That simple combo of flour, water, and yeast sitting in a jar upon the counter produced a soured sweetness just waiting to be so much more!
Dwelling in '49er country (the Gold Country, that is -- I'm no fan of football team sports) I wanted to find a recipe that would have a touch of history to go with this soured-dough. So I perused our shelves in search of pioneer cooking. I immediately pulled this gem off the shelf. I purchased this at Sutter's Mill -- the site of the first gold sighting responsible for launching that famous fevered RUSH.
Alas, only a recipe for sourdough pancakes. I had a hankerin' for sourdough biscuits, so I pulled the next selection down.
I struck gold! Mrs. Boast explains sour dough when she serves up a batch of delicious biscuits to Laura in By the Shores of Silver Lake.
Now, I must confess I goofed a bit on the recipe (I failed to read the recipe fully before starting) and I didn't exactly follow Mrs. Boast's lead with the baking instructions (I used my oven rather than a skillet over flame), but the results pleased my family just fine. Naturally I chose to use whole wheat flour, rather than the white flour that pioneers toted to the frontier -- but, I did use Prairie Gold flour. ; D
Sourdough Biscuits fresh from the OvenJust to be safe, I baked a batch of whole wheat buttermilk biscuits -- but the sourdough won out as everyone's first choice. I ladled chicken livers with milk gravy atop those sourdough biscuits. Yummy!
With fresh-picked tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers from our garden, some steamed edamame, and a juicy-sweet watermelon we enjoyed an outdoor pioneer picnic on a balmy summer's eve here in the Gold Country.
Come 'n git it!
17 comments:
Sourdough, yes, chicken livers in gravy, NO!
humm so did you make a sour dough starter from rye flour or wheat?
I am really enjoying the artisan techniques they are so easy. Karey's family is totally hooked on sourdough pancakes.
the little covers for your glasses grabbed my attention. i have one but i have never seen them anywhere else.
i inherited mine with a house i once lived in, it had the words "victory to the allies" formed in the crochet
Sounds lovely. I'm getting a kick out of the Little House cook book. :-D
Oh man. You are making me so hungry!!!
Debbie
So now you've inspired me to start some sourdough too.
Your red checked tablescape is wonderful.
My sourdough starter died so I have to start over =(
I can't wait to make some bread with it!
Your dinner sounds lovely!
Hello darling. Yes, I know it's been awhile. It's nice to see Kylie here. I have tears in my eyes, but I know you know that. I've read so many posts I'm filled to the brim with emotion and of course I'm listening to your beautiful music in the wee hours of morn, so that doesn't help my tears at all!
I have so much to say and I'm trying to organize my thoughts. First, just being here is so lovely. I have to come more often. The house and yard look beautiful. The chickens and kitty are still gorgeous! The food looks wonderful (not the chicken livers however!). I always feel as if I can exhale when I'm here. I do. And you know why darling? Because for all our differences, we share so much.
I've been reading Sue Hubbell's A Country Year for probably 5-6 years. I read a few pages every few months because I don't want it to end. I know that sounds silly, but I fell in love with her life and her writing in the first chapter and I didn't want my love affair with her to end. My plan is to finally finish the book the day I die!!! I don't have the hardback. It's interesting to see what it looks like. I have the paperback and the cover shot is completely different and in black and white. So different.
Blogger has this new thing where you can only type just a bit over 4,000 characters in a comment. I have no idea what I have here, but I'm going to stop and start a new comment just to be safe.
XO
Okay, so Part II!
"Dusting off a Thoughtful Thursday" nearly killed me. Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. I'm going to apply much of what you wrote to dusting off my life. Thank you for that gem. And thank you for every post. I learned so much. I learned you like Farm Journals! ME TOO!!! I have a book you'll adore called "The Life Of A Pioneer Woman." It's an actual journal and so amazing. I read it probably 20 years ago and kept it in my library all this time. I just went out with a flashlight to try and find it to send to you. I've been trying desperately to edit my library and think I may have sent it to Good Will. If I find it I'll email for your address. I have so many books you'd love. My goal is to organize my library within the next year. If I'm successful, I can think of so many books to send to you and the kids.
I read the sentence about you being harassed by fellow bloggers. I hope everything's okay now. (I don't even have to look, I know I'm listening to Vivaldi!!! I do love your playlist because you know I love Vivaldi, oh and piano music!)
I love you darling. Thank you for making my menopause so beautiful. What? I wouldn't be up if not for THIS CRAP!!! Also, thank you for the wonderful comment on my birthday blog. I could just hug you to bits. I still have lots more to read and say, so hopefully will be suffering menopausal symptoms tomorrow morning too! Yes, I'll be back!!! You know it's funny because I often wonder why I blog. It's a lot of effort and takes hours I don't have, but this is why. Coming here. Learning. Laughing. Crying. Wishing I was sitting on the deck with you, a good cup of jasmine tea and the scent of roses and chicken poop in the air.
I adore you. Your blog is amazing and so are you.
Much love,
XO
P.S. I don't want to sign off because the music will stop. Hummmmmmmmmm.
I'd like to invite you to my Birthday Party!
It will be
Tuesday 22-September!
(please, take comfortable shoes, we will be dance)
Have a wonderful day!
♥ Love & Blessings!
Maria
from Poland
Hi Debbie- thanks for dropping by. I see Kylie and Suzanne here too- hey there you two!
What a stunning supper in a stunning location. Eating al fresco seems so exotic to us Brits. And I like your style of food. Good, wholesome stuff!
These biscuits look wonderful. How do you make a sour dough starter, from scratch, if someone doesn't give you some? Can I find this information on the Internet? I want some biscuits, soon.
Your table looks so pretty! I love the little lace cloths over your glasses...such a nice touch. Sour dough biscuits sound so good right now.
Dear Debbie,
The biscuits looks delicious..
The Tamil proverb in the last post got my attention.. do you know Tamil?
Tamil is another Indian language I know.
Have a great weekend.
♥ & ((hugs))
bindi
Oh, I love sourdough! I haven't had a starter since we left the states. I have a wonderful sourdough chocolate cake recipe if you think you need it.
Oh how this all fills me with a longing to come back to Sacramento for a visit and maybe even wind our way up to Grass Valley and Nevada City to visit family and friends!!!Thanks so much for sharing.:-)Love~Sharon
Wow everything looks SO delicious!
I miss the fairs--the only one we have here is a ferry ride away (2 days) I love the trees where your fair is held too.
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