From: dadams@cherry10.cray.com (David Adams)
Subject: Re: Sourdough on a Diet
Originator: dadams@cherry10
Organization: Cray Research, Inc.
Date: 17 Aug 92 12:19:48 CDT


In article <43610002@hpmwetg3.sr.hp.com>, dondd@hpmwtd.sr.hp.com (Don Dillon) writes:
> This is actually intented for David Adams, but I think others may be
> interested so I'll post instead of email.
> 
> 
> David, in a posting in rec.food.cooking(??) you mentioned during a
> discussion about cooking potatoes that some people feed their sourdough
> cultures boiled potatoes.  Can you elaborate on this a little bit, cause I
> thought all the culture really wanted was some water and white flour to
> chew on occasionally.
> 
> 
> -----------------------------------------------------------------
> Don { Go Niners } Dillon


I have never fed my culture boiled potatoes or potao water, but there
have been several people in the mailing list who have.  Maybe some 
of them can comment?

Here are some of their comments from the archives:

April 16, 92 near line 1234:


From: thomase@tekig5.pen.tek.com (Thomas Stan England)
>From the booklet "Essentials of Home Productiona and Storage"
published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
(the Mormons - who have invested considerable resarch into
food storage techniques) I found the following:
        Sour Dough Starter

        2 cups (286 grams) white flour or (274 grams) whole wheat flour
        2 cups (480 milliliters) warm water
        2 teaspoons (10 milliliters) honey or (8 grams) sugar
        Mix well. Place in uncovered bottle or crockery jar.
        Allow mixture to ferment 5 days in a warm room,
        stirring mixture several times a day. This will aerate the
        batter and allow the air to activate the mixture. It will
        smell yeasty, and small bubbles will come to the top.

        After using some yeast for baking, "feed" the starter (to
        replace the amount used in baking) by using equal parts
        of flour and water or potato water. In 24 hours the yeast
        will form and work and be ready for the next use.

        Store unused portion of yeast in the refrigerator in a
        glass or crockery jar with a tight-fitting lid. Shake the jar
        often. Activate the yeast again before using by adding 2
        to 3 tablespoons (18 to 27 grams ) of flour and the same
        amount (30 to 45 milliliters) of water and store.

        Homemade yeast can be used to replace all or part of
        the commercial yeast called for in a recipe; allow 24
        hours for homemade yeast to rise.
--
Forwarded-By:

Jason

   "Uhhh...Uhhh..Uhhh..I...Uhhh...Would...Uhhh...like to recognize...uuhhh...
    speaking of director's....uuh...John Singleton and Matty Rich...(...)people
    who bring new lifeblood to this industry."
       ---Jonathon Demme, stammering to a damn good point at the Oscar's.



April 16, 92 near line 1742:

From: Kenneth C. Rich <kenr@bridge.cc.rochester.edu>

I feed mine almost anything floury, but typically use cornmeal,
pastry wheat flour, white bread flour, WW bread flour, barley flour,
potato flakes.  In the past have used cracked wheat, ground sunflower
seeds, rolled oats, soy flour...


See also April 30, 92 near line 1298 (Finnish Rye & potao bread)
	Feb. 6, near line 889 for a book w/ more information.
	Feb. 6, near line 1712 for another book.

	
Feb. 20, 92 near line 1139 Sharon Patton claims to have obtained her
starter from a potato mix.  (Sharon_Patton@NeXT.COM)

Some discussion of potato culture questions in:

	Jan 9, 92  line 28
	Jan 16, 92 line 1268
	May 21, 92 line 129

In Jan. 16, 92, near line 1632:

From: Sharon_Patton@NeXT.COM
Subject: Potatoe starters


The reason I joined these conversations was to learn more on the 
chemistry of sourdough and new enticing recipes.   I will tell you 
tho that in regards to the above, and using potato water this is 
all I have ever used.  I was a sourdough myself, living remote 8 
months of the year for several years 300 miles southeast of Anchorage 
in Bristol Bay in a cabin in complete wilderness.  Potato water was 
the only sourdough starter I used by boiling potatoes until soft, 
discarding potato and adding sugar and flour to a crock and letting
ferment for at least one week before beginning to use.  Potato starters 
actually get very strong, very quickly!!!  They can turn bad very 
quickly if not given constant care.  The flavor is very rewarding.  
I fixed pancakes each morning with blueberries (wild of course). . . .
outstanding.  I would be glad to part with any recipes inquires using this 
starter.

Sharon Patton
sharon_patton@next.com

 
More discussion of questions:

	Jan. 23, 92 near line 15
	June 18, 92 near line 528  (another potato starter)


In May 21, 92 near line 249:

#From: Pat.Churchill@bbs.actrix.gen.nz

The Maori people settled NZ long before the Europeans.  But with
European settlement here, the Maori gradually replaced their staple
fernroot with potatoes and bread cooked Maori style.  Maori bread is
commonly called rewena paraoa.  Occasionally it is possible to buy it
at country fairs, school galas, wine and food festivals, etc.  It is
usually cooked in large round tins, I guess 10-12 inches in diameter,
and the bread is about 6inches deep.  Here is a recipe from a cookbook
compiled by a fellow member of the NZ Guild of Foodwriters, David
Burton (Two Hundred Years of New Zealand Food and Cookery)

Rewena Paraoa (Maori Bread)

Rewena (leaven)
2 C flour
3 medium slices potato
1 tsp sugar

Boil slices of potato with 1 cup of water until soft.  Cool to
lukewarm and mix in the flour and sugar to a paste.  Cover and standa
in a warm place until the mixture has fermented.

Bread
5 C flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
rewena (above)

Sift flour and salt into a bowl and make a well in the centre.  Fill
with rewena and sprinkle baking soda over the top.  Combine and knead
mixture for about 10 minutes, adding a little water if the mixture is
too firm.  Shape into loaves or place the mixture into greased loaf
tins.  Bake at 450F (230C) for 45-50 minutes.

Now here is another recipe I post for interest's sake.  The Maori had
a penchant for strongly flavoured food, according to David Burton.
Often, because they were away engaged in incessant tribal wars, their
plantations were left untended and they returned to find their crops
rotting.  Out of necessity they had to live on rotten food and
developed a penchant for it.  Some foods were then left deliberately
to decompose - such as Kaanga wai - cured corn.  Corn cobs were dried
in the sun then put in a kit (a flax basket) or a sack and left in
clear running water for 2-3 months until the core was rotten.  The
corn ws then stripped from the husk with a knife, washed with fresh
water and mashed then cooked (3C water for every 1C corn) for about
2-2 1/2 hours until it made a strong smelling porridge.  Today's Maori
add some salt and sugar.

I have eaten Rewena Paraoa (very nice although not quite enough salt
for me but our salted butter helps that) but not the Kaanga Wai, which
I believe is strong like blue vein cheese.

Well, that's a bit of ethnic stuff from down under for you :-)



End of references.  Does that help?



-- 
--David C. Adams  Statistician  Cray Research Inc.  dadams@cray.com
___________________________________________________________________
       member--Minnesotans for Global Warming.