What is a sourdough starter?

A sourdough starter is a living, fermented culture of flour and water that serves as a natural leavening (or rising) agent for baking. A starter consists of a symbiotic community of wild yeast and beneficial bacteria (mostly lactic acid bacteria) that are collected from the environment and the flour itself – in contrast to commercial yeast, which has a single concentrated strain.

When you make your starter, you are creating a living, bubbling jar of wild yeast. You will need to take good care of the starter and, rumour has it, it’s good practice to give your starter a name; after all, it is a living organism. (My starter is called Mother Doughresa). Your starter will need food, warmth and a little attention – but don’t worry, it won’t bite.

The starter should have a sour, tangy smell. If it smells truly awful (like garbage), start over.

Let’s dive right in!

 What you’ll need

• Flour (bread, rye or whole wheat)
• Lukewarm water
• Jar or container (not airtight!)
• Silicone spatula
• Patience (about 7 days’ worth) 

Day-by-day sourdough starter instructions

Notes

• Keep your jar in a warm, toasty area in the kitchen but out of direct sunlight.
• To kickstart your starter, use rye flour. It expedites the fermentation process. In comparison to white flour, rye flour is teeming with extra nutrients that help kickstart the entire process. If you don’t have rye flour, a good-quality organic whole wheat will also work.
• Do not use the discard in recipes until your starter is mature enough (from around Day 7).

Day 1: Where the Magic Starts

Mix:

100g rye flour
125g lukewarm water
Stir until thick, like pancake batter.
Loosely cover the jar (lid resting on top or cloth + rubber band).
Leave it on the counter.

Starter status: Shy. Very quiet.

Day 2: “Is Something Happening?”

You might see bubbles. Or nothing. Both are normal.

Weigh out 75g of the starter and discard the rest.

Feed it:

50g rye flour
50g white bread flour
120g lukewarm water
Mix, cover and leave on the counter.

Starter status: Confused, but trying.

Days 3 – 6: The Funky Phase

It may start to smell sour. This is normal. Promise.

And bubbles – yay!

Repeat Day 2:

Weigh out 75g of the starter and discard the rest.

Feed it:

50g rye flour
50g white bread flour
120g lukewarm water
Mix, cover and leave on the counter.

Starter status: Feeling confident.

Day 7 + Onwards: Ready to Bake

If it rises reliably and passes the float test (a spoonful floats in water), it’s ready!

Congratulations. You now own a sourdough starter.

From here on you can feed the starter with just bread flour, if you prefer.

Starter status: Baking queen.

Keeping the starter alive

To keep the starter alive, you will need to feed it:

– every few days if you are planning to bake often.

– weekly or every second week if you don’t bake often.

Store the starter in the fridge.

A starter can last for weeks and even months. Some famous bakeries around the world have starters they’ve nurtured for years, decades and even centuries.

How to know when it’s ready to be used

• Your sourdough starter smells sweet and yeasty.
• It has at least doubled in size (usually with a dome top that is just beginning to flatten).
• It’s bubbly.
• It passes the ‘float test’ – a tiny dollop floats in water, indicating peak activity for baking.

If all of the above is present, it’s good to go. In order to maximise the leavening power for your bread, you should use it at its peak, just as it begins to flatten.

Sourdough discard

This is the starter that is thrown out/discarded when feeding the starter. Do not waste it!

You can make sourdough pancakes or waffles, crackers, flatbreads or naan, banana bread or muffins and even biscuits using the discard from Day 7 onwards.

Happy baking!

This delicious pizza recipe is the perfect excuse to use your sourdough starter. 

Artichoke and burrata sourdough Sicilian pizza

A thick, chewy, fluffy crust that resembles bread and is usually rectangular in shape.

Makes 1 (30 x 21cm) pizza

Ingredients

For the dough:

1⅖ cup (330g) water
½ cup (100g) active sourdough starter
2½ tsp (12.5ml) olive oil
4¼ cups (525g) OO flour
2 heaped tsp (13g) salt

3 Tbsp olive oil
½ cup pizza sauce
1 cup (150g packed) grated mozzarella
¼ cup marinated artichokes, drained and torn
1 ball (125g) burrata cheese, torn
Salt and milled pepper
Olive oil or chilli oil, for drizzling

