If one is good, two is BETTER!

Guess who now has two of these?That makes for twice as many of these in half the time.
Did I tell you that I taught Jimmie to make sourdough bread this weekend? Yep! He made a loaf for his mom without my help and it turned out beautifully. ;)

Turkey Eggrolls!

I'm not gonna lie to you...they were GOOD!

Sorry, no pictures. Maybe next time.

TURKEY EGGROLLS

20 eggroll wrappers
1 lb ground turkey (or chicken, beef, tofu, etc.)
1-2 tsp diced ginger
2 cups chopped cabbage
1/2 cup chopped carrots
3 chopped green onions

Brown meat and ginger.
Add chopped veggies and cook for a few more minutes.
Cool.
Put 2-3 Tbsp on each eggroll wrapper and roll according to package directions.
Deep fry at 350 degrees for 2-3 minutes, turning once, until golden brown.

I know. Deep fry - ick. I used canola oil. And if I'm gonna deep fry, I'm using 97% lean turkey to make up for it. ;)

I may add something hot and spicy next time.

Enjoy.

Sorry, [Charlie]...

Jimmie requested a blind taste test of sourdough bread made with MY starter vs CARL's starter. I needed to make up some small loaves for gifts anyway, so I tossed two batches in the oven yesterday morning while I was working on my tile project.

Jimmie wasn't home when I baked them, but I used an identical method for both. He came home to two loaves sitting side-by-side (not this picture) on the counter. Here's how it went down:

Me: "Hey, there are your two loaves for your blind taste test. Go for it."

Jimmie: [taking a bite of each and pointing to the loaf on the right], "This one is DEFINITELY yours. It tastes better."

Kasey: "Are you sure? Did you taste both?"

Jimmie: [Looking suddenly remorseful at his hasty response], "Uhhhh...."

Kasey: "You are RIGHT! You picked mine!"

Jimmie: [Full of relief, smiles and says], "You had me going there for a second. I thought maybe I picked Carl's, but I was SO confident that yours was the one with a prettier crust and bigger holes."

Smart boy.

Sorry, Carl. I win.

How "Carl" turned out

Carl's sourdough starter is GASSY! I mean, I have NEVER had my dough rise like this. Mine usually doubles in size, at most. I think this quadrupled!

Look at that tight air bubble in the saran wrap.

I decided to try a technique I've been reading about, which is basically folding the dough in the bowl, rather than spreading it out on a floured surface. This results in no four on the dough and is supposed to help it not deflate, since you never touch it with your fingers or smash it.

I split the dough in half, and separated the two loaves with a piece of parchment paper. This didn't turn out as well as it did when I actually folded and shaped the loaves...folded and shaped made a nice heel on both ends. This turned out looking like I'd just cut a big loaf in half, because the dough just ran together in it's loose, wet form.

Overall, I'm not entirely impressed with the 'no touch/no flour' method. The bread actually rose less in the oven, which surprised me. The crust isn't as pretty. However, I have to say that it tastes just as good as any I've made in the last few weeks. Jimmie said he can't tell a difference. Both are nice and sour, have a crispy crust and a chewy center. The only major difference I see it the crust appearance and the size of the holes....little holes here, which means it didn't have much 'oven spring.' Again, surprising, because not touching it and not adding flour are supposed to keep the dough 'wetter' which is supposed to make bigger air pockets while it bakes.

Tomorrow I'll bake two batches (one with MY starter; one with CARL's starter) and use the same folding method I've been doing. I am going to have Jimmie taste test and try to determine which is which.

I love that it only takes 5 minutes to make a batch of this dough. And I love that it's fat free and contains whole wheat. Awesome.

Get Dehydrated Sourdough Starter - FREE

UPDATE---> Check out Carl's starter at the bottom of this post. Already looking awesome and bubbly after only 48 hours and two feedings. NICE!

So, there once was a guy named Carl. Apparently, he had a pretty killer sourdough starter. How killer was it? SO killer that, after he died, his friends committed to keep it going.

In fact, for the price of a SASE, you can get some of Carl's dehydrated 1847 Oregon Trail Sourdough Starter, although it could take up to six weeks. 'Carl's Fiends' is a group of rotating volunteers who check a P.O. box about once a week. When they have enough requests to make it worth their time, they mail a small sample (about 1 tsp) to anyone who sends a SASE.

Mine came a few weeks ago. I'd ordered it before I even made my own wild starter. I finally got around to reconstituting it tonight. That consisted of mixing 1/2 tsp dried starter with 1 Tbsp lukewarm water. [Important: Do not use tap water. Always use filtered or purified water to feed your starter.] Once it softened and dissolved I added 1 Tsbp flour. It should come to life and bubble after about 2-3 days of feedings. Cross your fingers. It'll be fun to compare his starter to mine.

If you'd like some, too, send a #10 44 cent SASE to:

Oregon Trail Sourdough

P.O. Box 321

Jefferson, MD 21755

Whatever Works!

I got my new covered clay baker and proofing basket this week and couldn't wait to try them.

Of course, it was 65 degrees in the house, and it needs to be 70 - 80 for the dough to rise. Time to pull out the space heater. The laundry room is the smallest room in the house and easy to heat up with the dryer running (without heating the rest of the house). WHATEVER WORKS!



The loaf in the back rose in the proofing basket ( you can see the bamboo pattern).
The loaf in the front rose in a glass bread pan.
Both baked in the cloche. Yum!



As a side note, I think I broke my fridge yesterday. I yanked out a piece of Pergo that was probably only 2 inches underneath the fridge, but right under the front foot where the door hinge is located. For whatever reason, now the door won't seal. There was a 1/4" gap. The fridge is 10 years old and hasn't had a great seal for a while now...too much weight in that big door.

I had to go to Lowes anyway, so to tide us over until we are ready to buy a new fridge, the child safety lock will have to do! It's kind of a pain to buckle it every time we close it, but....WHATEVER WORKS! Better than duct tape, I tell ya.

New Gadgets

My poor husband.
Last Friday night he said, "What do you want to do tonight?"
I replied, "I'm making my first loaf of sourdough!"
Saturday evening he asked if there was anything I wanted to do.
I said, "I need about an hour to get my dough proofing and then...."
"Oh, it's a BREAD night....," he lamented.
But, he hasn't complained about eating it all week. :)
We shared the last two slices over dinner tonight.

Good thing for him he has flight training all weekend...now he won't feel ignored and neglected while I experiment with my new gadgets!