A Little Sourdough Q&A

Last fall, I started baking with sourdough. You may be thinking, "Baking with sourdough? Don't you mean baking sourdough?" Kind of. I assumed that sourdough always meant bread, but it doesn't. In fact, you can use sourdough to create many delicious concoctions. Several friends have asked about it, so I did a little Q & A with myself just for you. :)

What is sourdough?
Sourdough is a dough that is naturally leavened. In other words, sourdough will rise without requiring added yeast. I used flour and water to grow my starter originally.

Why do I use it?
My understanding is that sourdough breaks down gluten into a form more tolerable to our bodies. As gluten is blamed for many issues these days, I think sourdough provides a good alternative to a gluten-free diet.

Is the sourdough process new?
No way. Sourdough was most likely the first type of leavening. The history is actually pretty interesting, if you like that kind of thing.

What are your favorite sourdough recipes?
When it comes to cooking and baking, I am all about simple. Here are a few of my favorite recipes:

• Sourdough Bread - There are only four ingredients to my favorite bread recipe: sourdough starter (which is made of flour and water), flour, water, and salt. Four ingredients! 
• Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies with Sourdough - Delicious!
• Sourdough Pizza Crust - This recipe also has four ingredients: sourdough starter, olive oil, flour, and salt.
• Sourdough Chocolate Chip Muffins - No, they aren't sour. You would never guess that they are made with sourdough starter. Yum!

How can you try it?
I found the King Arthur Flour website extremely helpful in starting my, ahem, starter. The website offers detailed instructions and many recipes. If you have any questions, please let me know.