Adventures with Sourdough

Since I started creATE, my friend Lisa, has been raving to me about her sourdough starter and the great bread—not to mention pizza dough and onion rings—she makes every week.  Lisa is a longtime friend who cooks nearly everything from scratch.  So when she offered me a portion of her sourdough starter so that I could make my own bread, I was eager to travel to her side of town to acquire it (and write a blog entry about it). 

I finally visited Lisa a couple weeks ago to pick up the starter and see how she makes fantastic bread using the no-knead method.  Lisa made her starter almost one year ago using fermented grapes.  She “feeds” the sourdough starter twice weekly with equal parts flour (wheat or white) and distilled water and stores the active cultures in an air-tight jar in the refrigerator. I was curious to know what exactly makes the sourdough starter so special, so I’ve been poking around on the Internet this week looking for reliable information.  Finally, I found a great article on HowStuffWorks.com, the website for a podcast I love to listen to when I feel like learning random facts of life.

According to HowStuffWorks.com, making sourdough requires grain, water, and a source of yeast.  The yeast is the fungus that is able to break down the starches in wheat four via fermentation to form sugar, making the bread rise.  The big difference between commercial yeast fungi and sourdough yeast fungi is that sourdough is alive!  While commercial yeast is dried, preserved, and made into a powder, the sourdough fungi need to be kept alive and active in a liquid medium called a starter.  These active cultures are what give sourdough bread its distinctive flavor.

Perhaps the fact that sourdough leaving is constantly alive, waiting to be used for bread, whereas conventional bread yeast needs to be “activated,” is what makes sourdough so intriguing.  The art of making sourdough is ancient, and sourdough bread is actually much more nutritious than breads made with dried yeast.  Here’s some insight on natural leaving methods from Jacques DeLangre, Ph.D. (excerpt from Sally Fallon’s Nourishing Traditions):

"In books on baking and even in nutritional/medical writings, the two techniques [for making bread], natural leaven (sourdough) and baker’s yeast, are often mingled and confounded…. Baking with natural leaven is in harmony with nature and maintains the integrity and nutrition of the cereal grains used…. The process helps to increase and reinforce our body’s absorption of the cereal’s nutrients. Unlike yeasted bread that diminishes, even destroys, much of the grain’s nutritional value, naturally leavened bread does not stale and, as it ages, maintains its original moisture much longer."


DeLangre goes on to say that yeast was introduced into Louis XIV’s court in 1668, it was strongly rejected because of perceived health risks.  Today, scientific evidence is proving these fears valid, that commercial yeast actually destroys many of the nutrients bread can offer.

After I learned about how the starter works, I began to wonder why the sourdough doesn’t start growing lots of other types of bacteria and mold.  Of course, HowStuffWorks had the answer.  The starch in the bread flour, unlike sugar, is not something in which many types of bacteria can live.  Conveniently, yeast contains special enzymes that allow it to cohabitate with the starch.  The lactobacilli—the type of bacteria found in the starter—along with the yeast, also produce alcohol and lactic acid that keep other bacteria from growing.  Way to go Mother Nature.

After I expanded the starter enough by adding equal parts whole-wheat flour and distilled water two or three times per week, I was ready to make my bread.  It took some coordinating with my work schedule since the no-knead bread needs to proof for 18 hours, followed by a second 1 ½-hour proofing phase, and then bake for nearly one hour.

Lisa recommended the no-knead sourdough bread method from Breadtopia, a fantastic resource for making bread.  Breadtopia not only has recipes, discussions, and bread-making products for sale, but videos that demonstrate the bread-making methods, which can sometimes be hard to describe with words.

On Monday afternoon, I mixed together in a large bowl:
1 cup white flour
2 ½ cups whole wheat flour
1 ½ tsp salt

In a smaller bowl, I mixed:
1 ½ cups distilled water
¼ cup (heaping) sourdough starter

I then mixed the liquid mixture into the flour mixture and stirred until dough formed.  I covered the large bowl with plastic wrap and allowed the bread to “proof” for 18 hours in the oven (heat off).

The next morning, the dough was nearly three times larger than it had been the day before.  I removed the dough from the bowl and placed it on a floured counter top.  I spread the dough out, folded it in thirds, and then in half on it self.  I then let the dough sit, covered with the plastic wrap, on the counter for fifteen minutes before placing it back in a greased and floured bowl to rise, covered again, for another 1 ½ hours. 

About one hour into the rising time, I preheated the oven to 450 degrees and placed a baking pan filled with water on the lowermost oven rack.  Creating steam in the oven allows for the sourdough to bake in a humid environment, which ultimately allows for the crusty crust characteristic of traditional sourdough bread.  When the dough was finished with its second rising period, I placed the dough on to a greased cookie sheet and baked the bread in the humid oven at 450 degrees for 20 minutes.  After the 20 minutes, I removed the water pan, lowered the heat to 375 degrees and baked for another 40 minutes. 

The bread smelled and looked delicious, although it was very dense and doughy.  I’ll be working in the next couple of weeks improve the bread recipe and technique and share this with all of you.  If you're interested in making bread, be sure to check out Breadtopia for fantastic recipes, discussions, and video demonstrations. Obviously, if anyone has any sourdough tips they’d like to share with the creATE community, we’d all love to hear them!

