Ah, sourdough bread…

A thick, hearty crust, chewy interior, full of flavor, and absolutely addictive.

Or, thick, hearty crisp crust, chewy soft, moist interior, full of flavor, and absolutely addictive.

Are you ready to see sourdough bread in a brand new light?

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OK, algebra lovers, here’s an equation for you:

3x + 3y + (1z /8) = 4p. When x = peppers, y = mushrooms, and z = bread, what does p =?

Give up?

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What is it about feeding sourdough starter that makes so many of us nuts?

Discarding that initial cup of perfectly good starter to get the process going, right?

I mean, it just doesn’t feel right, throwing away this starter you’ve been feeding, and coddling, and nursing into maturity with regular meals and draft-free, comfortably warm counter-time.

Why is it, anyway, that feeding sourdough requires you to discard a cup of perfectly good (albeit unfed) starter as part of the process?

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The relationships we have with our customers are the coolest thing about working here. I get lots of mail, both electronic and snail, from Baking Sheet subscribers. They send me requests, ideas, thank yous, and recipes. Lots of recipes.

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When you think sourdough, you probably think crunchy-crackly-crusty artisan loaf, right?

Something you’d rip a piece off of with your hands, fresh from the oven. A big, round loaf, or picture-perfect oval boule.

But sourdough sandwich bread, baked in a loaf pan? Nuh-uh.

Well, it’s time to broaden your horizons.

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One of the most common queries we get via our Bakers’ Hotline is this:

“I hate discarding a cup of sourdough starter every time I feed it. Isn’t there something else I can do with it, besides just throw it away?”

Ah, we’re all thrifty New Englanders at heart, right? And I agree – it just feels wrong to throw flour (starter) in the trash bucket. Luckily, there’s plenty you can do with excess starter besides dump it. So here goes:

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How many different pizza recipes are there in the world?

Well, how many imaginative pizza bakers are there? Millions?

Then there are certainly millions of pizza recipes.

If Pizza Hut One-Topping is the base of the pyramid; and the “Special Pie” (Brussels sprouts, béchamel, shaved chestnuts, bufala mozzarella and smoked bacon) at New York City’s current hot pizza restaurant, Co, is near the top; then think how many variations on the pepperoni/Hawaiian/barbecue theme lurk in between. (more…)

Remember last September, when you and I got hooked on sourdough and made sourdough bread, and sourdough waffles, and sourdough chocolate cake?

Have you become a regular sourdough baker since then? Or, like me, did you stash your starter in the back of the fridge and just… forget about it?

I didn’t totally neglect my starter. I did, in fact, feed it—once, in the past 6 months. So when I decided to make sourdough bread again recently, I feared what might greet me when I pried the lid off my sourdough crock and looked inside. (more…)

Why are waffles on the very outside edge of the breakfast landscape?

I mean, even on the weekend, pancakes are about as fancy as you get, right? Or maybe an omelet. Or a coffeecake. All good choices, for sure. But I’ll bet waffles seldom (if ever) enter your mind. (more…)

Chocolate cake made with sourdough starter? You have GOT to be kidding.

No, ’tis true. Sourdough chocolate cake is a richly flavored, craggy textured, deep-dark chocolate cake, one you enjoy without ever suspecting its origin in a bubbling pot of sourdough starter. (more…)