Sourdough Jack Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• With a sharp bread knife, cut bread in a grid-like (cross-hatch) pattern, taking care NOT to cut through the bottom crust.
• Insert cheese slices between each deep cut (about 2 dozen slices).
• Place melted butter, scallions, and poppy seeds in a small bowl. Stir to mix well. Make a blanket of aluminum foil large enough to totally encompass the bread. Place bread in the center of the foil. Drizzle butter mixture over bread and cheese.
• Wrap foil tightly around bread and place it on a baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes; open foil and bake 10 minutes more, until cheese is melted.
• To serve, place unwrapped bread in a napkin-lined bread basket. Guests serve themselves by ripping pieces of cheese bread from the loaf.
• SUBSTITUTE: You can substitute a flavored artisan bread for the sour dough.

Steps:

• In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs.
• In a separate bowl, add sugar, salt, baking soda, and water and mix until incorporated. Add to beaten eggs. Add Sourdough Starter to mixture and beat with wooden spoon. Do not beat too long.
• Spoon on griddle in 1/4 cup amounts. When bubbles appear on top of pancakes, turn over. Cook until golden brown.
• In a large bowl, combine the water, yeast, and honey and mix well. Add the flour and mix until all of flour is incorporated. Cover with a towel or loosely with plastic wrap and let sit in a warm place overnight. Refrigerate.
• When using the starter, remove 2 cups to use for the pancakes. Add 2 cups flour and 2 more cups warm water to the starter. Cover and refrigerate. If you don't use your starter for more than 3 days, it needs to be fed. Remove 1 cup and discard. Add 1 cup flour and 1 cup warm water, cover and refrigerate.

Steps:

• To proof your starter, feed it with equal amounts of flour and water (start with 1 cup of starter and at least 1 cup each of flour and water); cover and let sit overnight.
• Next morning, measure 2 cups of the proofed starter into a mixing bowl.
• Add egg, oil, sugar, and salt to the starter and mix briefly.
• Add enough flour to attain the desired consistency and mix until lump-free.
• Just before cooking the pancakes, dissolve baking soda in 1 Tbsp of warm water and gently blend into batter (See Note).
• Once baking soda is blended in, do not stir again.
• With a pitcher or ladle, pour 2 to 3-inch rounds on a hot (400 F) griddle.
• Cook 2 to 4 minutes, until bubbles form on surface.
• Turn and cook for an additional 2 minutes; serve hot.
• NOTE: If time permits, omit baking soda and stir 1 cup white flour and 1/2 cup of milk into batter.
• Proof, covered, for 1 hour at 85 degrees F, and then without stirring pour batter onto hot griddle--this will make pancakes extraordinary.

Steps:

• First make your starter. In a large jar (a 1litre kilner jar is good) or plastic container, mix 100g of the flour with 125ml slightly warm water. Whisk the batter until smooth and lump free, whisking will help incorporate some airborne yeast particles to get your starter going. Leave the jar or container lid ajar for an hour or so in a warm place (around 25C is ideal), then seal and set aside for 24 hrs.
• For the next 6 days you will need to 'feed' the starter each day. To do this, tip away half the original starter and add an extra 100g of flour and 125ml slightly warm water, whisking well each time, try to do this at roughly the same time everyday. After 3-4 days you should start to see bubbles appearing on the surface, and it will smell yeasty and a little acidic. This is a good indication that the starter is working. The time it takes for fermentation to begin can vary between 1 to 5 days depending on temperature and environment, persevere for up to 6 days, if you still don't see any signs of life, or the starter smells unpleasant, throw it away and start again. On the 8th day the starter should be quite bubbly and smell much sweeter. It is now ready to bake with.
• Now you can make your first loaf. Tip the flour, 225ml warm water, salt, honey and sourdough starter into a large bowl, or a table top mixer fitted with a dough hook. Stir with a wooden spoon, or on a slow setting in a machine, until combined, adding a little extra flour if it's too sticky or a little extra warm water if it's too dry. Tip onto a work surface and knead for about 10 mins until soft and elastic, if using a mixer, turn the speed up a little and mix for 5 mins. The dough is ready when it bounces back when gently pressed with a finger.
• Place the dough in a large, well oiled bowl and cover with an oiled sheet of cling film. Leave in a warm place to rise for 3 hrs. You may not see much movement after this time, but don't be disheartened, sourdough takes much longer to rise than a conventional yeasted bread.
• Line a medium-sized bowl with a clean tea towel and flour it well, if you have a proving basket you can use this. Tip the dough back onto your work surface and knead briefly to knock out any air bubbles. Shape the dough into a smooth ball and dust it with flour. Place the dough, seam side up, in the bowl or proving basket, cover with a sheet of oiled cling film and leave for 6-8 hrs, until roughly doubled in size.
• Place a large baking tray in the oven, set to 230C/210C fan/gas 8, to heat up. Fill a small roasting tin with a little water and place this in the bottom of the oven to create some steam. Remove the large tray from the oven, sprinkle with flour then carefully tip the risen dough onto the tray.You can slash the top a few times with a sharp knife if you like. Bake for 35-40 mins until golden brown and hollow sounding when tapped. Leave to cool on a wire rack for 20 mins before serving.