One of My Favorite Baking Secrets

Above:The container of shortening and my personal storage container (2 cup Pyrex bowl) complete with label/recipe. It saves me time to have it right on the container.

Dairy free, Corn Free

I found myself commenting on a chat list this afternoon about this Baker's Pan Coating thinking sure I had already posted it here. I was surprised to find surprised I had not posted this sooner, I sure meant to. Sorry! It is simple to make. I hope you enjoy using it.

Baker's Pan Coating
(For non-stick baking)

1/2 cup Spectrum Shortening
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup flour

Mix together well, and place in a small container with a tight lid. Store in the refrigerator. Place a small amount of this coating in any baking pan and spread over the surface (I dish it out with a butter knife and then use my clean fingers to distribute it over the pan surface. I think it helps to moisturize my skin a bit. Baker's bonus!) . This works well for almost all baking pans, breads, muffins, cakes, etc. I never have trouble getting my baked goods to release from the pan when I use this mixture. This keeps well when stored in the refrigerator.

This recipe is a response to a special request from a friend. I hope you enjoy it!

This recipe is a modified version of chocolate bread that came from a wonderful cookbook titled, Rustic European Breads from Your Bread Machine, by Linda West Eckhardt and Diana Collingwood Butts. It’s a great cookbook, containing many wonderful bread recipes. (Many can be modified to be corn free.)

Chocolate Bread
1 Tablespoon butter
1 1/8 cup + 1 Tablespoon water (hint: 1/8 cup is 2 Tablespoons – just easier to measure!)
1 large egg
1/3 cup sugar

3 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon salt (I make this a “scant” measure as I use a “safe” salted butter)
¼ cup cocoa powder
1 ¼ cup chocolate chips (I buy mine at Passover, I stock up for the entire year)
- ¾ cup chips, to mix in with the dough and,
- ½ cup chips, reserved for topping
2 ½ teaspoons yeast

General instruction:
Hint: If you have had trouble getting the paddle to release after baking, place some of the butter around the stem of the paddle then put the paddle in place. I then often butter the paddle too. Make sure to use the 1 tablespoon of butter for this. Or, place 1 Tablespoon of butter in bottom of bread machine bucket/pan, make sure paddle is in place before adding additional ingredients.

Now that the paddle is in place, add the water, the egg, the sugar and the salt. Place all these ingredients on the bottom of the bread machine pan/bucket.

Measure out flour and place on top of the above ingredients. (I now take the time to sort of gently, level out the top, it’s a personal choice) See note below regarding the measuring of flour

Next, measure the cocoa and place off to one side of the bucket (on top of the flour).

Place the yeast on the other side of the bucket, on top of the flour.

Measuring flour: Using a "tablespoon" (the sort you might use for eating soup), stir the flour a bit. Now, carefully spoon flour into the measuring cup and without tapping the measure cup, level the top of the measuring cup with a straight edge of some sort, a knife, a chop stick, whatever. You really do need a set "dry measure" measuring cups for successful bread machine baking. (http://tinyurl.com/5p6eyr) A 1/8 cup measure is often sold as a coffee measure, I find them incredibly handy for measuring bread machine ingredients, both dry and wet.

Set your machine to the regular Bake Cycle and/or, if available, use a light crust setting.

Chocolate Chips: I place the ¾ cup of chocolate chips into the machine when it beeps for “additions”, this is a built in feature on my machine, I’m not sure that all machines have this feature (mine is at least 10 years old). Most will give instructions in the owner’s manual as to when to add things like dried fruits, nuts, etc. I think it is best to add the chocolate chips then. However, I don’t think it will hurt the bread to add them sooner if you do not have the instructions or if you have to be away from the house. I have set this bread up, placing the chocolate chips in with the first ingredients in the pan and left the house to return to a wonderful loaf of chocolate bread on my return.

After the bread is finished baking, while it is still piping hot, top the loaf with the reserved ½ cup chocolate chips.

Wait a few minutes for it to melt then, swirl to cover.

If using the timer, be careful to time it just right, so you can be there to melt the chocolate chips on top of the loaf, using the heat of the fresh baked bread!

Enjoy!

