Sure is quiet around here.

[Stoney Pete]

The other night I decided ta try your cornbread recipe in the current "Shootist". I forgot to put in the leavening agent.  It didn't turn out the best. I'll have ta try it again and use all the ingredients. 

Slim

When all else fails, follow the instructions.

[Stoney Pete]

If it starts crawling up Delmonico's arm, we may have to amputate it to save him.

AnnieLee

With you doing his nursing let's hope it don't jump on his head.

[Silver Creek Slim]

The other night I decided ta try your cornbread recipe in the current "Shootist". I forgot to put in the leavening agent.  It didn't turn out the best. I'll have ta try it again and use all the ingredients. 

Slim

When all else fails, follow the instructions.

I was trying to but two of the ingredients were on the same line so I missed the second one which was the leavening agent. 

Slim

[Four-Eyed Buck]

Hey Del, Your failed rye bread didn't eat the trash guy today did it? remember, it was inthe trash can.........Buck

[Delmonico]

Don't know why both ended up on the same line, typo at the printers?  Just change the name ta corn pone and it will be alright.   Got some I made in April that ain't got no leavin', no shortnin' no eggs or white flour.   Still as good as the hardtack from the same time.  Me and GG did a lecture on Civil War rations. 

I'd thought that Civil War study group a would a jumped right in and tried them, I tolt them they could.

Did ya try the Steak Recipe Slim, course to many a them and ya'd have ta change from Slim!

Buck, the temp dropped, it was safe fer the garbage man.  Don't know about the City Dump when the weather gets warm.

[gophergrease]

Ok, I'm safe.   Was gonna make rye bread today, started a sponge last night, didn't have any white flour so since I was makein' rye bread I thought I would just use the rye flour and get white today.  Looked in the bowl and it looked like my new starter had problems.  Not enough gluten in the flour, it was like silly putty, but it moved.  It is in the garbage right now, outside.  Biscuits fer supper I guess.

Did you know that biscits made with bad starter can be used by the blacksmith enstead of coal.

[Delmonico]

Hey there were nothin' wrong with them biscuits 5 days before we burned them.  The bacteria part of the starter that makes the acetic acid and the lactic acid  out of the carbohydrates was just fine.  The yeast that farts out the CO2 to make the bread rise in yeast bread was just not healthy.

However a really good starter when fed well will be crawlin' out of the cupboard tryin' to get the wifes cat.  

OOOOOps none a the CAS-City folks will want to ever eat sourdough again.  Course I had that one that almost ate the State Fair.

[gophergrease]

Dont forget the starter that tryed to drive a way on last new years.

[gophergrease]

good nit all.........

[Silver Creek Slim]

Don't know why both ended up on the same line, typo at the printers?  Just change the name ta corn pone and it will be alright.   Got some I made in April that ain't got no leavin', no shortnin' no eggs or white flour.   Still as good as the hardtack from the same time.  Me and GG did a lecture on Civil War rations. 

I'd thought that Civil War study group a would a jumped right in and tried them, I tolt them they could.

Did ya try the Steak Recipe Slim, course to many a them and ya'd have ta change from Slim!

The "corn pone" was rather moist, but tasted good.
Haven't tried the steak recipe yet, but fried pork chops in butter. They sure were good. 

Slim

[Delmonico]

Well it might not be safe in the kitchen again, there are round loafs of my Czech Rye bread in the pan in the slightly warmed oven risin' to be baked.  I never feel safe the they are baked and the rogue yeast has died. 

[Silver Creek Slim]

Hide the cat. Or maybe not. 

Slim

[Delmonico]

Here I drug this out from the Historical Society:

This is my starter recipe, some areas of the country have good wild yeast that makes good starter.

I use French Champange yeast, have tried several kinds of yeast.  This has the highest tolerance to alcohol of any store-bought yeast.  It also makes lots of CO2 to raise your bread. 

It will make yeast type bread in just a little more time than store-bought yeast, with out adding yeast.  Sourdough is to be the yeast.  Course salertus (baking soda) is used instead of baking powder with quick breads.  Most modern cook books don't do sourdough properly.

Just dissolve 1 package of this stuff in 2 cups warm water, add 2 cups flour and stir.  In a couple of days when it starts to seperate add enough more flour and water to fill the container.  When it smells like a combination of sour milk, vinegar and beer it is ready to use.

Used to add a bit of sugar to other starters the night before using (for yeast bread) to kick start it.  Tried it once with this, it was crawling around the kitchen floor trying to attack my wife's cat when I came home.

 
 
 

[Silver Creek Slim]

...trying to attack my wife's cat when I came home.

 

So, is that a good thing? 

Slim

[Delmonico]

So here is the bread recipe that I'm usin'.

