for Zolablue
Hi ZB!! We both do the same Gleezer starter - and I've just done a (succesful) experiment! I hadn't used my 2 starters for some time (been away) and thought I'd better refresh them before using them. So -- I took 20 grams starter from each, added 30 g water and 50 g flour. But the amount to dump came to EXACTLY 100g!! SO ---- I added 100g water and 100g white organic bread flour and mixed it up, covered it and left it for 24 hours. It looked really active so I thought - the most I can lose is flour - so I aded 405g water and 675 of flour (50% organic wholemeal which I mill myself, the rest made up of organic Kamut, spelt and rye) and made a dough - folded three times on the hour, then put into a floured linen lined basket to prove before baking. It WORKED !!! Here is a link to some pics (beside home made sweetmince and sweet pickled tangerines - for Christmas.. AND - the bread tastes superb!!!
http://web.mac.com/andrew_l/iWeb/Site%202/Photos%202.html
Hope it comes through - I can't seem to post on the site here..
Andrew
Andrew, those are beautiful pictures! Several questions;
I too, use a Glezer-type starter; when you said 50% wholemeal, you mean whole wheat, yes? For the rest, was it even parts kamut, spelt, and rye? I've been loving spelt and kamut, but have a long way to go on proportions; sometimes it's great, sometimes it's overly dense. The loaf is really beautiful, you might just have inspired me to break out the starter again, despite having sworn off it until after the holidays...
Speaking of the holidays, would you be willing to share your recipe for the pickled tangerines? My mother-in-law makes what they call pickledy peaches, and these look equally yummy!
Thanks for the lovely pics, I'm fired up to go again!
edh
Andrew, that is a perfectly gorgeous loaf of bread! Wow! That is amazing your starter was so active that quickly after not being fed regularly. However I have to say I just returned from being out of town for several days myself. I had fed my starter 30g starter; 30g water; 50g flour; mixed and put into my fridge immediately. This is what Glezer recommends for long term storage.
Upon my return I did feed it and then used the remainder to pop into a French bread recipe just for added flavor thinking it would maybe not be super powerful. It was like bread on steriods and I had to keep folding it just so I could pound it to get all the bubbles out. I could have had those loaves baked in about two hours it was so active. Seems odd for a stored starter but, hey, who are we to complain about that, huh!
When you say sweetmince I assume that is without real meat? I want to make some mincemeat using real meat. I'm always a bit put off by the thought that it calls for suet but those who make it insist it is necessary. It is too late for this year anyway but one day I will find just the right recipe and make it. I do think my grandmother had one but I don't remember her making it with meat and now I can't find her recipe but we are of English background so I assume it is authentic.
Again, thanks for posting about your starter and bread. That is so awesome and those photos of bread are just great!
EDH, the flour is 50% whoiemeal (brown, organic and entire grain milled) the other 50% being made up of kamut, spelt, rye and white bread flour min equal quantities.
The recipe for the tangerines (you can use clementines or any small sweet orange - seedless is best) 1.5 pounds oranges, sliced about a quarter of an inch thick, 10 fl oz white wine vinegar, 10 oz soft brown sugar, couple of cinammon sticks broken into pieces,2 teaspoon whole cloves, teaspoon black pepper corns, piece of dired ginger bruised a bit.
Put orange slices in pan, and just cover with water, simmer until skin is softish - 40 - 50 minutes should do it. Carefully remove with a slotted spoon then add everything else to the water and boil vigorously for 15 minutes. Reduce heat, add oranges and poach for about 10 to 20 minutes until the oranges are going slightly soft and clear. Transfer them to sterilized jars, then boil the syrup until it is reduced a bit and pour over the orange slices, dividing the spices between the jars (discard the ginger). Seal and label. You may need to add a little more of the syrup the next day as the orange slices can absorb some... Delicious with hot game, warmed through or with cold meats.
ZB, no the sweetmince doesn't include real meat - I think it was in use until the 17th century... But the suet is essential (you can use vegetarian suet though). I love it - mince pies are a traditional part of the British Christmas! If you want a recipe I can post one!
Have a Happy Christmas,
Andrew
Andrew,
Thank you for the recipe; I can almost taste it already! A friend has hinted that some wild duck breast might be forthcoming, but until then, I'll have to try it on some moose steaks!
ZB, I don't know about the rest of the country, but in New England mincemeat is traditionally made with the neck meat of deer or moose. (I think it was a way of using up all those annoying little scraps that were too small for anything else.) I'll poke around and see if I can find a recipe. Of course, beef would work fine, though if you can get grass fed it will taste more like the real thing.
edh
will be on board this year - it will be the first time I've made sourdough on the boat! Looking forward to it - I'll get to the boat about 4.00 pm and light the stove, start the 1st refreshment, second tomorrow morning and hopefully be baking Christmas eve at about 6.00 pm!!
Pickled tangerines will be eaten with roast pheasant for Christmas dinner (the oven on the boat is too small for a turkey...) and the sweetmince will be made into little pies to offer to any and all who call in at the marina.
SO looking forward to my 1st Christmas afloat.
http://web.mac.com/andrew_l/iWeb/Site/Welcome.html
Happy Christmas bakers!
Andrew
You will have gathered, of course, the DIRED ginger should have read DRIED...
Also, you can ring the changes with spices but I find more than 3 get a bit "muddy" tasting. A couple of star anise with cloves and three or four cardamom are good - but I remove the star anise before bottling as they can totally overpower everything else.
Merry Christmas!
Andrew,
What a beautiful boat! I'll think of you with envy on Christmas Day (actually, that's because of the boat and the pheasant!).
I hadn't noticed your typo on the ginger, but that's probably because I was stumped by the thought of dried ginger. I've never seen whole dried root over here, just fresh, candied, or dried and powdered. Hmm, might have to improvise a bit. Otherwise, I'll just follow the directions as written, at least the first time; I usually leave getting inventive to subsequent attempts at recipes!
Sadly it will all have to wait until after the holidays; gotten a bit overextended on the cooking thing this year. Still have 2 more batches of cookies to bake, 1 batch of peppermints to dip, several batches of bread, and sticky buns to make... Oh, and a tree to decorate!
Have a very Merry Christmas afloat!
edh