I used my "mother" on Mother's Day
I used my brand new from scratch starter for the first time today. The starter is about 16 days old and going like gangbusters.
First I used it to make sourdough english muffins from Susan at Wild Yeast's recipe: http://www.wildyeastblog.com/2007/09/11/sourdough-english-muffins/ [1] They were easy to make and tasted delicious. They even look like the kind you buy at the store. I was amazed at how much rising took place on the griddle. And a mystery is solved--I always wondered how they got that sort of line around the middle right where you need to slice. I learned watching mine cook that it's a combination of the rising of the interior of the muffin and the weight of the outer dough that creates that sort of "waistline".
I also added a small amount of the starter to my multigrain bread to help extend the life of the loaf and perhaps to lighten it up a bit. It didn't seem to rise as quickly or as high today, though, for some reason. I didn't alter the recipe at all except to replace an equal weight of AP flour and water with starter--about 10% of the total flour weight. I haven't cut into the bread yet--I let our everyday breads cool for an entire day before slicing for the week (when I can bear not to have a slice of warm, fresh bread).
Wild yeast from scratch. It worked, it worked, it worked. And it was fun!
Here's my question: My muffins didn't taste sour at all. My starter is mildly sour, so I am hoping it will become more sour over time. I am ready to start refrigerating the starter rather than continuing the twice daily feedings and I wonder if that will help or hinder the development of the sour flavor?
Oh, and my dear husband gave me a Primo Escali scale for Mom's day (we won't mention that I told him exactly what I wanted and even where to buy it). Life is much easier when you can use the tare function and measure out ingredients or starter components. I LOVE it!