Here at Castle in the Country, we have been baking sourdough bread from a starter that began life on April 15, 2005. I used raisins as the initial source of wild yeast, and our starter (pictured below) can produce bread and renew itself every day. We need to make bread at least twice a week in order to keep the starter refreshed and alive. Many people name their sourdough starter Steady Eddie, Frothy Fred, or some such name. I’m sure you can come up with some creative names.
Needless to say, we feature this bread in may ways:
- Stuffed French Toast for breakfast
- Picnic basket loaves
- Dinner rolls
- Salad or soup croutons
- Bread pudding
- Bread crumbs
- Stuffing (our homemade sourdough bread is always the main ingredient in our Thanksgiving Turkey Stuffing!)
Making homemade bread is a very simple process that requires only three ingredients: flour, water, and salt. Oh, one other necessary element is time – it takes at least 24 hours to make a batch: about 8 hours for the dough to rise, then it is shaped and refrigerated overnight, then gently warmed to its second rise and baked. For making your own starter or baking sourdough bread, you’ll find plenty of resources on Google, such as Sourdough Bread: A Beginner’s Guide.
We have a great deal of fun in the Castle Kitchen creating new recipes, and new versions of old favorites. Be sure to visit, and we’ll treat you to a gourmet breakfast every morning of your stay.