Method 

1. Before you start, make sure your sourdough starter is bubbling and active, it can be fed a few hours before the dough is mixed.
2. Dissolve the active sourdough starter in water in a large mixing bowl. Add the olive oil and stir.
3. Mix in the flour and salt until a rough dough is formed.
4. Cover the dough with cling wrap directly on the surface and rest in a warm area for 30 minutes.
5. Stretch and fold the dough eight to ten times by reaching into the bowl and drawing it up and into the middle. At 30-minute intervals, repeat this procedure twice more.
6. For a more developed flavour, the dough can be refrigerated for 24 – 72 hours, or left at room temperature for 6 to 12 hours.
7. Remove the dough from the fridge and set it on the counter to rest at room temperature for 30-60 minutes.
8. Generously grease a 30 x 21cm deep baking dish with olive oil.
9. Gently move the dough to the prepared baking dish. To fill the pan, gently squeeze and stretch the dough with your hands. If the dough resists to fill the pan, cover and let it rest for an additional 15-20 minutes covered before continuing to stretch out the dough.
10. After the dough fills the pan, use your fingers and dimple the dough as you would for focaccia. Let it rise at room temperature for at least two hours, or until it has risen properly and is puffy.
11. Preheat the oven to its highest temperature setting.
12. Bake the base for about 20 minutes.
13. Remove pizza and lower the oven temperature to 180°C.
14. Spread the pizza sauce over the base followed by the mozzarella, artichokes and burrata. Season.
15. Bake for another 20 minutes or until the crust is golden and the cheese melted and bubbly.
16. Remove pizza from oven and cool slightly. Cut into rectangular pieces, drizzle with some olive oil or chilli oil and serve warm.

Words: Lichelle May
Photography Shutterstock, Zhann Solomons

The post 7-day guide to making your own sourdough starter appeared first on MyKitchen.

The MK team’s favourite baking tools aren’t just handy – they’re game-changers. These kitchen MVPs will do all the heavy lifting for you! 

Liezl Vermeulen, Editor-In-Chief 

A food processor is a fantastic baking appliance. Granted, this is something you save for… but once you have it on your kitchen counter, you can never live without it again. Unlike a stick blender, which can fulfil some of the same tasks, a food processor has a wide surface area that really manages to mix things without immediately turning it into a fine crumb or pulp (like a stick blender would). It works great for everything from making homemade pastry to simply crushing cookies for your fridge tart. 

@food24_southafrica Love a good hack? So do we! ⁠ ⁠ We recently put one to the test and it’s a game-changer, especially if you don’t have a spice grinder at home! ⁠ ⁠ Did you know you can use a stick blender to grind small amounts of seeds and spices? It might get a tad messy, but the results are totally worth it! ⁠ ⁠ We were inspired by aruna_vijay_masterchef to try this awesome hack! ⁠ ⁠ Give it a whirl and let us know what you think.⁠ Visit the link in our bio for more foodie hacks! #food24_southafrica #SAMA28 #foodhacks #foodtipsandtricks #viralhacks #spices ♬ original sound – Food24_SouthAfrica

Lichelle May, Food Editor 

There are two baking tools that I cannot be without – a digital kitchen scale and a dough cutter. Goodbye “cup” guessing; the digital scale gives the perfect ratios every time. I also love dough cutters, which can be used like bench scrapers. They make lifting, dividing and cleaning up dough stuck on a counter effortless.  

@bakingbycece How to use a digital kitchen scale! #baking #howto #bakingbasics ♬ original sound – bakingbycece

Sjaan van der Ploeg, Deputy Food Editor 

I love an electric hand mixer (or a stand mixer). Having some sort of electric beater that can combine batters or mixtures for your bakes really makes a difference. Of course, many bakes can be made using a whisk, wooden spoon or even your hands, but the extra power provided by a mixer transforms the end result from a dense cookie to a chewy one or from lumpy cake to light. The second tool I can’t bake without is a sieve. It really helps when it comes to adding flours or dry goods to your bakes. They don’t only prevent any hardened or dried pieces from making their way into the mixture, but they also aerate the flours, making the ingredients lighter and evenly distributed.  

@lotsacakes If you’ve ever wondered why it’s important to sift your dry ingredients. Well, here’s a video that hopefully answers all those questions! ##homebakery##baking##bakingtips##bakefromscratch##homebakery##bakerylife##bakery##cakedecorator##customcake ♬ original sound – LotsaCakes

Photography: Pexels

Also read: 3 Baking mistakes you may be making (and how to fix them) 

The post Tools that take our MK team’s baking to the next level  appeared first on MyKitchen.

Eggs are the unsung heroes of so many of our favourite sweet treats. MK deputy food editor Sjaan van der Ploeg lifts the veil on the hard work eggs are doing behind the scenes to transform our cakes, meringues and mousses into showstoppers. 

