Here’s the first of the two recipes that I promised to post. Well, it’s the links to it anyway!

http://whatscookingamerica.net/Bread/FrenchSourDough.htm This is the recipe for the sourdough bread I made recently. I don’t make my starter the same way though, I mix the flour and water and then sit the uncovered bowl outside for a few hours on a quiet, windless day. That puts wild yeast from the air in the bowl to start the fermentation. It turns out different every time! The only thing to watch is if there is any pink mould or discolouration develop on the starter, you MUST throw it out and start again!

I keep my starter in a jar in the fridge and feed it 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup flour once a week. I also use organic unbleached wholemeal flour for the starter as it has more food for the yeast organisms. If any grey watery ‘hooch’ develops on top of the starter you can either stir it back in or pour it off, it’s harmless.

I’ll post the recipe for the Minestrone in a few days!

Minestrone and homemade sourdough bread for dinner…. I feel so full! And the really cool thing was that the bread was in rising, and the soup was made, all by 9.45 this morning! So I had to knead the bread again, set it to rise and then bake it later, but that only took a few minutes of work. And it tasted soooooo scrumptious!!!! Soup so thick we could almost eat it with a fork…. the bread was a bit heavier than usual, but still tasted great! Yummo!!!!!