The Best Salad Dressing I have found! It comes from,
Maren's Pine Tavern. A restaurant in Bend Oregon which I understand is still in business. I found this gem of a cookbook (copyright 1959) at a Library book sale. It doesn't look like much but, it is a real gem. I found a bunch of really interesting and tasty looking recipe between these covers! A treasure trove of "scratch recipes" that are either already corn free or are easily translated into corn free foods. Things I did not find everywhere else. Good Eats! Here is the recipe I use most often from this book.

Tavern Dressing

Corn Free, Dairy Free

2 cups oil
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup ketchup (see blog archive 2007)
2 Tablespoons sugar
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce (http://joeys-cooking-corner.blogspot.com/2008/06/homemade-worcestershire-sauce-after.html
2 Tablespoon finely minced onion
1 Tablespoon salt
2 cloves garlic, minced or substitute, 1 teaspoon granulated/powdered garlic
Dash tobasco pepper sauce


Combine all ingredients and shake/mix well. You can place all ingredients into a jar or, a blender or, a bowl. Shake, blend or whisk, depending. I found a jar works great and I can storethe leftovers in the same jar. I love the low tech aspect of dumpng it all into a jar and shaking or handing it to a helper to shake while I attend to other cooking. This dressing should stand several hours at room temperature before it is used. It can be used sooner but, allowing it to sit, allowing the ingredients to mingle, will provide you with a richer fuller taste.
It combines well with any vegetable salad or salad greens.

It reminds me a bit of the old Kraft Catalina Dressing only much, much better!

Enjoy!

A Veggie Sauce For Kids Of All Ages

Corn Free, Can be made Dairy Free

I recently found this great and versatile recipe on a piece of software I purchased from the DVO Company (http://www.dvo.com). The title of the specific software this recipe comes from is, Cook'n with Agave. I think this recipe could make brussel sprouts a "special treat". I love brussel sprouts, my son does not, he's always been very clear about that. After a meal, when I served brussel sprouts with this sauce, my son told me, "you know Mom, I don't like brussel sprouts but those were really pretty good!"

Agave is wonderfully sweet, does not effect the blood sugar like most sweeteners, is natural and corn free, and in general a lovely ingredient. It is available in some specialty grocery stores and at health food stores.

I think this sauce is well worth a try, it can be made in advance and it is really fast and simple. I offer you this recipe with the hope that it may help you to add more vegetable variety to your dinner table.

Agave Herb Sauce for Vegetables

1/4 cup agave
2 Tablespoon onion, finely minced
1/4 cup butter (be sure to buy corn free butter, or substitute vegetable oil with an extra dash of salt or, use a "safe" corn free margerine)
1/2 teaspoon thyme
salt and pepper to taste

Tools:

small sauce pan
Heat proof stirring spoon
cutting board
a good kitchen knife
a set of measuring spoons
a set of "dry" measuring cups

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil; cook 2 minutes, stirring several times during cooking.

Toss with vegetables of choice such as: peas, zucchini, spinach, broccoli, green beans, cooked cauliflower or carrots or mix with baked squash and of course, brussel sprouts, etc.

Enjoy!

Homemade Worcestershire Sauce

Corn Free and Dairy Free



After a good bit of searching, I came to realize that there was no "safe" Worcestershire Sauce for us corn allergic folks, anywhere on the commercial market, at least none I could find. I find that so many of my recipes called for a little bit of Worcestershire and some called for quite a bit! Something had to be done. I spent close to a year, mixing and experimenting, reading other peoples recipes, trying new things, having taste testings, etc. I think I have finally found a winning combination of ingredients and technique. This recipe, as all things made from scratch, takes time. Now that it is perfected, to save time, I will at least double the recipe when I prepare it. Eventually, I plan to quadruple it and can it, using a boiling water bath. I think it will be nice to go to my basement shelves and have several jars of it on hand to open as I need them! I will add a note about my canning the product once I have given it a try.

Note: I use tamarind paste as an ingredient in my Worcestershire sauce, this too is home made. I make it up and freeze it in ice cube trays, storing it long term in the freezer. I think it adds enough to the final sauce to make it worth the trouble. I think it provides an important flavor note while also providing body to the sauce as well.