The egg that could    

Eggs are the crucial building blocks of baking: sure, they’re not essential for all baking, but when they are included, their role is invaluable. Despite this special role, describing a dessert or baked treat as ‘eggy’ has never been a compliment. ‘Fluffy’, ‘buttery’, ‘creamy’, ‘lemony’ of course, but never ‘eggy’.   

The truth is that in fact eggs are a huge reason why baked goods can become fluffy, creamy and buttery. They take a humble backseat, pushing others forward, to help them shine. This makes them the ultimate team player, behind-the-scenes miracle worker and selfless giver. What do they ask of the humble baker in return? Just to be treated right. 

 

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How they make magic 

In some cases, though, eggs do in fact get their chance to shine. The ridges, valleys and hills of a pavlova stand up confidently but also delicately. A mixture of both is needed to also make this temperamental treat. And patience. And an oven that doesn’t hate you.  

But it’s the making of the pavlova that really puts you into some sort of trance. As your gloopy egg whites begin to whirl and smash against the bowl from the force of the beaters, the tiny, clustered proteins begin to expand. As they unravel, they stretch out almost like arms, working with each other to envelope as many tiny air bubbles as they can, thus forming a large structure full of bubbly, fluffy, cloud-like texture.  

When sugar is slowly added to this cloud, the granules interact with the water held within the egg white’s structure, simultaneously dissolving and providing reinforced structure to the mixture.   

 

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This is why a meringue feels more stable when scooped compared to whipped egg whites on their own. Meringue adds a thick volume to a batter, whereas whipped egg white adds a soft volume to a batter. Both still work their magic when they are baked, the millions of air pockets contained securely within the proteins and sugars expanding to create an airy, light bake.  

Faith like egg whites 

The same goes for making chocolate mousse. Whipped egg whites (or a meringue) are folded into a melted mixture of chocolate, cream and additions like butter and flavourings. The fat from the chocolate and cream suspends the egg white air bubbles, protecting them from collapsing. Once placed in the fridge, the fat then solidifies, fortifying the mixture even further.  

When it comes to eggs shaping up cakes, brownies and sturdier baked goods, they work behind the scenes to create a strong foundation. They mix with flour to make a crumb by binding everything in the batter together, especially ingredients that usually don’t mix such as oil and water.  

Eggs also contribute towards leavening (or rising) in cakes. The water within their structure turns into steam during cooking, pushing up and expanding the bake to create a lovely lightness and bouncy texture.  

Egg yolks enrich a bake, enhancing the flavour, colour and creaminess, while egg whites bring up the volume.  

 

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Eggs are to thank for the versatility and consistency in baking, and they are endless givers. Try these heavenly S’mores chocolate mousse cups to see just how special eggs truly are: 

S’mores chocolate mousse cups 

Makes 10

Flavour the mousse by dissolving 3 Tbsp instant coffee in 2 Tbsp hot cream. Stir mixture into to the melted chocolate and continue with the recipe. 

Ingredients

200g digestive biscuits, crushed + extra for serving
3 Tbsp (45g) butter, melted
380g dark chocolate, chopped
6 large eggs, separated
2 Tbsp (28g) caster sugar
2 cups (500ml) cream  

For the meringue

3 egg whites
¾ cup (165g) caster sugar 

Method

1. Add biscuits to a blender and blitz into crumbs. Stir through the butter. 
2. Add 2 Tbsp biscuit crumbs to 10 medium-sized glasses. 
3. Melt chocolate until smooth. 
4. In a clean bowl, whisk egg whites to stiff peaks. 
5. In a separate bowl, whisk sugar and cream to stiff peaks. 
6. Whisk egg yolks through cooled chocolate. 
7. Mix half the egg white into the chocolate mixture, then fold through the remaining egg white and sugary cream through the mixture. 
8. Spoon mixture into glasses and refrigerate for 4 hours. 
9. To make the meringue, whisk egg whites to medium peaks.  
10. Add sugar 1 Tbsp at a time until it’s glossy, whisking about 10 minutes until sugar is dissolved. 
11. To serve, top mousse with dollops of meringue, toasting with a blow torch if you like, and add an extra sprinkle of biscuit. 

Words and images: Sjaan van der Ploeg

The post How eggs bring out the best in our bakes  appeared first on MyKitchen.

Three ingredients. Many tips and tricks. Discover how to cook delicious food with efficiency using the robust flavour boost of beer, the richness of butter and the hot punch of chilli sauce! 

