer than a week, as it’s a special strain and super resilient.

4) Remember, separation is natural. Once you leave your starter in the fridge for a while, a layer a water will appear on the surface.

Replace store bought yeast with your starter when making bread. Add it to the wet ingredients, and watch it bubble. This yeast is more slow acting during the rising stage, but so very worth it.

We hope you’ll love this starter as much as we do!

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If you attended our workshop in San Diego, here is Tara’s favorite bread recipe, as requested:

The Mark Bittman No Knead:

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/08/dining/081mrex.html?_r=0

I do a simpler version that is mostly different because I don’t have the whole cast iron thing going on.

3 cups flour (I like to do half rye and half wheat, but you can go any way you like)
1/4 tsp yeast (optional since you’re using sourdough – the rise time will take longer without)
1-2 tsp salt (flavor and something the cultures enjoy latching onto)

Those are your dry ingredients, and you can take them somewhere a crazier if you wish (i.e. cocoa powder)

Then the super fun stuff:
1.5 cups water
1/4 cup sourdough (less or more depending on your love for the sour)
It should get bubbly beaming beautiful. At this point you can stir in other wet ingredients, such as honey.

Slowly add it to your dry ingredients, mixing as you go. You’ll want the texture to resemble batter. Add more water if you need to get the desired texture.

Set the dough in a warm place for 12-24 hours.

After rise #1, do a little mixy-doo-da (add seeds, nut, dried fruit, whatever else suits your fancy at this point) and transfer it to your baking vessel. Let it rise for 6-12 hours, or until it nearly doubles in size, in the baking vessel.

Bake your bread at 350 F for one hour. Enjoy!

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