Conditioners/enhancers/rye sours/flavors. I stay away from the list of trendy things you'll find in King Arthur's Baker's Catalogue or Lora Brody items. Many of these products came to the fore when people started using the QUICK CYCLE in bread machines. You just can't get the same type of bread in one hour that an all day method takes. You miss the complex flavors that only time can achieve. Adding flavorings is neither right or wrong, just a choice. But if you use different methods, your bread will develop many of the "flavors" naturally. Since I rarely make French- or Italian-style breads (flour, yeast, water, salt) most of my breads are "enhanced" and I commonly use these enhancers. Ascorbic Acid- (also found in yeast) I use 1/8-t. ascorbic acid per loaf anytime I use 100% whole wheat flour or wheat germ. There's a substance in wheat germ called Glutathione and this substance breaks down the gluten. Ascorbic acid in your dough will help to counteract the negative effects of Glutathione and will help the gluten bonds from breaking down. Ascorbic acid helps sustain the leavening of loaves during baking and promotes yeast growth so the yeast will work longer and faster. Ascorbic acid promotes an acidic dough in which yeast grows best. I don't use ascorbic acid in sourdough breads using whole wheat flour because it's already acidic enough. Vital Wheat Gluten- I add vital wheat gluten when a recipe uses a large amount of low-gluten flour. Dry Milk Powder, milk or other dairy product. I use homemade kefir in my breads. The fermented product contributes some acid that helps bread stay fresher longer and deters mold as well as a great amount of flavor. Fats added to dough are enhancers. They add taste and contribute to the texture and moisture of the bread. Eggs - also an enhancer. They add to the rise, color, texture and taste. The naturally-occuring lecithin in eggs also contributes. Chia seed goop - This helps maintain moisture in the crumb rather than moisture wicking to the crust, increases fiber and other nutrients. The chemical bleaches in bleached flour is also considered a dough improver. When flour was bromated, the bromites aided in giving the gluten more extensibility. I never use bleached flour and bromated flour is no longer available. Non-Diastatic Malt - When I use it I make my own. It's supposed to give the bread better structure and make it softer and more tender. The live enzymes help yeast to grow. It contributes to the flavor as well. I don't know that it made all that much difference to use it or not. Spices such as ginger, ground caraway, cardamom, cinnamom, mace, nutmeg, and thyme all improve yeast activity. Many bakers add a pinch of ginger to dough for this reason. I never use dough relaxer. The gluten strands in dough will "relax" if you allow it to - it's called resting it 10-20 minutes before you form it. If you have a problem with pizza dough being difficult to form or roll out even after a rest, try using a small amount of a lower-gluten flour in the mix. Rye Sour is another mixture of ingredients that quickly adds a taste and acidity that normally develops in dough if allowed enough time. One of the ingredients in it is rye flour - DUH! The taste most people associate with rye bread is actually nothing more than the caraway seeds. Try adding crushed caraway seeds to white bread and you'll assume it's rye bread. The deep dark coloring associated with dark rye is because of the additions of molasses, cocoa, or coffee to the recipe. Rye flour has very little flavor on its own until it's allowed some fermentation time. Rye flour ferments very quickly, which is why it's a good flour to use when you begin a starter. I often use freshly-milled rye flour in quick breads and cookies. Those are some that come to mind... -Grainlady

I've been using this recipe for years. DH does the pancake duty! lol Alaska's Treehouse Bed and Breakfast Seward, Alaska Specialty Recipe Treehouse Signature Sourdough Pancakes The Sourdough Starter: Our sourdough starter is over 90 years old and was handed down from an Alaskan pioneer woman to our good friends, who then shared it with us over twenty years ago. We frequently send a small amount off with guests so they can nurture their own sourdough pot and make these special pancakes... a traditional Alaskan pioneer breakfast. So the same starter now has traveled all over the States and beyond. Sourdough Starter: 1 Tablespoon dry yeast 2-1/2 cups warm water 2 teaspoons sugar or honey 2-1/2 cups flour Mix together ingredients and let ferment 5 days at room temperature, stirring daily. Then place in refrigerator. Starter should be used/replenished every seven to ten days. Sourdough Pancakes: 2-1/2 cups flour 2 cups warm water 1 cup sourdough starter 1/4 cup powdered skim milk 1 egg 2 Tablespoons sugar 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking soda The night before, mix flour with the warm water and add starter. Stir well and cover with a damp cloth. In the morning, take out 1 cup of starter and pour back into crock with original starter. Add powdered milk and egg to remaining batter, beating well. Combine sugar, salt, and baking soda; sprinkle evenly over batter, then fold in gently. Let batter rest a few minutes. Cook on a hot, oiled griddle. Serves: 4

Loralee, I made my sourdough starter from scratch. I've had it going for a while now. It should be fed weekly. The recipe is from Amy's Bread. I tried others but wasn't happy with them. I like this one because it is made from just organic rye flour and spring water without anything else added. I baked a double batch of sourdough bread today using the starter without the addition of commercial yeast. Ann

Yes, it can be frozen - but you don't want to freeze all of your starter. Freeze just enough, 1/4 to 1/2 cup, to provide you a back-up in case something happens to your larger container of starter. To freeze: take starter out of refrigerator, bring up to room temp (about 1-2 hours), feed with equal portions of flour and water, let it sit and multiply for at least 2 hours or more, then take out 1/4 to 1/2 cup, put it in a small container or freezer bag, seal, label and date, put in freezer. To revive frozen starter: thaw completely in refrigerator, let sit out to come up to room temp, feed with 1 TB flour and 1 TB water, let work for 2-4 hours, feed with 2 TB flour and 2 TB water, let work for 2-4 hours, feed again with 1/4 cup flour and 1/4 cup water, let work for 2-4 hours. Now you should have enough starter to use in your recipe, if not, feed with 1/2 cup flour and 1/2 cup water and let work for 2-4 hours at room temp. You don't want to dump a whole cup of flour and one of water on a small amount of starter. You want to gradually build up the amount. Always let the starter work (bubble and expand) at room temp. Store the starter after feeding and making bread in the refrigerator.