Talking with some of the local Czech Historians I have done some back engineering and came up with what we think is a recipe that would have been similar to what the Czech who settled here in Southeast Nebraska would have made, in the 1870's.

About a quart of sourdough starter
4 handfuls of rye flour
white flour
lump of lard about the size of a meduim chicken egg
1/2 handful of brown sugar
double pinch of caraway seed

Put the starter in a crock bowl the night before, stir in the brown sugar and a handful of white flour.  Cover with a towel. 

In the morning mix in the rye flour, lard, caraway seed and enough white flour to make a workable dough.  (Rye bread will be more sticky than other bread  doughs)  Let rise till doubled.
(A good starter will not take more than 2 hours at the most)

When it has doubled in size punch down and fourm into round loaves (2 or 3)  I place mine in a greased 15 inch skillet.  Let rise till doubled and bake in a medium hot oven for 35-45 minutes.

Cool on a towel or rack and spread the tops with melted butter.

I have decided in my not always humble opinion that this is the best bread in the word for a meat and cheese type sandwich.

I do a bit more searching when buying the rye flour, I do not use stone ground flour if I can find steel ground flour.  I do this to honor the Czech who settled in this region.  They are credited with bringing the steel roller mill technolagy to this area from central Europe.  It seems wrong to use stone ground flour in it.

Although I am not of Czech decent many of my friends are and I have been told I am an Honorary Czech several times by Czech folks who have eaten some of this rye bread.  If ya do sourdough give this a try.

Vita Vaas

[Silver Creek Slim]

Me thinks he'z ignorin' my cat comments. Or the wife is lookin' o'er his shoulder with skillet in hand. 

Slim

[Joyce (AnnieLee)]

Maybe the cat is looking over his shoulder with the skillet in hand?

Del, I really want to make a starter. What temperature does it have to be for it to work? And can I store it covered in a cupboard so the dogs and random mice can't get to it? I figure the pilot on the oven might be too warm. Maybe not, but I dunno!

AnnieLee

[Silver Creek Slim]

Maybe the cat is looking over his shoulder with the skillet in hand?

...

AnnieLee

I hadn't thought of that. 

Slim

[Delmonico]

I just store mine in the cupboard, not a problem.


I spent 9 years trainin' this stooopid cat and ya want the sourdough ta get it,   ya know cats are so dumb it is hard to train them, but I have.   Kitty thinks I'm a god an worships me.  She bows at my feet.  She even helps me prove how dumb she is when someone comes over and I call her a dumb cat.  "No she's a nice cat they say as she sits on their lap being petted."  So what do I do, grab a fly swatter and say, "Come here you dumb cat and I'll beat you with this."  She comes over, lays at my feet and I beat her with the fly swatter and tell them, "See I told you she was dumb."

I even got her trained that in the mornin' if her dish is empty, she sits at the dish and don't say a word till the coffee is on, then and only then can she meow to let me know she needs food or water.

I could have trained her to lead and heal, but Rita whined about the training collar I had on her. 

[Delmonico]

The world is safe, the bread is done.  The smell is wooooonnnneeeerful.   All spread with melted butter and coolin' on the rack.  The 2 venison roasts are in cast iron and in the oven.  Cold venison roast Samwhiches on sourdough rye with SHARP cheddar cheese, stone ground mustard and horseraddish fer supper.       Might need some soup, heard the split pea and ham of 1999 was a good vintage.     

I feel sorry for folks who have to have speaker food fer supper.

<Squawk, Welcome to the Nasty Drive Through, would you like a heart attack with yer order or just diarrria.   Please drive up to the window and pay more than our goop is worth.  Don't worry if we messed up yer order, what we gave you is just as nasty as what you ordered.   Please come back again, well not really, cause I got to really do sumthin' but if I don't say this they'll make me clean the toilets. Squawk>

[Joyce (AnnieLee)]

But what about the temperatures? I thought I read someplace that it had to be around 70 degrees. My house is around 62 in the winter.


AnnieLee

[Delmonico]

Dern scientists, they ferget about folks in the Alsakan gold rush, they used sourdough,  it'll just work slower, put it in yer oven with the piolet, er poilet that little flame that lights the oven   a few hours before you want to use it.  If you keep it at 75 or more degrees you'll have to use it and feed it often.

[Forty Rod]

Them miners had piglet lights in their stoves? 

Ahhhhhh, C'mon.  yer yankin' my chain, aintcha?   

[Joyce (AnnieLee)]

Them miners had piglet lights in their stoves? 

Ahhhhhh, C'mon.  yer yankin' my chain, aintcha?   

The way Del was mangling the word, for a moment there I thought he was going to tell me to put it in the toilet!

 

AnnieLee

[Silver Creek Slim]