As we celebrate International Beer Day on the 1st of August, we give you the inside scoop on how beer can enhance your food. Cooking with beer not only enriches the flavour of food but also enhances its depth and complexity — which can take a recipe to a whole new level. The following tips and tricks to using beer in preparing your meals will help you get the best out of the brew.  

Beer and food pairing  

Select beers that enhance the taste of the food you’re serving. While heartier brews such as stouts and ales go well with beef, pork and rich stews, pair lighter beers such as Pilsners and lager with seafood and chicken.  

Marinades  

Beer is a great base for marinades since it not only adds flavour but also helps to tenderise meats — especially the tougher cuts. This is because the acidity in beer helps to break down proteins, which gives you a more tender result. For marinades with more depth, add a little brown sugar, herbs and spices.  

Beer in batter  

Adding beer to batters makes for a light, crispy texture. Beer’s carbonation aids in the batter’s expansion and airiness, so it’s great for making tempura veggies, fried fish or onion rings.  

Deglazing 

Instead of using wine or stock to deglaze the pan after searing your meat, why not use beer? It produces a tasty sauce by lifting all the flavourful caramelised bits off the pan’s surface.  

Simmering & braising  

Beer works well in slow-cooked foods such as stews and braises. It adds a deep, malty flavour that goes well with robust dishes. Just watch out for the bitterness, which can get stronger over extended cooking times. If necessary, counterbalance with a little sweetness.  

Baking  

When it comes to baked goods such as muffins and bread, beer is a winner. Its yeast cc contributes to the dough’s rise, giving it a distinct flavour that you simply won’t get from water on its own. 

By: Lichelle May
Photography by: Zhann Solomons
Text courtesy of MyKitchen magazine 

The post Cooking with beer? Follow these tips  appeared first on MyKitchen.

Ever wonder why your cakes don’t rise or your cookies flop. Learn how to fix these common baking blunders in no time. 

Mistake #1: Not greasing your pans properly 

Do your cakes stick to your pans like superglue? You likely have not prepped your pans properly. Preparing your pans is essential for a break-free (and delicious) bake. The solution is to generously grease the inside of your pans with oil, butter or baking spray then line your pans with baking paper. Grease the baking paper again and dust with flour. Once done, turn the lined pan upside down and tap the bottom to get rid of any excess flour. And voila – your tins are ready for your yummy bakes! 

Use this trick to line your pans with baking paper: 

@jessiesheehanbakes Peeps, do you or do you not want to twin with me? I’m hoping you do, in which case please line your baking pans just like this. Heat proof binder clips are non-negotiable. #baking #bakingtiktok #cookinghacks ♬ Christmas Tree – Auracle

Mistake #2: Icing a warm cake  

As tempting as it is to ice a cake as soon as your baked goods are fresh from the oven, it is best to wait until everything is completely cool before you with your decoration process. If you ice your cake when it’s hot, the icing will melt and can pull up lumps from the soft cake. If you want to speed up the cooling process, let your warm cakes rest upside down on wire racks for 30 minutes before letting it cool off completely in the fridge.  

@victoriascakes343 Best way to cool your cake layers #caketipsandtricks #cake #foodie #caketutorial #bakingvideos #baketok ♬ Sweet Giirrrrllll face beat x Father Philis – Father Philis

Mistake #3: Baking with cold ingredients 

Did you know that you should always use room temperature ingredients to bake with? (Unless instructed otherwise, of course). “Soft but cool butter has a nice, creamy texture that makes it easy to beat with sugar, which incorporates air into batters and doughs that rely on the creaming method,” says Stella Parks, author of BraveTart: Iconic American Desserts.  

But what can happen when you bake with cold ingredients? Adding cold milk or eggs to the batter can cause curdling. “Curdled cake batters tend to rise poorly, so the finished cake will be rather dense. Cold, curdled batters tend to dome rather than bake up flat – and they’re often riddled with tunnels and holes,” adds Parks.  

@grandbabycakes Here’s my #Hack for getting room temp butter fast for #baking! #recipe #recipevideo #cooking #bakingrecipe #bakingtiktok #bakinghacks #cookinghacks ♬ Up – Cardi B

Image: Pexels

Also read: Key baking hacks you need to know

The post 3 Baking mistakes you may be making (and how to fix them)  appeared first on MyKitchen.

Explore the decadent world of custards and creams, where rich flavours and smooth textures elevate baked goods to luxury level. 

So you’ve perfected your baked goods, from golden éclairs to delicate pie shells and even the tall sponge cakes. Now is the moment to use the magic of custards and creams to enrich, fill and complete your masterpieces. 

