I've got a sourdough starter, and I'm thinking
about making something with it. I'm currently
thinking about breadsticks or pretzels. There's
a bakery in Palo Alto called Il Fornaio that makes
some very nice cheese breadsticks, but they're not
sourdough. They are twisted, with a thick stripe
of cheese intertwined with the bread. They are
very crunchy and rich. I suspect the bread part
may be puff pastry.

I'm not going to make anything quite like those
wonderful breadsticks, and I'm determined to use
this sourdough starter I've been maintaining for
the last couple of weeks. Anyone know of a good
recipe for cheesy sourdough breadsticks? Google
comes up with lots of recipes, but I want one
that somebody here has tried and knows works well.
I'd like a good amount of cheese in or on it, not
just some decoration.

I'd consider pretzels as an alternative. I'm
invited to a dinner party on Saturday, so I'd
make this for that.

I'm still open to other possibilities, like maybe
rolls or other small items that would go well with
other dinner food. I'd like something more
interesting than plain bread or bread decorated
with seeds. I'd also like it to be vegetarian.
Something with cheese seems like a good idea,
but alternatives like pesto or mushrooms would
also be a possibility.

On Wed, 23 May 2012 14:53:01 -0800, Mark Thorson >
wrote:

>I've got a sourdough starter, and I'm thinking
>about making something with it. I'm currently
>thinking about breadsticks or pretzels. There's
>a bakery in Palo Alto called Il Fornaio that makes
>some very nice cheese breadsticks, but they're not
>sourdough. They are twisted, with a thick stripe
>of cheese intertwined with the bread. They are
>very crunchy and rich. I suspect the bread part
>may be puff pastry.
>
>I'm not going to make anything quite like those
>wonderful breadsticks, and I'm determined to use
>this sourdough starter I've been maintaining for
>the last couple of weeks. Anyone know of a good
>recipe for cheesy sourdough breadsticks? Google
>comes up with lots of recipes, but I want one
>that somebody here has tried and knows works well.
>I'd like a good amount of cheese in or on it, not
>just some decoration.
>
>I'd consider pretzels as an alternative. I'm
>invited to a dinner party on Saturday, so I'd
>make this for that.
>
>I'm still open to other possibilities, like maybe
>rolls or other small items that would go well with
>other dinner food. I'd like something more
>interesting than plain bread or bread decorated
>with seeds. I'd also like it to be vegetarian.
>Something with cheese seems like a good idea,
>but alternatives like pesto or mushrooms would
>also be a possibility.


The founder of The Fresh Loaf has a simple pizza dough/bread stick
recipe that is already converted to a sourdough base. Although I have
not made his recipe myself, he is among the most trustworthy posters
at that fine group.

It is a very basic recipe and one to which you can easily grated or
shredded cheese or herbs (fresh or dried. Mushrooms are actually a tad
trickier because of the moisture content if you plan on mixing them
INTO the dough, but if you slightly flatten the bread sticks you can
easily put some on top - along with a bit of olive oil or additional
cheese or pest or any other combo of goodies you want to top them
with.

The biggest trick with bread sticks is shaping them. If you need help
with that, I can point you to some places online.

http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/94/sourdough-pizza

As I mentioned, this is a basic recipe and similar to what one could
use for any lean bread basic. It was devised to use up a good amount
of starter, but you really needn't worry about an overly sour taste
unless you plan on pre-ferment and long rises.

Did you begin your starter from scratch or were you given some seed
starter?

Boron

Boron Elgar wrote:
>
> The founder of The Fresh Loaf has a simple pizza dough/bread stick
> recipe that is already converted to a sourdough base. Although I have
> not made his recipe myself, he is among the most trustworthy posters
> at that fine group.
>
> http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/94/sourdough-pizza

Thanks! Not too much information there, but
it's a start.

> Did you begin your starter from scratch or were you given some seed
> starter?

I bought it from King Arthur Flour. It took a week
to get here. After reading some web pages like this
one:

http://www.sourdoughhome.com/maintainingastarter.html

I was afraid it was dead. But I followed the directions
that came with it, and after a very slow start it woke up.
It now triples in size between feedings and it is indeed
sour.

On Wed, 23 May 2012 18:04:41 -0800, Mark Thorson >
wrote:

>Boron Elgar wrote:
>>
>> The founder of The Fresh Loaf has a simple pizza dough/bread stick
>> recipe that is already converted to a sourdough base. Although I have
>> not made his recipe myself, he is among the most trustworthy posters
>> at that fine group.
>>
>> http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/94/sourdough-pizza
>
>Thanks! Not too much information there, but
>it's a start.

Simple dough. And flatbread may be easier than bread sticks. If you
shape it like fougasse, it comes out whole, but with easily breakable
pieces for nibbling. You can add a bit of olive oil to the dough
directly, too.

>> Did you begin your starter from scratch or were you given some seed
>> starter?
>
>I bought it from King Arthur Flour. It took a week
>to get here. After reading some web pages like this
>one:
>
>http://www.sourdoughhome.com/maintainingastarter.html
>
>I was afraid it was dead. But I followed the directions
>that came with it, and after a very slow start it woke up.
>It now triples in size between feedings and it is indeed
>sour.

KA has a VERY lively starter. It isn't one with a strong flavor, which
is actually a good trait, as you can always split it and refresh with
some rye or use long, slow rises, but I think you'll be very happy
with the KA starter.

Boron

Boron Elgar wrote:
>
> Simple dough. And flatbread may be easier than bread sticks. If you
> shape it like fougasse, it comes out whole, but with easily breakable
> pieces for nibbling. You can add a bit of olive oil to the dough
> directly, too.

I am worrying the dough might be too sticky
to shape into breadsticks. Rolls with a cut
across the top and a piece of cheese placed
in the cut is something I'm considering.
A flatbread is a good suggestion. I could
cut that too, to make scribe lines for breaking
it up.