Sourdough Natural Grape Starter And Sourdough Biscuits Recipes

SOURDOUGH BISCUITS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°. Stir together baking powder, baking soda, kosher salt, sugar, and 1½ cups flour with a fork in a large bowl. Add ½ cup chilled butter and toss with your hands or fork just to coat. Using your fingers, smash butter into flat disks (if you miss a few, it will be fine). Using a pastry cutter or fork, work butter into dry ingredients until shaggy crumbles form (you should have some large pieces, some small pieces, some flat pieces, and some sandy flour).
• Add sourdough starter and mix gently with fork to incorporate, then fold with your hands just until dough comes together with just a few crumbly pieces in the bottom of the bowl.
• Transfer dough to a well-floured surface and pat out with your hands until about ½" thick (the shape doesn't matter too much at this point). Fold into thirds as you would a letter to create a rough rectangle. Working from short sides, fold in thirds like a letter again. Pat dough out to a ½"-thick square. Repeat folding process. Pat out dough for a third time to a 1"-thick square-it should feel airy, like a pillow at this point. Using a floured 2½"-diameter biscuit cutter or glass, punch out as many biscuits as you can (do not twist cutter). Transfer biscuits to a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet, spacing at least 1" apart.
• Using your hands, gently press scraps into a rectangle, then fold in half. Pat out to a 1"-thick rectangle and cut out more biscuits. Gather remaining scraps together to form 1 final biscuit (you should have 10 total). Transfer to baking sheet. Brush biscuit tops with 2 Tbsp. melted butter and sprinkle with sea salt if desired
• Bake biscuits until tall and golden and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the side of a biscuit registers 205°F), 12-15 minutes.

NANCY SILVERTON'S GRAPE SOURDOUGH STARTER

Steps:

• Wrap the grapes in well washed cheesecloth, tying the corners to form a bag; lightly crush them with a rolling pin (to release the sugar to mix with the natural yeast on the skins; just like making wine!) and immerse them in the flour water mix. Cover tightly with a lid or plastic wrap secured with a rubber band. Leave at room temperature for 6 days, stirring once or twice a day for six days.
• The bag of grapes will eventually appear inflated, and liquid will begin to separate from the flour base. The mixture will begin to taste and smell slightly fruity, and the color will be strange. That is as it should be. By the sixth day the bag of grapes will have deflated, the color will be yellow, and the taste pleasantly sour; the fermentation is complete. The starter is living but weak, and it needs to be fed.
• Remove the grapes and squeeze their juices back into the starter. Stir it up thoroughly and transfer it to a clean container. (Although you can use it after just one feeding, the starter will be stronger and healthier with the full treatment) You can refrigerate it until you're ready to proceed.
• Three days before you plan to use it, stir 1 cup flour and 1 cup water into the container, blending well. Let stand uncovered at room temperature until it bubbles up - 3 to 4 hours - then cover and refrigerate. Repeat this the second and third day.
• Store the starter tightly covered in the refrigerator where it will keep perfectly for 4 to 6 months, after which it's a good idea to pour off all but 2 cups and give it another feeding. Before using the stored starter for bread, however, give it the full 3-day feeding schedule once again to restore it and to tone down excess sourness.

SOURDOUGH BISCUITS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Grate butter using the large holes of a box grater. Stir into the flour mixture. In a medium bowl, whisk together sourdough starter and buttermilk. Add to the flour mixture and stir using a rubber spatula until a soft dough forms. Working on a lightly floured surface, knead the dough 2-3 times until it comes together. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a 1 1/2-inch thick rectangle. Cut out 8-10 rounds using a 2-inch biscuit or cookie cutter. Place biscuits onto the prepared baking sheet. Place into oven and bake for 14-18 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve warm.

SOURDOUGH NATURAL GRAPE STARTER AND SOURDOUGH BISCUITS

Steps:

• FOR THE SOURDOUGH STARTER: Stir the 1 1/2 cups flour (use a soft wheat flour like White Lily if the primary use of your flour is for biscuits; if you vary frequently between biscuits and bread, use all purpose flour)and 2 cups mineral water or spring water together in a large plastic or earthenware bowl. Add the bunch of grapes, pushing it down into the gooey batter. Cover the bowl lightly, with cheesecloth or a dishtowel, so that the starter continues to get air. Leave the bowl in a warm place.
• Each day give the bowl another tablespoon of flour and one tablespoon of water, stirring to incorporate the additions. Within a couple of days the mixture should show signs of "starting," bubbling up a bit as yeasts feed on the starch and sugar. If this doesn't happen, throw the mixture out and begin again. Continue feeding the starter each day with one tablespoon flour and one tablespoon of water. If the mixture separates, stir it back together. After about 5 days, the starter will begin to smell sour. The smell won't be unpleasant, and won't overwhelm your kitchen.
• Let the starter ferment another few days, continuing to feed it. You'll end up with a mass that looks like a thick pancake batter. Remove the grapes with a slotted spoon, and discard them.
• Cover the starter, and refrigerate it. Take the starter out of the refrigerator the evening before you plan to use it, or even a couple of days ahead for a more sour taste to the bread or biscuits. Every time you use the starter, replenish it. For each cup of starter you remove, add 1/2 cup flour and 1/2 cup water. Let it sit on the counter again for about a day before putting it back in the refrigerator. If you don't want to use the starter at least once every week or two, just feed it that often: Pour off about a half cup of starter, and add 1/4 cup flour and 1/4 cup water.
• Properly tended, the starter can last for years, developing more complexity over time. It can be used for sourdough pancakes, breads, and other dishes in addition to biscuits.
• FOR THE SOURDOUGH BISCUITS: Preheat the oven to 425°F.
• Sift together the flour, and salt into a medium bowl. Add the starter, and stir with a sturdy spoon until the flour is incorporated in the dough. It will remain sticky.
• Flour a pastry board or your counter. Grease or flour your hands to make kneading the dough easier. Turn the dough out, and knead lightly a few times, just until it is smooth. The dough will remain soft. Pinch off pieces of dough about the size of eggs, or, for a more modern look, roll out the dough and cut it with biscuit cutter.
• Melt the bacon drippings (for real range flavor) or butter in a cast iron skillet or Dutch oven. Dip one side of the biscuit in the fat, and then put it in the pan with its other side down. (Or melt the fat in a small dish, dip each biscuit in the fat, then place the biscuit on a baking sheet.) Arrange the biscuits so they just touch one another, which helps them rise.
• Bake the biscuits 15 minutes. Serve them immediately. Makes 1 dozen biscuits.
• Texas Home Cooking.

EASY SOURDOUGH BISCUITS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Butter a cast iron pan.
• Mix flour, sourdough starter, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. Grate in cold butter and mix until well combined. Add 1 cup milk and stir until just mixed. Add more milk if necessary until dough is sticky but not wet.
• Knead dough 3 to 4 times on a floured surface and flatten to a 1- to 2-inch thickness. Cut out 10 biscuits and put in the prepared pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes.

WHOLE WHEAT SOURDOUGH BISCUITS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together into a large bowl. Cut in butter until pea-sized. Add sourdough starter and stir just until dough holds together.
• Transfer to a floured board and knead 5 to 10 times. Pat to a 3/4-inch thickness and cut into 10 biscuits. Place on the prepared baking sheet.
• Bake until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes.