Monday, February 2, 2009

Sourdough weekend and Monday

When I visited Danni this last time, she sent me home with some sourdough starter. Here it sits on Danni's counter getting ready to go on a very long trip.


Here is my suitcase in which it travelled.


Here it is after I got home and got up the courage to look in my suitcase for fear it had blown up all over everything. Luckily, for me, it hadnt. (Good thing we double bagged it. Im just sayin.)


Now it sits on my counter! Yay!


And out of the bag. If you look closely you can see the lid is a little rounded.....Im not sure how much longer it would have played nice and stayed in the container.


Now I get to open it up. It had sloshed all over in the container, but was a good girl and never tried to actually get out.


This is the beginning of my wonderful sourdough starter. It traveled from Ang, to Danni, and now, to me. Michigan to Oregon to Illinois.


That was over a week ago. So this weekend I decided it was time to break out some sourdough goodness. What better way to do that than to make that great sourdough carrot cake. Its Monday now and this is all that is left.


And then today, I made some sourdough bread. (well, actually rolls.)
I did use the bread machine to make the dough.


But before you get ready to call me a great big cheater head...it was just for the dough. JUST the dough.


Then I punched it down and made it into little bun type rolls.


Then I let them rise.


Then I baked them. They were not really browning up very well, so I brushed on some melted butter and then turned on the broiler for a few minutes. That seemed to help quite a bit.


They were very tasty. They had a crispy texture to the exterior and a nice airy, tenderness on the interior.

But as someone I know would say, they didnt really have enough sourdough taste to them. It wasnt that knock your socks off sourdough tang that I was looking for. Sigh. Ah, well....I guess Ill have to go back to the drawing board and try out some of those great tips that Danni mentioned to enhance the sourdough flavor. I was kinda hoping that there would just be great yeast waiting to be captured here in Illinois...

8 comments:

Farmer Jen said...

You're right, I was about to call you a "great big cheater head" for using the bread machine...however, as I type this I have a loaf of bread doing its final rise before I bake it in the oven, and I used the bread machine to mix and knead the dough...so I really cannot get away with calling you a great big cheater head. Ha! Your sourdough rolls look great. I especially like the open one with melty butter on it. I wish you could email one of them to me.

Mim said...

Mmmmm, carrot cake...I should have sneaked a piece home. Those rolls look yummy and I am soooo regretting getting rid of that darn breadmaker. Just another thing for me to store though so off it went. Mmmmm, sourdough goodness, let me know when you finally figure out the secrets to it. LOL

sugarcreekstuff said...

You are a wicked wicked woman, showing that slice of carrot cake. It would be the perfect thing for my breakfast tomorrow. I think I need to go bake.
Those rolls looked pretty good too.

Country Girl said...

Yum, I'd like to give that a try too.

basicliving@backtobasicliving.com said...

Yay! for sour dough starter. And your friend gave it to you - yay again! That carrot cakes looks SO yummy. And those rolls..... I just ate and you've got me starving again. Darn you and your sour-dough-carrot-cake-dinner-roll-posting-self.



Penny

frugalmom said...

Farmer Jen: Ha! Now they will think we are both big cheater heads....I feel so much better and so less alone knowing that you and I were making bread the same way!

Mim: You totally should have taken some with you. Lord knows I didnt need it all.

sugarcreekstuff: Did you go and make a carrot cake? I bet it was yummy.

Country Girl: Very tasty!

basicliving@backtobasicliving.com: Ha ha! So happy to know that I made you hungry again. Once you catch up on your sleep youll have to try the carrot cake....and the rolls.....gimme a holler if you want the recipes.

Egghead said...

OK now I'm hungry. Those rolls look so good. I never say anyone cheats who uses a bread machine. It is still so much better than buying it.

Danni said...

Hmmm...late to the party, as always. Those rolls look great!
Did you tweak the cream cheese frosting for the carrot cake at all? I'm still looking for a way around that nasty powdered sugar aftertaste!
Sure glad that container didn't POP! :-)