I have a thing for sourdough, first of all. I love the taste, and the texture is just divine. There’s nothing I love more with a rich soup than a big chunk of sourdough bread alongside it.
But sourdough pretzels… Aah, there’s another love. And they’re damn hard to come by, for some reason. There are pretzel shops in the malls here, but they sell those oddly skinny pretzels that aren’t sourdough. The 7-11s have pretzel spinners but they’re invariably empty, so that I don’t even know what kind of pretzels they sell. The only place I’ve been able to find them here have been at the Red River Ex, and I’d like to have them more than once a year.
(I’m also a huge fan of Snyder of Hanover’s Hard Sourdough Pretzels, but I just can’t seem to find them here. There was a place at the Forks that sold them a while ago, but when I asked about them recently I was greeted with a blank stare. I just sent them an email query; we’ll see what they say.)
I’m not sure what the issue is, but it’s annoying that I can’t sate my pretzely desires whenever I want. So I might try making my own. The problem, of course, is that I’d have to make some sourdough starter. *frustrated sigh* But I want my pretzels now! Why don’t Canadians like sourdough?
2 Comments
September 29, 2007 at 9:37 am
Heya, I actually got some sourdough starter going here in Winnipeg awhile back, but I got lazy and let them die. It was easy, though.
Go to a dollar store and pick up two water jugs, you know the ones, every restaurant uses them and you pour out the spout for no ice or the side if you want ice in your glass? Get a couple of those.
Now, mix two cups flour and two cups water in one of those jugs, and let it sit overnight in a warm place. Then, pour half out, and add in another cup of each (this is called feeding). Keep doing this, I did it every twelve hours for three days. I used two jugs so I could just pour half into the fresh jug, dump the rest and wash out the jug for the next feeding. These types of jugs are convenient in terms of size and usage, and I just kept my jug sitting on the counter in the kitchen, nothing fancy.
Eventually, wild yeast will set up shop, and there’s your starter. Then, follow any recipes you like.
I’m told that it takes a long time for a new starter to really develop its “sourness”, but you can also order cultures online for various strains (there are innumerable strains of wild yeast, each with its own flavour and activeness), including classic San Fran, Italian, etc. Hopefully you’ll be less lazy than me and keep it going. :>
March 3, 2009 at 1:39 pm
Hi this is a recipe from robinhood flour it has been around for awhile.
The bakers at Robin Hood would like to introduce you to Sherwood, the sourdough starter that you can use to add rich flavour to bread and rolls. This starter takes time to mature, but the taste is well worth the wait. Nothing beats the tang and chewy texture of sourdough bread, especially when it comes straight out of your own oven. From its firm crust to its soft interior, this bread is in a class of its own.
DAY 1
1 tsp sugar 5 mL
2 cups water, warm 500 mL
1 envelope (8 g) active dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp/11 mL) 1 envelope
2 cups ROBIN HOOD Best For Bread Homestyle White Flour 500 mL
DAY 2
1 cup ROBIN HOOD Best For Bread Homestyle White Flour 250 mL
1 cup milk 250 mL
1/2 cup sugar 125 mL
Preparation
DAY 1
Dissolve sugar in 1/2 cup (125 mL) of the warm water in large glass bowl. DO NOT USE METAL BOWL. Sprinkle yeast into water; let stand 10 minutes. Stir in remaining water and flour. Beat until smooth. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and leave overnight at room temperature.
DAY 2
Add Day 2 ingredients to Sherwood mixture in bowl. Beat until smooth. Cover loosely with plastic wrap. Refrigerate.
DAY 3
Stir until smooth. Refrigerate.
DAY 4
Repeat Day 3.
DAY 5
Repeat Day 2.
DAY 6-10
Stir well once a day.
Sherwood is now ready to use. Your Sherwood sourdough starter should have grown to at least 4 cups (1 L), and should be the consistency of thin pancake batter. If Sherwood is thicker, add lukewarm water until the desired consistency is achieved before using it in a recipe.
Give 1 cup away to a friend. Use the rest for your own baking. When Sherwood is down to 1 cup (250 mL) OR once every 10 days, feed Sherwood as on Day 2 and let him grow again.
You can freeze Sherwood for up to 3 months. Before using, thaw slowly in refrigerator for 24 hours. Feed him as on day 2 and leave at room temperature overnight before using.
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