The unsung heroes of baking are these velvety wonders which transform “pretty good” into “utterly divine”. Additionally, they’re quite simple to learn despite their sophisticated names. One mouthful at a time, let’s explore these fantastic fillings, sauces and toppings!  

Ace your base 

Stay calm and whisk on 

Custards reward patience and demand attention. Don’t leave the pot once your custard is on the go or you could risk curdling, boiling over or burning the custard.   

Temperature is key 

Constant whisking and low heat avoid heartbreak, also known as curdling. If the heat was too high, remove your pot or bowl from the heat and place on a board, while whisking to cool. 

Strain away 

When your custard is cooked to perfection it’s a good idea to pour it through a fine mesh sieve to remove any cooked bits of egg or remaining lumps. You may not see these when cooking, so your strainer is your best friend.  

Chill like a pro

When custards are left to cool without being covered, they develop a film on their surface called a “skin”. The skin won’t disintegrate when you mix the custard, but will turn into small lumps. Not a great texture! To prevent that dreaded skin and those little lumps, press clingfilm directly onto the surface of your custard while hot before setting aside to cool.   

The main characters   

Crème anglaise 

Consider this the cool cousin of custards. A smooth, pourable sauce that’s ideal for drizzling over puddings. A delicate dance between milk, egg yolks, sugar, and a dash of vanilla is all that is required. The cooking game is low and slow as the mixture should never boil. This will result in a runny, coating sauce with a velvety texture. 

Crème pâtisserie

A bougie-named kitchen workhorse, often also called crème pat. Fruit tarts, cream puffs and éclairs all feature this rich, pipeable custard. Its secret weapon is cornflour, which guarantees a consistency that is perfect for layering with cakes or pasties. Some elbow grease is required (constant whisking is needed to avoid any lumps forming), but it’s well worth the workout! 

Diplomat cream

A light, dreamy blend of crème pâtisserie combined with whipped cream, resulting in what we can only call a vanilla dream. Use this stable filling in custard slices and trifles; it’s the fluffiest filler, and it steals the spotlight in almost any bake.  

Sabayon

This multipurpose wonder is the group’s extrovert, a frothy custard. Sabayon is made by gently heating sugar and egg yolks until they form a literal cloud of delicate foam. Serve with sweet biscuits, poached fruit or any crumble. 

Chantilly cream

Chantilly cream – the simplest of all – is airy, sweet and vanilla-kissed. Whipped cream is glammed-up with fine sugar and vanilla to create a delicious topping that adds that special touch to any baked dessert!  

Chantilly cream 

Makes about 1 ½ cups  

It is thought that the famous chef François Vatel popularised chantilly cream at the Château de Chantilly in 17th-century France. 

Ingredients 

1 cup (250ml) whipping cream, cold
3 Tbsp (45ml) icing sugar, sifted
1 tsp (5ml) vanilla extract

Method

1. Pour the cream into a large glass bowl. 
2. Whip the cream to soft peaks using an electrichand mixer. 
3. Add the icing sugar 1 Tbsp (15ml) at a time while whipping. 
4. Add the vanilla and whip until stiff peaks.  

Orange crème pâtisserie 

Makes about 2 ½ cups  

This orange crème pâtisserie is fresh and velvety, adding a zesty burst of flavour and creamy decadence to any cake, making it an instant showstopper! 

Ingredients 

1 2/3 cups (400ml) full-cream milk
1 large orange, zested and juiced
4 large egg yolks
1/3 cup (80ml) sugar
1/3 cup (80ml) cornflour
2 Tbsp (30ml) butter

Method

1. Heat the milk and orange zest in a pot on a low heat until just warm and steaming slightly (this process is called scalding the milk.) 
2. Beat the egg yolks and sugar in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy, about
   3 minutes. 
3. Pour  of the warmed milk into the egg mixture while whisking. 
4. Add the egg mixture into the pot with the remainder of the milk; mix and heat on a low to medium heat (this process is called liaising). 
5. In a small bowl, mix just enough water with the cornflour to create a slurry.  
6. Add the cornflour slurry to the milk mixture while whisking. 
7. Add in the juice. 
8. Cook the custard for about 10-15 minutes while stirring regularly to avoidburning. The custard should bubble to ensure the cornflour is cooked.  
9. Once the custard is cooked and has a smooth texture, remove from the heat.  
10. Add the butter and mix through for a velvety texture. 

Words: Lichelle May
Photographs: Fresh Living Magazine 

Also read: Key baking hacks you need to know

The post The unsung heroes of baking  appeared first on MyKitchen.