Stale Bread: Not Just for the Birds

November 24, 2009 By 2 Comments
As part of my current series of experiments with sourdough I’ve committed to making a few loaves every weekend.  Hubby and I can only consume about a small loaf in my house so into the freezer and over to neighbours houses go the extra buns and loaves.  By the end of the week a third loaf remains and its pretty firm on the outside.  It usually gets tossed in the bin or if I think of it I’ll head out to the park and give some to the ducks.  I love the ducks and geese.  The Mallards always sound like they are laughing at you.  The bossy geese push all the little ones out of the way.  They all run to greet you when you arrive at the pond.  So when I chose to feed them my stale bread, I certainly didn’t take it lightly.  I used to buy Goose and Duck Food from a local pet store but since  I chock the bread so full of whole grains I think it’s much healthier then the pressed food pellets that I’m sure are more filler than grain. 

Ducks & Canadian Geese in the Winter

Ducks & Canadian Geese in the Winter

Back to the sourdough.  I’ve been surprised to find no fuzzy sweater, or even t-shirts, growing on the bread after long stints in the cupboard.  The loaves stay soft a whole lot longer than the store bought ones; I doubt I’ve ever had a fresh bakery loaf last more than a day or two.  So when I pulled out the loaf I made 10-days ago I expected it to be revolting.  It wasn’t.  It was firm on the outside but after filleting it like a fish and a very close eyeball and nose inspection I decided all it needed was some re-hydrating.  French toast!  I soaked that bad boy in a mixture of 2 organic eggs and a 1/4 cup of cream while I heated up a pan with a small knob of butter.  The end result made me feel for a few moments that I was back in France.  The whole grains in the bread produced a denser texture and nuttier flavour; the staleness of the bread re-hydrating with the eggs and cream making an almost custard / bread pudding-like decadent French toast.  Topped with a bit of my Fallen Applesauce and some Vermont maple syrup, I gobbled up my breakfast before even leaving the kitchen and found myself with the overwhelming urge to lick the plate.  Who knew I would be left with such a satisfied belly, sugar high, and the French CBC on the radio?  All this from a 10-day old sourdough remnant.  I suppose I will have to continue on with my weekly bread making adventure for a while longer.  Winter is coming and stale bread in my house is no longer only for the birds.

 
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My Pet Sourdough

November 23, 2009 By 1 Comment

Another acquisition from New England was a sourdough starter from King Arthur Flour.  Since I’m learning to be a dedicated baker I’ve been testing out new recipes and visiting places where bakers go.  If you are a baker then the King Arthur Flour Baker’s Store is your candy store.  The shelves were piled high with every gadget, appliance, and (surprise) flour you could imagine.  From interesting cookie cutters to specialty ingredients the place was amazing, and overwhelming.  The one thing that did catch my eye was the 250-year old sourdough culture peeking out from the refrigerators.  Assured that it would make it back to Vancouver safely, I figured it may as well keep my pound of chevre company so I packed the little guy up and brought him home.  

King Arthur Flour Sourdough Starter

This little sourdough starter is much like a pet that you keep in the fridge.  You feed it and it grows. You have to discard some waste.  If you are neglectful it will die.  If you are nurturing it will thrive.  Just like any new pet my sourdough starter was a lot of work in the beginning.  Once I started the process of feeding it I had to keep dividing and feeding at intervals, one of which I didn’t time right so I had to wake up at 2AM to make sure I did it on time.  Seriously, my sourdough starter needed a 2AM feeding. 

Three days later (that’s right, three) I had finally produced my first loaves (twins!) and put the starter in the fridge for week of rest.  Since then I have experimented with a number of different recipes including rustic sourdough, tangy sourdough, whole grain caraway, and olive loaves.  I’ve been slowly increasing the amount of whole grain and alternative flours with no reduction in texture and lots of improvement in taste (I’m not really a fan of plain, gluey, white flour).  The yummy whole-grain spelt waffles and a braided dinner loaf made out of ground 7-grain cereal were proof of that. 

I’m proud to say that baking with my sourdough starter has been an overall success.  And my new little pet has matured into a typical family member: requiring occasional feedings and a bit of cleaning up afterwards but all the while giving back lots of entertainment and some company…to a nice soup or sandwich that is.

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