The instructions for making the Tamarind Sauce follow the Worcestershire sauce recipe.

1 1/2 teaspoon oil
1 med chopped onion (about baseball size)
2 clove garlic, chopped
1 jalepeno pepper
2 cup cider vinegar
1 cup honey (make sure it is corn free - local honey, beekeepers that do not feed corn syrup in the winter months)
1 cup water
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice (I substitute bottled 5% acidity, as I plan to can it in the future - I buy bottled lemon juice from a Kosher Market that is labeled KFP-Kosher For Passover)
2 Tablespoons fresh grated horseradish (buy the raw root at a good produce section)
1 teaspoon anchovy paste (this ingredient is called for a lot, I omit it)
2 Tablespoons tamarind (paste/sauce made with dried tamarind + water. Directions follow this recipe)
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

Those ingredients will Makes 3 cups of finished sauce.


You will need:
1 large heavy bottom pan (No Lid needed or desired)
1 medium size wire type sieve (large enough to accommodate at least 3 cups would be ideal)
Stirring spoon
Cutting board
Sharp knife
Liquid measuring cup (the type with a pour spout is best but you could manage with the others if you don't have one yet)
A deep, stable (won't tip), heat resistant mixing bowl or a second pan of similar dimension
Glass or, nonreactive containers (equal to 3 cups) for storage of sauce, don't forget to label contents! (Ask me how I know )

Directions:
Heat pan, over medium heat. When it's good and warm, add oil.
Saute' the onions and garlic in that oil for about 3 minutes, the onions will become translucent.
Remove pan from the burner and add the remaining ingredients.
Return pan to burner and bring it to a boil. Lower the heat and, simmer on lowest flame possible (just a tiny bit of movement visible in the liquid)
Simmer until the amount has reduced to about 3 cups (remember, no lid!).
Take a moment to give it a stir every few minutes. This insures that it will not stick and it keep the flavors moving and mingling together.
(This stirring, does not require your full attention, you can be cooking or doing other kitchen things while this mixture simmers down to the right amount which will take about 20 mins to a 1/2 hour after reaching the simmer)
Once it has reduced, remove it from heat and allow the mixture to cool for a few minutes (10-15).
While the mixture cools, set up the bowl with the sieve sitting over top. Have a metal spoon close at hand that you can use to move the mixture around in the sieve. the stirring helps it to drain thoroughly.
Drain the mixture into the sieve, do this in batches, not all at once. Once the liquid is in the collection bowl and you are certain it is done draining, throw the solid matter away and drain more.
When transferring the liquid from the bowl to the storage container, it will begin to settle/separate. If you are pouring it into more than one container, be sure to keep it shaken or mixed as you go, to get the right amount of everything in each jar or other non-reactive storage container.
Store in fridge, should keep safely for almost forever but, it may, over a long period of storage (months and months), lose it's potency or flavor, keeping an air tight cap on it at all times will help. I pour mine into several containers and I vacuum seal mine them before refrigerating.

I keep the bottle I am using on the door of the fridge, with a simple screw on lid, it is labeled as Worcestershire Sauce, includes the date I made it and in large clear lettering it says:
"Shake before using"

Kitchen tip - (for those who are looking for excellent results) Keep a clean highly washable ruler in the kitchen drawer. For this recipe before beginning measure 6 cups of water into pot, lower ruler into pot and make a note of the depth. Now you can easily check to see if the volume of liquid in the pot has reduced enough by directly using the ruler or, dipping the clean spoon and then measuring the liquid line on the spoon using the ruler. Plenty of folks just eyeball things and do fine, others feel more confident with clear units of measure. I am often sidetracked so, having a clear measurement for a project like this is really helpful to me.

Kitchen tip - In a recipe that calls for both honey and oil, measure the oil first, allow it to coat the measuring cup, then measure the honey. The honey will easily slip out of the measuring cup into the recipe, every last drop!

