May 17 -  Sourdough Sensations
The Carefree Gourmet - by Joyce McCombs

Sourdough Applesauce Cake

Ingredients:
1 cup Sourdough starter
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup dry skim milk
1 cup applesauce
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
2 teaspoons soda
1 egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 350 and grease and lightly flour an 8 inch square cake pan. Combine starter, milk, flour, and applesauce, and let stand in a covered bowl in a warm place. Cream the sugars and butter together until light. Add the beaten egg and mix well. Add spices. Add a half cup of raisins or chopped nuts, if desired, or a mixture of the two. Beat until well mixed and no lumps remain. Bake at 350 for 35 to 45 minutes. Test for doneness with a knife when half an hour is up. Allow to cool completely before slicing.


Sourdough Gingerbread with Lemon Sauce

1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup molasses
1 cup sourdough starter
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup flour
1/2 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350 and grease and flour a 9 inch square baking pan. Cream together butter and sugar; add egg and mix well. Add molasses, sourdough starter, cinnamon, ginger, ground cloves, nutmeg, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Mix. Add flour and milk and beat well. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes until cake tests done. Try it with this tang sauce:

Lemon Sauce

1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 cup water
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon peel

Mix sugar and cornstarch. Gradually stir in 1 cup water. Cool over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture become thick. Remove from heat and stir in butter, lemon juice and peel. Serve hot over Sourdough Gingerbread.


Sourdough Bran Bread

1 cup sourdough starter
4 tablespoons molasses
1 package dry yeast
3/4 cup lukewarm water
3/4 cup powdered milk
1 egg, beaten
3 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups whole bran cereal
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 to 2 cups all-purpose flour

Place starter in a large mixing bowl. Add powdered milk, egg, butter and salt. Add cereal and whole wheat flour. Mix well by hand. Add flour until dough cleans the side of the bowl. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 2 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once. Cover with a cloth. Set in warm place for 1 hour.

Punch down. Shape into loaf and place into greased loaf pan. Cover with cloth and let rise in warm place, free from draft, for 1 hour. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes.

Sideways Sourdough Fruit Cake

A lot of people run away screaming when fruit cake appears on the table - maybe you can call it Sideways Cake instead. I tried to find out if there was a substitute for the brandy, but the only thing I came up with was sherry or hard cider. The alcohol might not be to your liking, but it's traditional in most fuitcakes and does help preserve the cake for a long time. Remember you have to start soaking the dried fruit the night before you bake.

1 1/2 cups dark raisins
1 1/2 cups golden raisins
3 cups assorted dried fruit
(try cranberries, dates, apricots, prunes, cherries)
1 cup brandy, heated
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar, packed
2/3 cup shortening
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon allspice
2 eggs, well beaten
1 cup sourdough starter
1 cup sliced almonds
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons salt

Line two 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pans with a double thickness of wax paper, then grease the paper well.

Rinse, drain and coarsely chop all the dried fruit and place in large heat proof bowl and mix in hot cider (or brandy). Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let stand overnight.

The next day, cream the sugars, shortening and spices together until fluffy. Beat in eggs. Stir in sourdough sponge. Combine with fruit mixture and almonds.

Sift flour, baking soda and salt together into batter and mix thoroughly. Turn into prepared loaf pans. Bake at 275 for 2 1/2 hours or until loaves test done, turning pans twice.

Cool loaves completely on wire racks before removing paper. Spoon 2 to 3 additional tablespoons of brandy over each cooled loaf before storing. Wrap in foil and refrigerate before slicing.

Alaskan Blueberry Pancakes
1 cup sourdough starter
2 cups flour
2 cups milk
1 teaspoon salt

Mix all ingredients in a non-reactive bowl; cover with a clean towel or cheesecloth and let stand overnight.

The next morning, when bubbly, add:

2 teaspoons baking soda
2 eggs
3 to 4 tablespoons melted shortening or butter
2 teaspoons sugar
Fresh blueberries

Use a hot griddle and about a quarter cup of batter for each pancake. Turn only once, or the blueberries will burst and you'll have purple pancakes.
 

Index to Carefree Gourmet Articles

Sourdough Sensations June 29, 2007

Kitty Treats June 29, 2007

Dog Treats April 20, 2007

Sandwich Plan March 23, 2007

Carefree Wacky Ingredients March 8, 2007

Homestead Hearth January 25, 2007

Carefree Cooking 101 January 11, 2007

Holiday Punch December 23, 2006

Holiday Treats December 12, 2006

Thanksgiving II November 20, 2006

Standby Favorites October 16, 2006

Cabbage October 11, 2006

Apples September 22, 2006

Kids Cook July 6, 2006

Wacky Tips June 8, 2006

Graduation May 11, 2006

African Cuisine April 13, 2006

A Bit of Irish March 23, 2006

Crazy for Carrots March 9, 2006

February Vacation February 23, 2006

Easy Budget January 12, 2006

Christmas Treats December 22, 2005

Sweet Surprises December 8, 2005

Turkey Times  November 22, 2005

Grand Champions - Part 2 - October 13, 2005

Janet Boyer September 22, 2005

Grand Champions September 5, 2005

Blueberries  August 12, 2005

Halibut and Zukes July 28, 2005

Orange Juice July 14, 2005

Happy Birthday June 30, 2005

Honey June 9, 2005

Picnic Dishes May 26, 2005

Celebration Salads May 12, 2005

Kraft Foods April 21, 2005

Shrimp April 7, 2005

Carry on Airline snacks March 25, 2005

Sandwiches March 10, 2005

Back from Vacation February 24, 2005

Super Bowl Snack Attack  January 14, 2005

Ginger Snaps December 29, 2004

Christmas Memories - December 12, 2004

Thanksgiving November 23, 2004

Glen and Meat  October 29, 2004

Blueberry Pie Champion  September 30, 2004

Fair Winners  September 2, 2004

Glen's Knives June 11, 2004

Aunt Aggie Tells All... May 13, 2004

Crazy About Catsup April 29, 2004

Carefree Clearance Special April 8, 2004

Seattle Adventure March 26, 2004

Vegas, part 2 March 12, 2004

Vegas Wind February 12, 2004

Casserole Bonanza January 11, 2004

No Fuss Dishes  December 19, 2003

Fake and Bake Christmas  December 11, 2003