Holiday sourdough - recipes

Sunset, Dec, 1988

Holiday pleasures include treats such as home-baked breads and cakes sweetened with fruit and spices. These three recipes add the tang and moistness of sourdough starter.

Choose from cardamom-flavored swirl bread, cranberry muffins with orange and apricots, and gingerbread cake. (Directions for sourdough starter are on page 139 of the May 1988 Sunset.)

Sourdough Holiday Swirl Bread

3/4 cup sourdough starter, at room

temperature

1/2 cup warm (90') apple juice or milk

3-1/4 to 3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 package active dry yeast

5 tablespoons melted butter or

margarine

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon grated lemon peel

3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 large egg

1/2 cup each golden raisins and halved

candied cherries

1/4 cup chopped candied citron

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

mixed with 1/2 teaspoon ground

cinnamon

Lemon icing (recipe follows)

In a large bowl, stir starter, 1/4 cup juice, and 1/2 cup flour until smooth. For sourest flavor, cover and let stand in a warm place (80' to 90') until bubbly and sour smelling, 12 to 24 hours. To speed, omit standing; proceed.

Soften yeast in remaining apple juice; stir into starter mixture with 3 tablespoons butter, granulated sugar, lemon peel, cardamom, salt, and egg. Stir in enough flour to form a kneadable dough, about 2-1/2 cups. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured board and knead until smooth and elastic, 8 to 12 minutes; add flour as required to keep dough ftom sticking.

Gently knead in raisins, cherries, and citron. Place dough in a large greased bowl, then turn dough over. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until double, 1-1/2 to 2 hours.

Punch down dough. Turn out onto lightly floured board and knead gently to expel air. Roll into a 9- by 18-inch rectangle. Brush dough with remaining melted butter, and sprinkle with brown sugar mixture. Roll up dough, starting from long side; pinch seam closed.

On a greased 12- by 15-inch baking sheet, arrange roll seam down in a 9-inch-wide horseshoe. With scissors, make cuts at 1-1/2-inch intervals from outside of horseshoe 2/3 of the way to center. Turn each section on its side, overlapping slightly. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until puffy, about I hour. Bake in a 350' oven until deep golden, about 25 minutes. Loosen bread with a wide spatula, then slide onto a rack and let cool at least 10 minutes. Drizzle with icing. Serve warm or cool. Or let cool completely, store airtight up to 2 days, or freeze up to 2 months. (If freezing bread, ice after it has thawed.) Makes 12 servings. Marvin Zeisloft, Colfax, Calif.

Per serving : 317 cal.; 5.5 g protein; 61 g carbo; 5.8 g fat; 36 mg chol.; 172 mg sodium.

Lemon icing. In a bowl, beat until smooth 1 cup sifted powdered sugar, 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel, and 1-1/2 tablespoons lemon juice.

Sourdough Cranberry-Apricot Muffins

1/2 cup sourdough starter, at room

temperature

3/4 cup sour cream, at room

temperature

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup melted butter or margarine

1-1/2 teaspoons grated orange peel

   1 large egg                        Sourdough Gingerbread Cake
   1/4 cup chopped dried apricots     3/4 cup sourdough starter, at room

1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries temperature

1 teaspoon each baking soda and 1 cup warm (90') milk

baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)

Hazelnut streusel(recipe follows

In a bowl, stir starter, sour cream, and 1/2 cup flour until smooth. For sourest flavor, cover and let stand in a warm place (80' to 90') until bubbly and sour smelling, 12 to 24 hours. To speed, omit standing; proceed.

To starter mixture, add sugar, butter, orange peel, and egg; stir until well blended. Mix in apricots and cranberries.

Combine remaining flour with baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Stir into starter mixture just to mix evenly Spoon batterinto 12 greased 2-1/2- to 2-3/4-inchwide muffin cups. Pat streusel on top.

Bake in a 425' oven until a toothpick inserted in center of a muffin comes out clean, 20 to 30 minutes. Loosen muffins with a knife and turn out onto a rack. Serve warm or cool. If desired, let cool completely; store airtight up to I day or freeze up to 2 months. Makes 12.

Per muffin : 313 cal; 4.6 g protein; 43 g carbo. ; 14 g fat; 53 mg chol.; 216mg sodium.

Hazelnut streusel. With your fingers, rub together until crumbly 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar, 1/3 cup all-purpose flour, 1/4 cup (1/8 Ib.) butter or margarine, 1/4 cup chopped hazelnuts, and 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon.

3 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup (3/8 lb.) butter or margarine

1cup sugar

1cup dark molasses

2 large eggs

2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1-1/2 teaspoons each baking soda,

ground nutmeg, and ground

ginger

1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Powdered sugar

Whipped cream dusted with

cinnamon (optional)

In bowl, stir starter, milk, and I cup flour until smooth. For sourest flavor, cover and let stand in warm place (80' to 90') until bubbly and sour smelling, 12 to 24 hours. To speed, omit standing; proceed. In large bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until creamy. Add molasses; beat until combined. Mix in eggs, I at a time, then add starter mixture and beat until blended. Stir together remaining flour, baking powder, cinnamon, soda, nutmeg, ginger, salt, and cloves; add to starter mixture and beat to blend well.