How to make, Tamarind Paste

You will need:
Large sauce pan
Sieve (large enough to hold 3 cups would be great!)
large bowl
Metal spoon





Ingredients
1 lbs. tamarind (see photo above - Tamarind can befound in Ethnic groceries, especially those that carry Indian and Middle Eastern foods or a small Indian grocery/spice store
2 cups boiling water

Directions:

Place the "bean block" into a clean sauce pan (make sure you have extra room in the pan after placing the "bean block" and the water into it)
Pour boiling water over the "bean block", cover and soak for about 20 minutes, covering the pan may help it to soften.
Once it has cooled a bit, break up the block, I used a clean hand to break it up once it had cooled enough to be tolerable.
Add extra water if needed to soften and separate the block.
You should notice the water becoming a deep shade of brown and thickening. If not, try simmering the mixture for a few minutes, them mash it around with the back of a spoon a bit to develop the bean sauce.

Move the contents of the pan into the sieve that is sitting over the stable, heat proof, bowl. Once again use a spoon to stir the contents of the sieve to coax all the sauce out, away from the beans and into the bowl. Cool.

Once this has cooled, you can measure out the amount needed for the 'Worcestershire sauce recipe and place the rest into ice cube trays, freezing for later use. Make sure to remove the tamarind cubes from the trays, and place into a zip lock bag (well labeled) for long term storage.

I hope this recipe makes cooking in your allergy free kitchen more pleasant!

Special thanks to Dorothy for editing the content and improving this article/recipe!

Everyday Sourdough Bread

Corn free, dairy free and egg free and, Tasty!

Makes: 3 loaves when using glass Pyrex brand bread pans, likely two loaves using larger bread pans. Stay away from pans that are more than 4 ½ inches wide when baking yeasted breads. Pans that are wider are best reserved for quick breads.

The night before, or about 12 hours before baking, place one cup of starter into a container with about 2 ½ cups all-purpose unbleached flour, http://tinyurl.com/347s7e, and 2 cups water. Allow this to sit at room temperature or in a cozy spot (not above 85*) overnight. (See notes in the original sourdough document on this site for more information).

The next day, remove one cup starter and store in the refrigerator for your next batch of bread. Don’t forget to save one cup starter!

Ingredients:

The remaining starter (approximately 3 cups)

6-6 1/5 c. all-purpose unbleached “safe flour”

(This measure of flour assumes you have stirred the flour first and taken a spoon to fill your dry measuring cup.)

2 T. sugar

2 t salt

1 ½ c water (approximately 85*)

2 tablespoons “safe” oil, or “safe” softened, room temperature, butter

Directions:

Now, back to that remaining starter (above), place it in a large bowl. If you have a KitchenAid Mixer put it into that bowl now, if not, use a nice large bowl so that you don’t have to worry about “spillovers” as you stir.

Add:

1 c. flour

2 T. sugar

Stir.

Add:

2 t. salt

1 ½ c warm water

2 T. Oil/butter

Stir.

Now add about 4 cups of the flour and stir. Stir completely and add more flour as needed to form a dough that is too stiff to stir with the spoon.

Place the dough onto a floured board or place the bowl onto the KitchenAid mixer and put the dough hook in place.

Knead the bread, adding additional flour as required. You want a nice smooth dough, as the gluten develops the surface of the dough will become smooth in appearance and it will feel less sticky.

If you are new to bread making, beware, one of the biggest mistakes new bread bakers make is to add too much flour to their bread to combat the stickiness, this can cause a very dry loaf. Add a little flour and knead well, be patient. Set aside plenty of time in the beginning to learn the feel of this. You will bet much better at this in no time!

Lightly grease the outside of the dough ball (I usually oil the bowl, the same large bowl I used for the initial mixing, and then, turn the ball to cover all sides with the oil). When using the KitchenAid, I scrape the dough from the sides of the bowl and oil the bowl as best I can, making sure to also grease the top of the dough ball.

Cover the bowl and set aside for about 2 hours, it should be about doubled by then.

Push the dough down into the bowl, this will deflate most of the air that has built up, cover the bowl again and allow it to rest for about one half hour.

While the dough is resting this last time, get your bread pans out and grease them so they are ready when the dough is done with this rest.

