Ozuké in Boulder Lifestyles
Mara and Willow were invited to share their thoughts on what it takes to run a business in Boulder. Read more here.
Sourdough 101
As a food lover and fermentation fan girl, I have tried my hand at lots of different funky experiments from nukazuke to mango chutney- all with varying outcomes, both good and not so good. Sourdough, however, was one that somehow seemed too involved or inaccessible and got set aside as my business started to grow.
When my dear friend, and publisher of the wonderful Roost Books, Sara Bercholz gave me a sourdough starter for my birthday, I took it as a sign that the time had come to try my hand at baking this mythical bread. I used a simple recipe from this gorgeous book, as well as some tips from Tartine Bread , as they have been bread heroes of mine since I lived in California years ago.
It turned out that the recipes can be quite simple and that the process simply requires patience (character reveal.) First feeding the starter, then making the leaven and giving it time to get nice and lively and then giving the dough plenty of room at every step to fully rest and rise. It takes days, but the result is so astonishingly satisfying that now I am totally hooked. My family gobbles up the loaves, the whole house smells of that heavenly mix of flour, water, warmth and a little magic.
While I am starting to look at the more complex recipes and experimenting with different heirloom flours, I am mostly just happy to have begun down this ancient pleasure avenue of baking good bread and feeding it to the ones I love. I encourage anyone who has the hankering to try- it’s like having a new pet:)
Ozuké Wild Dandelion or Nettles, Bee Pollen and Honey Kraut
To begin you will need a 1/2 gallon sized ball jar, 1 medium cabbage, Fresh Nettle or Dandelion leaves harvested from your neighborhood, local honey, bee pollen and sea salt.
Core and shred the cabbage, salt to taste then spread on a tray or large bowl. (It is so important to salt the cabbage to YOUR taste. I never tell my students fixed amounts of salt, because everyone’s taste is different, you could even completely omit the salt and still have decent results). Pound the cabbage with a wooden hammer (or a rolling pin can work) until the juices start to release and the cabbage softens. Mix with bee-pollen, drizzle honey and sprinkle in cleaned and de-stemmed greens. Place in a wide mouth ball jar and press down with your fist (you can use a cabbage leaf as a top barrier and then press on that) until the veg is submerged in liquid. Cover and leave at room temp for about 5-10 days. Keep pressing your kraut below liquid and release the gas occasionally as it starts to ferment. Kraut should taste tart when it’s ready… if you like it stronger you can leave it longer. When you are satisfied with the taste transfer to cold storage where it will last for up to 12 months.
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