One of the problematic corollaries of making sourdough bread is that some of the starter is wasted while getting it in tip top shape, and more is lost if you do not bake often. Since I am in the early stages (only three loaves so far) of getting back in the swing of things, I am still in that mode. I don’t like to waste things, so took the advice of a vlogger and tried making “fry bread” out of the discard.
It looks pretty good here, but with no salt at all in it, the taste was not pleasant. Also, it absorbs oil at an astounding rate, and gets way too brown before the center is cooked through. So I will continue to experiment since otherwise I will need to toss the discard for a few more loaves.
On the next batch yesterday, I tried out different things with each little piece, but I was totally unimpressed with any of them. Mostly they just sucked up oil, and super greasy things are just not that appealing to either of us.
Deep frying these bits would probably provide a better outcome, but that’s just not something I’m willing to do. If I can get over my aversion to deep frying, there are probably many possibilities. I’m thinking of adding onions, salt, and maybe some other of my Penzey’s spices, perhaps some masa harina, to see if I can come up with something like hushpuppies.
Suggestions welcomed.
My loaves are coming out on the pale side, despite starting with a 500-degree oven. First loaf was too hot for too long, and got a grey-ish cast to it, but otherwise was fine. The next two tries, I turned the heat down after the initial oven spring, but they were entirely too pale overall. They tasted fine, but that luscious browned ambience is sorely missed.
Because of the sudden shortage of flour, I made these loaves with all purpose flour instead of my usual artisan bread flour. I still have some of this specialty bread flour, so will try switching to that to see if it makes a difference.
Thank goodness NOLA Boy is big on French toast. I seem to have the base ingredient for a whole lot of it lately!
Adventures of Dorrie Anne 
I love French toast! And I really admire your tenacity!!!
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Bread + Fried = irresistible! 🙂
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It was just too, too greasy. I threw it out! Working on a better solution – I hate to waste anything.
I think next baking day, I will just use the starter needed for the bread, feed the little darlin’ and put it back to bed without tossing any of it. It’s had half a dozen extra feedings now. That should be enough.
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Practice makes perfect! 🙂
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Mostly I’m just cheap . . . I hate to waste anything, and pouring that discard down the drain just about did me in. My disposer didn’t like it much, either! ;->
I’ve been making sourdough bread (and yogurt!) since the sixties, but seems like every time I get a new starter, it takes a bit of effort and time to get myself back into the swing of it again.
If one can produce those two items at home . . . well, the savings and convenience are almost incalculable!
I did alfalfa sprouts routinely, too, but lately they’ve become suspect, even from one’s own jar garden!
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They look good to me 🙂👍.
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I had just turned them over, but by the time they were actually cooked through, they were too brown, and the rise had disappeared. I nibbled at them, to test them out, but they weren’t worth the calories.
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I remember eating fried bread as a kid and I remember really liking it but….. how Mon made it I have no ideal but it was surely good. We also eat fried cornbread and I still make that to this day!
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