After ½ hour, remove the dough from the bowl, cut into two or three equal pieces (depending on the size of your pans) and form them into loaves. You can do this “intuitively” or, you can roll the dough out flat and then roll that up into a loaf shape, pinching the ends and bottom seams to seal. I tend to take it in hand and using my wrists and fingers I turn it under until it falls into a nice loaf shape. (I hope someday to put some videos online showing different techniques) Place the dough into the pans, cover and set aside, check them in about 1 hour (I often place them into my electric oven with just the light bulb on to add gentle heat.) At this point they will likely be risen close to level with the edge of your pans. Remove them from the oven and preheat the oven to 375*. Let the oven reach temperature and then allow it to be hot while remaining empty for at least another 10 minutes before placing the loaves inside.

Just before placing the loaves in the hot oven, you might like to “slash” the dough. I generally take a knife, sharp, I prefer a thin blade, and well oiled it seems to make the slashing easier cutting through rather than ripping. These slashes I make about ¼” deep, I begin just breaking the surface, re-oil and then go over each slash to deepen the cuts. These slashes will allow your dough to expand a bit more once they hit the heat of the oven cavity, giving you a little more “oven bounce”, providing a little lighter loaf.

Check the loaves at about 30 minutes. They made need to be baked as long as 45 minutes depending on your oven and your pans. Baked bread will be nicely brown on top, it will have shrunk away from the sides of the pan and, when taken from the pan, and turned upside down, a thump on the bottom should result in an almost hollow sound, not a thud. If it thuds, put it back into the oven for another 10 minutes.

If you prefer a soft crust, oil or butter the tops of the hot loaves, being careful to just coat the surface, not make it greasy. I sometimes use a pastry brush at this point.

This bread baking day all together, not counting the starter that brews while you are asleep will require about 5 ½ to 6 hours. You will have lots of time in between the work to do other things.

Good luck! Let me know if there are questions about this recipe, I will try and fill in any details I may have missed. I think you will enjoy this loaf! My family sure does!

KETCHUP

Dairy Free


Today was my day to experiment with homemade ketchup. I made some home canned when I was first diagnosed with this corn allergy. I realized in short order that I really missed ketchup and that having it available would open up lots more variety in my home cooked meals. That batch of ketchup was really tasty, but man it sure was a lot of work! Since I am now manufacturing most of what I and my family eat these days, I save that sort of energy and time for things that really make a big difference. I approached this "ketchup" project figuring I could find a way to make a good, ketchup, similar to the standard big name brands most folks buy at the grocery store without too much work, time or, trouble. I have been working on it for a while now (months to be honest) and think I have perfected the stuff. The final recipe was refined/perfected today!

With all of that said, I have to say that the homemade, from fresh tomatoes, stuff was marvelous, much tastier than than storebought brands. I might make some again someday but, I will set it aside for things where you really savor the ketchup, not for adding to sloppy joe's, meat loaf, bbq sauce, etc.
Home canned ketchups begin with fresh tomatoes which are them peeled and seeded (easily done with a food strainer, http://tinyurl.com/yv52sz), then they are simmered with vinegar, and seasonings for a long time, long enough that the extra moisture is evaporated making it thick. I have searched around for recipes and I found most of the recipes to be much sweeter than the standard bottled, brand name, ketchups. Most home canned ketchups are much more complex combinations of flavors, requiring a good number of spices. Many of us that have been working at this corn free lifestyle for awhile and, likely have such things in the cupboard but I expect many reading this do not have them on hand (yet). The recipe I wound up using begins with tomato paste, vinegar, and simple spices. Once they are mixed they are simmered together (covered) for 15-20 minutes to make sure the flavors are all melded nicely. This can be made while cooking a meal if there is a spare back burner, it only needs a very low simmer and an occassional stir.
I have a teenage son with a very discriminating palate. When I first began cooking corn free, I used quite a bit of cider vinegar and he has come to hate the flavor. He can generally pick it out no matter how well I have tried to cover it up. Even still, I persisted in making three versions of this ketchup, one with cider vinegar, one with Passover vinegar and one with safe white wine vinegar. I made my son taste test them without knowing which was which. I did so to be sure that it would taste good to more folks than just me. Making it worthwhile to pass it on to you. I also wanted to know which one my husband and I preferred so, I have held several blind taste testing, and I have been very surprised at the results. I will test it one more time tonight and post if there are new results. Tonight I will serve "safe" hot dogs for supper and have one more blind test.
I am delighted to report that so far, the cider vinegar version is in the lead! Even my son chose the cider vinegar version, hands down! I truly thought that the Passover vinegar version would be the big winner. I am pleased to say it was not a favorite, though it is rated as really pretty good. I have nothing against Passover vinegar except for the fact that I have to stock up once a year when it's a vailable and others may have trouble finding it at all. I did buy it by the case last year and I have used it for many things, including some pickles (Clones of Vlassic Kosher Dills, I'll post that recipe later.) So, the final version posted below, is cider vinegar. keep in mind that any of the three vinegars, cider, passover or, white wine vinegar can be used and will make a passable ketchup so, use what is available to you. My recipe includes less salt and less sugar than many others, I built it by taste and felt it was really not needed. If you prefer more of either try adding 1/4 cup of syrup for more sweetness and 1/2 t of salt for a saltier version. Do taste as you go to get it the way you and your family like it!
The white wine vinegar version might be really nice as a base for a bbq sauce :)
Ketchup
2 6-ounce cans tomato paste
3/4 cup heavy syrup (50% water, 50% sugar mixture)
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Combine all ingredients in a medium sauce pan over medium heat.
Wisk carefully - it will splash!-until well blended
Bring to a boil and then allow to simmer, covered, for 20 minutes, stir frequently.
Cool and pour into container(s)
Store in refrigerator.
Recipe makes about 3 - 1/4 cups of ketchup.
(Recipe formatted with the Cook'n Recipe Software from DVO Enterprises.)

