Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls

This is a variation of the sourdough bread recipe, just add butter to the dough and some sugary-cinnamon goodness inside

RECIPE:

*3 cups all purpose flour

*1 cup sourdough starter

*1 cup warm water

*1/2 teaspoon salt

*1/2 cup butter (melted)

 FILLING

*1/2 cup brown sugar

*1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

*1/4 cup raisins

Mix up your dough and kneed it for a bit. Let the dough sit in a covered bowl to rise for 9-12 hours.  Then punch it down and kneed again. Roll your dough flat and add some warm butter with your hands, just smear it all over the top.  Shake some brown sugar and cinnamon over the butter and add your raisins, nuts, other fillings to the dough. 

Roll your dough up over itself and form a log.

Cut your rolls from the "log" into 2 inch pieces.

Place the rolls far enough apart to allow for rising.  I got about 12 rolls in my large glass baking pan.
You want to bake them in a tray or pan with a lip because the sugar tends to run and make caramel at the bottom of the pan.

The above picture is before the rise, and the below picture is after the bake.  Look how close they baked together!  Let the rolls rise for a few hours, they will continue to rise while baking. Bake at *375 degrees for about 25-30 minutes or until light brown. 

Add some frosting on the top when the rolls are cooled down enough.

These cinnamon rolls are not as sweet as the traditional cinnamon rolls that you would get from a bakery. They still have their sourdough flavor with that hint of cinnamon and sugar. 

If you want to make cinnamon bread.....keep reading.

I was getting lazy and didn't want to cut up all the cinnamon rolls so I decided to make a cinnamon roll bread.  I just rolled out the dough like I was making cinnamon rolls and added the butter and sugar then rolled it up and crammed it into a loaf pan. 

I scored the top of the loaf so the bread would make a nice traditional loaf shape and not be a mushroom top.  That is what I hoped for. The bread expanded so much while baking it made its own shape.

The bread had lots of swirls in it but most of the filling was at the bottom.

Tasty Sourdough Crackers

In my quest to make all of my grain products sourdough I came across this great cracker recipe. The original recipe is here, https://www.curiouscuisiniere.com/sourdough-cheese-crackers/.  I have modified it, of course, and hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

RECIPE:
3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1 cup sourdough starter
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon onion or garlic powder
1/2 cup melted butter

Mix up your dough and let it sit covered in a warm spot for 9-12 hours.  I usually mix my dough up after dinner and then bake the crackers after breakfast the next day.

The dough won't rise like bread dough, and that is good.  You are going to roll out your dough super thin.  The thinner the better.  I start rolling my dough out on the counter then finish rolling it out on the greased cookie sheet.  I cut the rolled dough into a nice rectangle by trimming the sides of the dough on the baking sheet with a knife.  This makes the crackers a more uniform size and they bake more evenly. 

Sprinkle your rolled out dough with salt and press the salt into the dough with the rolling pin.  That way the salt doesn't roll off the cracker when it is all baked.
Pre-cut the rolled out cracker dough on the baking sheet into your cracker size morsels.  This makes a nice square cracker at the end of the process. 

Bake your crackers in a HOT oven, *400 degrees for about 15 minutes then try and flip the crackers over so the bottom doesn't get burnt.  The middle will always bake slower and you will find that the sides get a little brown. Bake until the crackers are golden brown. 

This is a time consuming treat but totally worth it in the end.

I have come up with some flavor variations if you want to try them? 
 I have made crackers with powdered vegetables and spices.  I dehydrate my own veggies but I am sure you can find powdered kale, beets, and onions out there in cyberspace.