"Splendid Soups:" A Visit To MHealth's Cooking Class

Last night I had the great opportunity to shadow and observe Kathy Goldberg and Lizzie Burt’s MHealthy Cooking Class.  MHealthy was started by University of Michigan President Mary Sue Coleman in 2005 to promote healthy living styles in the UM community, develop cost-effective delivery of healthcare, and spur public discussion about wellness.  As part of this program, MHealthy offers cooking classes on Wednesday evenings, from 6:00-8:00PM, twice monthly at the East Ann Arbor Health and Geriatrics Center.

In their classes, Lizzie and Kathy provide the participants with easy, full-flavored recipes that follow current trends in nutrition.  For Lizzie and Kathy this means including as many vegetables as possible, as this is the food group in which we are often the most deficient.  Due increased gluten and dairy intolerance and findings that so much of our wheat and dairy products are laden with genetically modified components, pesticides, and hormones (not to mention calories and saturated fats, respectfully), Lizzie and Kathy try to limit the amounts of dairy and wheat in their recipes. They do, however, encourage moderate consumption of complex and ancient grains like quinoa, kamut, amaranth, and rice. 

Throughout the year, Kathy and Lizzie collect recipes from a wide variety of sources—from healthy eating websites and magazines to celebrity chefs such as Martha Stewart—and modify them to make them easier for class participants to make at home (prep time for recipes is usually under thirty minutes), more flavorful, and less fatty and salty.  They also try to increase the vegetable content of the recipes.  The class also features local guest chefs, including Mike Monahan, owner of Monahan’s Fish Market in Kerrytown, and Peter Stark from Renaissance Acres Organic Herb Farm.  As Whole Foods and Busch’s sponsor the classes, many of the ingredients used were purchased from these stores; however, Lizzie and Kathy also applauded Trader Joe’s for having the best prices on many products, including dried mushrooms for as low as $2.50/ounce.

This week’s class was called “Splendid Soups,” and Kathy and Lizzie demonstrated five delicious soups for the class, three of which were vegetarian or vegan.  A soup class is an intuitive topic, but Lizzie and Kathy elegantly demonstrated that a few very simple philosophies and techniques that can breathe new life into soup.  I loved their basic method of creating layers of flavor with soups, often beginning with a foundation of onions, carrots, celery—Kathy calls this “the holy trinity”—seasoned with garlic and sautéed in a little extra virgin olive oil.  In each recipe, Kathy and Lizzie pack in the veggies, enabling participants to up their veggie intake in a simple and delicious manner.  Here are a few more tips from the class about soups:

• Always make your own stock: it tastes better and is much less salty.
• Buy organic vegetables (see my December creATE article about this).
• Make a big pot of soup and freeze appropriately sized portions for a quick meal in the future (be sure to use plastic containers or BPA-free plastic, especially for reheating).
• To cool soup, fill your sink with ice and set the pot in the ice.  Stir occasionally.  Never cool your soup on the counter as the amount of time it will take to cool allows for bacteria to start growing, especially if your soup contains meat.
• If you use canned beans in soup, always drain and rinse them.  Add a little salt just before serving to enhance flavor.  If you make your own beans (from dried), never salt the cooking water, otherwise the beans will be too tough.
• Cutting vegetables in interesting shapes makes the soup look prettier, but be sure to cut vegetables into uniform sizes so they cook at the same rate.
• A simple garnish added just before serving—fresh cilantro or a pistou (see recipes at end)—adds even more flavor and flair.

What struck me most about Lizzie and Kathy and their class was the vast knowledge they have built—and disseminate in an engaging manner throughout the class—about the health benefits of individual foods and categories of foods.  Here are a few interesting facts I picked up at the class:

• Spicy food produce endorphins that make us feel good.  (One of the soups Lizzie and Kathy made had green curry paste.)
• Of all our household spices, oregano is the highest in antioxidants.
• Sea salt contains at least 80 minerals.
• Yellow onions have more nutrients than white onions.
• Celery, once though to be a food devoid of nutritional content, actually contains high amounts of vitamin K, phytonutrients, and flavanoids.  It can lower blood pressure and may have anti-cancer properties.  Add them into mashed potatoes for extra flavor and crunch!
• Cooked tomatoes have more lycopene and are more easily digested than raw tomatoes.  Additionally, when combined with olive oil (as in cooking), lycopene is more easily absorbed.

I want to thank Lizzie and Kathy for having me at their class and allowing me to share this information with all of you.  Below is one of Kathy and Lizzie’s three vegetarian soups demonstrated at the class.  They were all delicious and full of flavor and I hope you try this one yourself.

