The problem with maintaining a sourdough starter is that you have to throw out a hell of a lot of it on a regular basis. With flour being as coveted as toilet paper, this strikes me as a waste. So I’ve been scouting around for other recipes that use sourdough starter.
I came across a recipe for sourdough cherry cobbler in a Garden Way publishing bulletin I bought years ago. The biscuit topping uses sourdough starter as the sole liquid and leavening. I took liberties with the recipe, of course. The original recipe called for pie filling. I substituted frozen tart cherries, a peach, and some blueberries, mixed with a little maple syrup and some arrowroot powder for thickening. I doubled the amount of sourdough starter that I used to get more of a drop biscuit texture. Julian declared it good. For someone who usually kvetches when I deviate from the path of the One True Cobbler®, this is high praise.
For those of you who need a recipe, here’s what I did: Mix together about 3 cups of fruit in the bottom of a greased 10″ pie plate. In a medium bowl, stir together 3/4 cup flour and 1/2 cup EACH white and brown sugar. Cut in 1/4 cup butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in 1/2 cup sourdough starter (thin consistency) until dry mixture is incorporated. Drop clumps of dough on top of the fruit, leaving a gap in the middle of the pan to let steam escape. Bake in a preheated 425° oven for 25 minutes. Cool on wire rack.
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