Application Guide
Table Of Contents
- Title Page
- Copyright Page
- Acknowledgments
- America’s New Bread Box
- Orientation
- Batterie de Cuisine: Know Your Bread Machine
- Making Bread
- Daily Breads: White Breads and Egg Breads
- White Breads
- Egg Breads
- One-Pound Loaves
- Pasta Doughs from Your Bread Machine
- Earth’s Bounty: Whole Wheat, Whole-Grain, and Specialty Flour Breads
- Whole Wheat Breads
- Rye Breads
- Specialty Flour Breads
- Multigrain Breads
- Gluten-Free Breads
- Traditional Loaves: Country Breads and Sourdough Breads
- Country Breads
- Sourdough Breads
- All Kinds of Flavors: Breads Made with the Produce of the Garden, Orchard, and Creamery
- Herb, Nut, Seed, and Spice Breads
- Savory Vegetable and Fruit Breads
- Cheese Breads
- Mixes and Some Special Breads Created from Them
- Stuffing Breads
- Circle, Squares, and Crescents: Pizzas and Other Flatbreads
- Sweet Loaves: Chocolate, Fruit, and Other Sweet Breads
- Breakfast Breads
- Coffee Cakes and Sweet Rolls
- Chocolate Breads
- Holiday Breads
- Express Lane Bread: No-Yeast Quick Breads
- Jams, Preserves, and Chutneys in Your Bread Machine
- Appendix 1 Bits and Pieces: Crumbs, Croutons, Crostini, and Toasted Appetizers
- Appendix 2 To Eat with Your Bread: Spreads, Butters, Cheeses, and Vegetables
- Appendix 3 Resources
- General Index
- Recipe Index
FRENCH BUTTERMILK STARTER Makes 11/
2
cups starter
I always seem to have cultured buttermilk around. With a cup left in the carton, I de-
cided to add yeast and some flour, and let it stand for twenty-four hours. Voila! C’est I
magnifique! I got a smooth, thick fermented starter that has become my favorite. But-
termilk is thinnest at the time of purchase and thickens as it sits. You may want to ad-
just how much flour you add according to the thickness of your buttermilk. If your but-
termilk has exceeded its pull date, the starter may be ready to use after 1 day, but I
suggest you let it ferment for at least three days to use it at its best.
INGREDIENTS
3
/
4
cup unbleached all-purpose or bread flour
Large pinch of active dry, bread machine, or SAF yeast
1 to 1
1
/
4
cups lowfat buttermilk
For the first feeding:
2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose or bread flour
3 tablespoon water
Whisk together the
3
/
4
cup flour, yeast, and buttermilk in a medium bowl; the mix-
ture should be thick like a pancake batter. Add a bit more flour to adjust the con-
sistency, if necessary. Transfer to a plastic container or crock. Cover with a few
layers of cheesecloth and secure with a rubber band; then cover loosely with plas-
tic wrap. Let stand at warm room temperature 24 hours (80°F is optimum). It will
be bubbly, begin to ferment, and smell delightful. There will be tiny yellow dots
of butter from the buttermilk on the top.
After 36 hours when the starter begins to smell sour, feed it with the 2 tablespoons of
flour and the water; whisk to combine. Let stand for 1 to 2 more days, until the
desired degree of sourness is achieved. This starter can be used 3 or 4 days after it
is initially mixed. The longer you let it sit, the more sour it will be; you can judge
how sour the starter has become by the way it smells. If you are not ready to use it
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