UPDATE: I don’t currently have this starter available but you can order it through Azure Standard.

BREAD-FOR-LIFE…I do, however have a more traditional style of starter available if you need some.

Are you interested in a not-so-sour sour-dough-ish type of bread that rises via natural leavening (no yeast) and still tastes yummy? Yes? Then this is the bread for you!

I’ve read that some people who are gluten intolerant are able to eat this bread!! Wouldn’t that be great?

Soooo…. I’m pondering offering some of this bread for sale when I have time to bake extra. Is that something that would interest anyone local (central MN) who is reading this? I’ve been studying up on what it takes to get the Cottage Foods permit so that I could sell baked goods to you all and it doesn’t sound too complex so that may be a thing of the near future!

(Update-May 2022: I do have a Cottage Foods license now so may have time to bake extra bread in the Winter months. The warmer months are too busy though with all the farm and garden work.)

My sister-in-law, Maria gave me my Bread For Life starter culture in 2020, along with a DVD to watch how the original starter is made and what to do with it. She has since then shared the recipe that she came up with for making an even tastier version of bread that sticks together better and is softer. I’ve modified her recipe a mite to fit our taste and health preferences and will share that with you here but the fun of it is, you can modify this recipe to your family’s taste and needs just as both Maria and I have done!

The original starter is made by mixing flour and water together in a jar, covering that jar with a thin cloth to keep contaminants out, then setting the jar outside amongst/under green leafy plants to attract the healthy microbes needed to make your bread extra healthy with the ability to rise without the use of yeast!

You can actually read the original recipe, see more health benefits and watch a video about the starter (and purchase it if you’d rather get it there than getting some from me) on the Azure Standard website HERE.

HOW TO MAKE MY CURRENT VERSION OF THE BREAD-FOR-LIFE BREAD:

When you receive your starter, you will need to feed it daily (if you miss a day, it’s not going to die but try not to let that happen often as, just like you or I, it will stay happier if it’s fed regularly). :D See those nice bubbles in the photo? That’s a happy starter.

You’ll want to put your starter in a quart or larger jar. I prefer a half-gallon sized jar. Add 1/3 cup of whole wheat flour and 1/4 cup of pure (non-chlorinated) water and stir well, put the lid on your jar and stick your starter in the refrigerator in a place that you’ll see it tomorrow and remember to add more flour and water! Once your starter gets to be about 2 cups worth, you can up the amount of flour and water that you add to 1 cup of flour and 3/4 or so cup of water.

When I make bread, I like to make a large batch (so that we have bread on hand for a while) so I wait until I have a little more than 4 cups worth of starter in the jar and then make my bread. Feel free to half this recipe if you only want a couple loaves of bread at a time.

Directions for 4 loaves worth of bread dough (it makes good buns, rolls or pizza crusts too):

• 4 cups of Bread For Life starter

• 3 cups of water

• 1 cup of yogurt (Greek is awesome, perhaps some that you’ve made yourself!)

• 4 tsps. salt

• 3 whole eggs (or, since I was going for more of a Trim Healthy mama style of bread that I can eat on plan, I added 4 eggs worth or egg whites instead)

• 1/2 cup of honey

• *Maria adds 1/2 cup melted butter & 1/4 cup oil to her recipe for extra moisture

• 6 cups of white flour (organic, unbleached is best)

• 8 or so cups of whole wheat flour (freshly ground is awesome!)

  First, BE SURE TO SAVE AT LEAST 1/2 CUP OF STARTER FOR YOUR FUTURE BREAD!

  Mix all of the ingredients, except the flour, together in a LARGE bowl, then add a few cups of flour at a time. I like to use more whole wheat flour than white for health reasons but the white flour does keep the bread softer and less crumbly so play around with what blend you prefer.

  Add enough flour so that the dough doesn’t stick to your hands while you’re stirring/kneading it in the bowl. Now oil another large bowl (or empty the current bowl and put some oil on the sides and bottom, put your dough in the oiled bowl and cover. Keep in a warm place for 6 hours or so. You can put it in the oven with the light ON, just don’t forget about it! It WILL rise.

• Dump your dough out onto an oiled or floured counter and knead a little more, then cut the dough into quarters if you’re making loaves.

• Shape each bit of dough and put in an oiled bread pan (glass or stainless steel are great).

• Let it rise again until it doubles in size (another hour or two).

• Bake at 350F degrees for 30 to 35 minutes for bread loaves or 20 minutes (or so) for buns.

• If you’re not making this a low fat version, go ahead and oil or butter the tops of the bread to seal in some of that moisture and keep the crust softer.

  We’ve recently learned that bread keeps well in a bread box (of all things!) on the counter. Who knew? The outside will get crispy but the inside stays softer and the bread will keep longer than if it’s stored in a bag on the counter. You can keep the bread in the refrigerator instead but then it tends to dry out and get more crumbly.

  *You will probably want to freeze some of your bread loaves if you make a large batch so that they don’t go bad (yes, they can grow mold after a while). When you bring a loaf out of the freezer, pop it into a 325F degree preheated oven for 20 to 30 minutes to enjoy a warm loaf all over again. Get out that butter!

Got questions? As always, I’m happy to try to help. :) ~Cora

Helpful tip: Remember to keep a distance of 4-5 feet between ferments/culturing foods to avoid cross contamination.