Farm Fresh Veggie Soup

Soup:
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 large leek, washed and chopped (discard dark green part and very end of the stalk)
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 cup celery root, diced
1 clove garlic, sliced
1 large carrot, diced
1 sprig thyme
1 bunch Swiss chard, stems diced, leaves reserved
2 cups Yukon Gold potatoes, diced
2 cups zucchini, diced
½ tsp. sea salt
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
8 cups water
2 cups edamame, shelled
dash hot sauce (they use local Clancy’s)
¾ cup quinoa, rinsed
reserved Swiss Chard leaves, chopped

Pistou:
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup fresh basil
½ cup freh Italian parsley
½ teaspoon sea salt

In a large heavy-duty soup pot, warm the olive oil over medium heat.  Cook the leeks and carrots until translucent, approximately for 4 minutes.  Add celery, celery root, and carrot and continue to cook for an additional 4 minutes.  Add thyme, Swiss chard stems, and potatoes.  Continue to cook an additional 4 minutes.  Add zucchini and cook 2 minutes.  Add water, bring to a boil, and add edamame, hot sauce, and quinoa.  Return to a boil, lower heat to simmer until potatoes are tender and quinoa is fully cooked, about 10 minutes.  Add Swiss chard leaves, return to boil, cook 5 minutes.  Taste and adjust seasonings.

Combine the Pistou ingredients, and puree in a food processor or blender until just blended.  Serve soup topped with a ½ tsp. of the pitou.

Eat your greens! (Even in the winter)

My friend Kristen asked me to write about some salad ideas for this week’s blog entry.  I have to admit that in the winter I don’t eat that much salad.  Living in the Midwest makes eating salad in the months after the first frost until April or so a particular challenge, combined with the fact that many times when I get home from work, I don’t want to eat cold food.  Just to top that off, making a vegan salad a main course can be a challenge, when being mindful of including enough protein.

Eating warm foods in the winter is indeed more satisfying—and can according to Ayurvedic medicine, might be more beneficial to us—and easier when the imported-from-a-warmer-climate bagged salad mixes and tomatoes at the grocery stores look wilted and slimy.  But we can’t go all winter without eating vegetables and sometimes a salad sounds like a nice alternative to heavier winter foods like pastas and soups.

If you’re looking to eat local greens, try the dark leafy varieties such as Swiss chard, kale, or collard, beet, turnip, or mustard greens, which are rich in nutrients and grow abundantly in winter.  These greens generally have a bitter flavor, so I would recommend quick boiling them by dropping them in water for a minute or two or sautéing them—steaming actually intensifies their bitterness—being careful not to overcook.  To balance the milder bitter flavor, serve dark leafy greens with winter squash, yams or sweet potatoes, tofu or tempeh, and cooked white beans. You might also find that dark leafy greens lend well to sweeter Asian dressings, such as a ginger, peanut, sesame, or hoisin sauce, served over rice.

Whether you use winter greens or imported leafy lettuces, main course salads should still have a protein source. Here are some quick-cooking vegan suggestions for protein add-ins. Serve them warm over your salad for that cold-weather satisfaction.
Sautéed or grilled tofu or tempeh
Lentils
Toasted almonds, walnuts, or pecans—combine them with dried raisins, cherries, cranberries, or blueberries for great flavor!
Pre-made black-eyed peas or other beans (found in the refrigerators section of some grocery stores)
Canned beans, drained and rinsed well
Quinoa (high pronounced “KEEN-wah,” and is a quick-cooking grain high in protein, and a good source of calcium, B vitamins, vitamin E and iron)

Finally, remember that salads don’t need to be lettuce-based.  Search online or look through your cookbooks for bean salads or marinated and grilled vegetables, which can be served warm over your favorite whole grain or leafy greens.

I’ll leave you with two of my favorite salad recipes, both of which are not lettuce-based, are quick and easy to make, and taste great, even in the winter.

Marinated Sweet Potatoes and Broccoli
Adapted from the Moosewood Cookbook by Molly Katzen

3 medium-sized sweet potatoes or yams
Marinade:
½ cup olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
3 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper
1 Tbsp. mustard
1 Tbsp. honey or other natural sweetener

1 large bunch broccoli, cut into spears
Toasted pecans

1.    Peel sweet potatoes and cut into thin slices.  Cook over boiling water until they reach desired tenderness. 
2.    Combine the ingredients in a large bowl.  As soon as sweet potatoes are ready, add them—still hot—to the marinade and mix gently.
3.    Steam broccoli until tender.  Lay spears on top of sweet potato mixture.  Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least two hours. 
4.    Mix broccoli and add toasted pecans just before serving.

Peanut Sesame Noodles
Adapted from the Adat Shalom Sisterhood Cookbook

1 lb. thin spaghetti or Asian noodles of your choice
½ cup chunky peanut butter
1/3 cup vinegar
¼ cup sugar or natural sweetener
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 Tbsp. water
1 Tbsp. sesame oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp. fresh ginger, minced
½ cup frozen peas
1 carrot, cut into julienne strips
¼ cup toasted sesame seeds
4 green onions, thinly sliced

1.    Cook noodles, drain, and rinse well in cold water. 
2.    Steam frozen peas and carrots until tender-crisp. 
3.    Combine peanut butter, vinegar, sweetener, soy sauce, water, sesame oil, garlic, and ginger in an airtight container.  Seal container and shake until mixed. 
4.    Toss pasta, steamed vegetables, sesame seeds, and onions with dressing.  Serve warm or at room temperature.