LTHForum.com

My new FREE iBook is in the iTunes bookstore!

http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/dont-du ... 70565?ls=1

If you maintain a sourdough culture, you often have excess starter that gets dumped down the drain. Don't!! I've put together a little interactive iBook for the iPad, "Don't DumpThe Sourdough Starter!" with 4 recipes and detailed videos of my favorite ways of using excess starter.

- Waffles
- Roasted chile cornbread
- Batter for deep-frying chicken, shrimp, onion rings, etc.
- Steamed Asian dumplings.

Currently, this book is only available for the iPad. It was fun to create and I really think you will enjoy the recipes. The deep frying batter is probably my favorite. If you download the iBook, please let me know if you have any questions.

perfect timing! I just received a SF sourdough packet and reading thru the directions I was wondering what to do with all the splitting. Downloading it right now.
Thanks!

_________________
my food shots

Glad to hear it! The recipes assume you are using a fully activated, mature, stable culture. The excess starter from the initial activation of the dehydrated culture probably does need to be dumped.

Yes, thanks!

_________________
my food shots

Excellent idea. I can't wait to put these to use. Thanks.

Nicely done!
My favorite video is the timelaps of the fed starter, the drip down the side is such a fun ending. Overall,
Having the video is super helpful to ge a feel for the process.

_________________
my food shots

I'm sorry I don't own the correct device to be able to read this, but glad to hear you've done it.

Our favorite way to use excess starter is crumpets.

_________________
My pitiful yet plucky little food blog.

Sorry you can't use the e-book. For what I was trying to do, an interactive, standalone book with embedded video, the iPad was pretty much the only choice within my capabilities. Things will get better and I really hope to extend to other platforms.

I also enjoy making sourdough crumpets and English muffins, but I make them with leftover sourdough rather than excess starter.

Thanks!
My issue with sourdoughs is that I had a starter that had been with me for years.
Moving to Milwaukee had it infested with so much local wild yeast that I held a funeral for it.

I would argue that a healthy, prolific starter culture could never be significantly contaminated by a local culture. If you captured the culture from the environment, there is a good chance that it might not be potent enough to overcome an aggressive invader - especially one from Milwaukee. That's why 4 of my 5 starter cultures were purchased and are derived from cultures that, in some cases have been used in bakeries for hundreds of years. They are powerful enough to resist contamination, and they have excellent leavening and unique flavors.

I never would have thought that my old school starter would have died as well.
However, it changed taste and was awful. The SF sourdough company (boudin?) had a branch and the person in charge told me that their starter went bad as well - that they had to clean everything out every two weeks and import starter from SF. Too much wild yeast from crappy beer being brewed in my area for years.

The deep-fried batter recipe creates delicate, crispy tempura when thinned with some ice water rather than milk. The smell of roasting chiles in the air inspired today's lunch: maki of shrimp and roasted chile tempura and avocado with a jalapeño/garlic "wasabi".

Wild yeast is everywhere, not just in your zone.

Long ago at mushroom club, we had a guest speaker from Red Star Yeast. Most of their business was replicating and maintaining yeast strains for brewers. Their bread yeasts was so minor a business, it was more a courtesy than a money maker.

Regards,

_________________
Cathy2

"You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways, Road Food 2012: Podcast