The basics of converting Recipes to sourdough

[Delmonico]

Yeast Breads:

Any yeast bread recipe can be made with sourdough, it just takes a bit more time to rise with out using the store bought yeast.

Start the night before, for half the liquid called for use your sourdough starter.  (If the liquid called for is milk, use canned milk in it's place.) 

Pour your starter in a non-metallic bowl and add the rest of the liquid and any sugar.  Cover over night and let get very active.

(If the recipe call for salt and you want to use it, don't add it till much later, salt slows down the action of the yeast in the sourdough.)

One just procedes in the morning as if it were a regular recipe.  I never hurry sourdough, I add the lard and part of the flour when I get up in the morning and make a sponge and let it work.  Around noon I finish adding everything and let it rise till double.  I then form into loaves and let rise till double again before baking.   Sometimes if it's working slow because it's cool in the house I don't bake it till I come home from work in the evening or if it's really cool I let it rise all night and bake it on the second morning. 

The nice thing about sourdough is that it works slower most of the time than store bought yeast, so you can just punch it down and leave it for several hours with out it trying to take over the kitchen.  Or at least this is true below 80-85 degrees, in warmer weather it can get interesting.

One note:  A good starter will raise the bread with out adding yeast.  If it don't just start a new one.

Quick Breads:

Take your recipe and use sourdough for about half the liquid,  add canned milk if milk is required and use 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda for every teaspoon of baking powder.  A little less flour might be needed, but this will get any quick bread such as corn bread, biscuits, coffee cakes and such converted to sourdough.