Sour Dough Lesson 1

You will need, a container. A large bowl, a plastic pitcher, or a crock.

The crock from your crock pot is a great choice (if you will not be using it for a while, they are often for sale very cheaply in 2^nd hand stores). The even temperature maintained makes a crock a great place to feed and develop your sour dough starter. If you do not have a crock available, fear not! Over the years, I have used a plastic 12 cup tupperware bowl, a large glass mixing bowl, a bean pot, etc. The vessel/bowl you use must not be made of any kind of metal the heavier the better. You will need a lid/cover of some sort, the lid needs to have a place for air exchange. If it's a pitcher put the lid on with the pouring part open as though you are going to pour. If it's a bowl cover with plastic but allow for air exchange (I use a disposable shower cap type thing). Using tupperware? Just leave a small portion of the lid unsealed. The crockpot will get enough air through the lid, it does not make an airtight seal. The container needs to be large enough to hold the approximately 3 cups of starter and allow space for it to bubble up. One person, living in Florida mentioned to me, a concern about bugs. If this is a concern for you and the bugs are creepy crawlies, place this vessel (described above) on a glass plate or in a pie plate and then pour a small amount of water in the dish creating a moat.

You will also need water, it is best if the water is not full of chlorine (standard tap water). So, filtered water, good quality spring water, or tap water that has sat out overnight allowing the chlorine to dissipate are all good choices. If you have difficulty growing a proper starter or getting your breads to rise, the first thing you should look at is the water being used.

baking yeast - dry active yeast. I know it all contains some corn but, we will be diluting this while developing the sour dough starter, so it will be nearly non-existent by the time it is used for bread making.

It would be good to have at least 10 pounds of good whole wheat flour on hand. Hard whole wheat is best for this. For some, white wheat may be better, than red wheat especially if you are not accustomed to eating a lot of whole grains. The flavor is lighter and the grain is a bit softer. I used King Arthur White Wheat for my experiments.

Note: Mentally prepare yourself to throw out food, you will be throwing out a good bit of this "starter" as you develop it. It is hard for me to throw out "good food", I have had to get rid of too much stuff because of allergies to be very comfortable with tossing out much of anything. Also, I'm cheap. If I got over it you can too :).

The Starter:

2 c safe whole grain flour (preferably hard wheat, I used King Arthur white wheat flour)
2 c. warm water (105* - use a thermometer)
1 T. or, 1 packet yeast

Before bed, combine ingredients. stir well but don't get too worried about lumps, the fermentation process will break them down. Cover container and place container in a place with a constant temperature, preferably 85*, I use a corner of the kitchen, it's never 85* there. 85* is optimal. In the old days I used an empty drawer in our water bed base.

STEP 1
Next morning it should look different, there may be bubbles, it may be separate with most of the flour floating on top of a watery substance. Stir and leave it alone for the day. (go to step 2)

STEP 2
That night, remove 1 cup of this batter. Toss the rest in the trash, down the drain, whatever. Place the reserved cup full into the bowl. Add 2 cups flour and 2 cups of water, warm is nice, if warming it is too much trouble, room temp will do. NEVER ADD HOT WATER! Stir, cover, allow to rest overnight. (If you forget to tend the starter one night it's okay, just pick up at step 2 the following evening.) Go to step one)

Repeat these 2 steps for about 5 days. If you are worried and want it diluted more, keep going for a few more days. The longer it sits, two nights without "feeding" at a time, the more sour it will become. more than 24 hours without food and in less than optimal conditions may not serve it well. When it's where you want it, put it in a jar in the fridge. Make sure the jar has lots of empty space left in case it bubbles up. Also make sure the lid on the jar can breathe, the jar can break if the seal is air tight. Tupperware works good as it will burp itself :). I save mine in a special sour dough container I got at a thrift store. It's a small, generic crock with a lid that had a rubber gasket on it. I was able to easily remove the gasket, allowing it air space, so it can breath.

This is lesson 1. Easy Cheesy! If there are questions, let ‘em rip! I'll be here to answer. I will be providing a couple of simple recipes in a few days for you to try this stuff to make sure it's diluted enough for you before you go to the trouble of making bread with it. Please feel free to post here or at the Delphi list site, using the subject header, Sour Dough.

Good luck!

A Hearty and Healthy Breakfast

Banana Pancakes

Makes about 9 small pancakes This recipe is easily doubled.

Can be dairy free

You will need:

1 small bowl

1 medium bowl

1 large bowl

Large frying pan or griddle (cast iron or heavy bottom pan is best)

Oil for your pan, I like grapeseed oil or, light olive oil

Wet ingredients:

2 eggs (lightly beaten in a small bowl)

3 small Bananas, or two medium to large bananas I find the perfect amount fits into a dry measuring cup, with a lightly rounded top)

2 Tablespoons butter, Organic Valley salted (substitute dairy free margarine or cooking oil)

1 Tablespoons lemon juice, fresh or KFP

1 Tablespoon sugar, pure cane or beet sugar

Dry ingredients:

1 cup Oat Flour, easily ground from, Quaker rolled oats (place in blender or food processor and grind to flour)

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon nutmeg (I think fresh ground is best)

Optional:

Chopped pecans

In medium bowl, mash the bananas with a fork, add the remaining wet ingredients and the beaten eggs.

In the large bowl, Mix the dry ingredients. Hint: use a whisk and stir to incorporate all the dry ingredients; this will mix them very well, with very little work and no powder spilling and becoming airborne.

Pour the wet, into the dry and mix, just until moistened.

Now, allow the batter to sit, while you get your frying pan or griddle out and get it heated up. The heavier the pan, the better the heat for making pancakes. Choose a cast iron skillet, or a heavy bottom pan. Using a heavy pan the heat of the pan itself will not change as much when you pour the batter, and it will recover more quickly if it’s got a nice heavy bottom. It will also even out the heat from your burner making a nice even heat at every point on your pancake.

Now that the pan is hot, go back and check your batter. At this point your batter will have thickened some, it may have thickened up too much to easily pour from the ladle, you can add a couple tablespoons of milk (cow, soy, rice) or water or juice to thin it just a bit but be careful to not add too much.

Pour small pancakes. The average (not large) ladle will make about 3 small cakes. Allow them to sit on the griddle for about 4-5 minutes. You should see some bubbles on the top (in the batter, at the edge) and it will begin to look a little dry in places. Lift up one edge of a cake, just bit to check your progress. If the cake is browning nicely, flip them over, once! Allow it to finish cooking, this should only take a minute or so longer. Do not flip over again, the flipping will only cause you to, lose more moisture from your wonderful creation, and will steam thru the nice surface/crust you have created on that first side.

I think these and all pancakes are best served immediately and not stacked J just arrange them nicely on the plate.

Serve with maple syrup or "Molly’s Syrup" (recipe to follow soon!)