Garlic & Kale Sourdough Crackers:

3 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup nutritional yeast

1 cup sourdough starter

2 teaspoons salt

1 Tablespoon powdered kale

1 teaspoon powdered garlic

1/2 cup melted butter

Beet & Onion Sourdough Crackers:

3 cups all purpose flour

1 cup sourdough starter

2 teaspoons salt

1 Tablespoon powdered beets

1 Tablespoon powdered onions

1/2 cup melted butter

Cheese & Chives Sourdough Crackers :

3 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup nutritional yeast

1 cup sourdough starter

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons chive powder (chives)

1/2 teaspoon mustard powder 

1 cup shredded cheese

1/2 cup melted butter

Sourdough Pie Crust

RECIPE : 
* 2 cups organic all purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 tablespoon sugar
* 1/2 cup tallow or butter
* 1 cup sourdough starter
* cold water

First mix together the flour, salt, and sugar in a bowl.  Add cut up butter or lard then use a pastry cutter to mix the flour mixture and fat.  Add the sourdough starter and mix together adding water if needed.  Kneed your dough a few times to incorporate all the ingredients.

Put your mixed up dough in a covered bowl to rise for 8 - 12 hours in a warm place. 

Roll out your sourdough crust as normal pastry dough.

Sourdough pie crust is more springy and elastic than regular dough.  You have to allow for some shrinking as you place the rolled dough in the pie plate.  Let it sit in the plate for a little bit then cut the sides with kitchen scissors to prevent stretching and shrinking.

Bake at *400 degrees for 20 minutes then reduce temperature to *350 and bake your pie until light brown.  

While the pie bakes it will also rise.  You will get a pretty thick crust, and any decorations expand away from each other.  Notice in the picture above where the braid around the side of my pie separated while baking.

I like to use a glass pie dish so the bottom is visible.  I can check baking progress on the bottom of the pie.  Since the dough rises it also takes a bit longer to bake the bottom all the way through.

All in all the crust isn't to finicky. There is some forethought because it has to ferment, but all the work is definitely worth it. It has a slight sour taste, which works nicely with sweet pies.
I have done apple, berry, and a pumpkin pie crust so far.  Each pie was tasty!

 Pumpkin Pie

 Apple Pie

Fermented Ginger Soda

Also known as "Ginger Ale" this great soda recipe is a must have around our household.  It has a lemon flavor with a warm ginger undertone.  I got the original recipe here, https://wellnessmama.com/8945/ginger-ale/.  But as you know I like to tweak it and make it my own.

RECIPE: (for 3 half gallon jars) 
*1 large ginger root, about 3 inches wide (chopped into 1/2 inch pieces)
* 1 1/2 cup organic white sugar
* 1 1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 tablespoon molasses
* 1 1/2 cup homemade ginger bug  (how to make ginger bug ...https://wellnessmama.com/8942/ginger-bug/ 
* 12 cups filtered water

First, add your cut up ginger to your filtered water (don't use tap water) and bring it to a boil.  Boil your ginger for a few minutes.  Turn off the flame and cover the pot and let it sit for an hour or so.  The ginger will infuse into the water and cool down a bit.  You don't want to bottle boiling ginger tea. 

Next add your slightly cool ginger tea mixture into a half gallon mason jar.  Add your sugar, lemon juice, molasses, and pinch of salt.

Next you are going to add your fizzy ginger bug to the mason jar mixture. Don't use all of it, you will need to keep some for starting the next culture.  I reserve at least 1/4 cup of the original mixture to start the next batch.  I strain out the ginger from the bug and put it back in the bug jar.  Refill the ginger bug and add some sugar then tightly cap and set aside for next time. 

Next you will add some filtered water so the ginger tea mixture is 1 inch from the top of the jar.  Then tightly cap your jar and set it in a warm area to ferment for 3 - 5 days. 

You know your Ginger Soda is ready when the jar lid is bulging and you hear a loud hissssss when you open the lid. 

Now it is time to bottle your soda and put it in the refrigerator to stop the fermenting process. I strain out my ginger and lemon pulp pieces and give them to the chickens. 

Please only use bottles that can take some pressure and have tight fitting lids.  I use soda bottles with swing top lids.  This soda can build up a lot of pressure as it continues to ferment in the frig! 

You are all set!  Let your soda sit for about a day in the frig all sealed up then pop the lid and enjoy your homemade Ginger Ale or as we call it, Ginger Soda.