Jterri, is it this one from Paulines? (thread linked below) * Posted by paulines (My Page) on Sat, Jan 5, 08 at 21:38 Here's the challah recipe, I promised. It makes a sweet, eggy, almost brioche-like bread. I sometimes double the recipe for 2 large loaves. Makes two small or one large challah. 2 1/4 t yeast Approx. 3 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour Approx. 1/4 cup warm water 3 large eggs & 2 yolks, plus 1 for glazing 2 t salt 1/4 cup vegetable oil 1/3 cup honey In a large bowl, whisk together the yeast and 1/4 cup of the flour, then whisk in the warm water until smooth. Let the yeast slurry stand uncovered for 10 to 20 minutes, or until it begins to ferment and puff up slightly. Whisk the 3 eggs & yolks, salt, oil, and honey into the puffed yeast slurry until the eggs are well incorporated and the salt has dissolved. Stir in the remaining 3 1/4 cups flour all at once. When the mixture is a shaggy ball, scrape it out onto your work surface and knead it until smooth, no more than 5 minutes - if the dough is too firm to knead easily, add a tablespoon or two of water to it, if it seems too wet, add a couple T flour. Place the dough in a warm clean bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. (for best results refrigerate the dough right after kneading, them removed from the refrigerator to finish fermenting up to 24 hours later). Let the dough ferment until it has at least doubled in bulk, about 2 hours, depending on the temperature in your kitchen. (If the dough has been refrigerated, it may take an extra hour or so to ferment). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or oil them. Divide the dough into two portions for small loaves, one 1 1/2 pound portion for a large loaf. Divide each portion into 3 pieces and roll each piece into a strand - braid, sealing ends well. Cover the loaves well with plastic wrap. (I refrigerate for 24 hours, if possible). Let them proof until tripled in size, about 2 hours (or 3-4 hours if the loaves were refrigerated). Preheat the oven to 325�F. Beat the remaining egg with a pinch of salt for glazing the breads. When the loaves have tripled and do not push back when gently pressed with your finger but remain indented, brush them with the egg glaze (poppy seeds optional). Bake the small loaves loaves for 25 to 38 minutes, or the large loaf for 35 to 48 minutes, until very well browned. After the first 20 minutes of baking, switch the loaves from front to back so that they brown evenly; if the large loaf is browning too quickly, tent it with foil. When the loaves are done, remove them from the oven and let cool on a rack. Here is a link that might be useful: Party Thread

Thanks alaris19 and suzannes1! The banana bread I made yesterday was not good; I am copying down your recipes and will try. The most important thing to remember is to not overwork the dough. It will be wet and sticky but that's fine! Baking Powder Biscuits (Julia Child, Baking with Julia) Oven: 425. Grease a 9x12 baking pan. 2 c. all purpose flour 1 Tablespoon baking powder 1 tsp salt 1/3 cup solid vegetable shortening 1 cup milk Put the flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl and stir with a fork to mix. Add shortening, roll it around in the flour to coat it, and then break it into 4 or 5 pieces. Rub the flour and shortening together with the tips of your finders, making little crumbs. Keep doing so until most of the shortening is mixed together with the flour. Don't worry if you have a few largish pieces. Add milk and stir with a fork to moisten the flour. Don't worry about getting everything evenly mixed. You'll have a sticky mass of dough. Flour a work surface, scoop the dough out, and drop it on the counter. Flour your hands. Knead only 10 times. Do not overwork! Pat the dough into a circle about 9" and cut with a 1.5 - 2" biscuit cutter (or glass, whatever works). It helps to dip the cutter in flour to prevent dough from sticking. Brush with melted butter if desired. Bake for 12-15 minutes until they are golden on top.

Last night was lime & chipoltle talapia with red skins and braised green beans. Tonight is grilled sirloin steak (with some kind of rub--haven't decided which one to use yet), baked potatoes, and spinach salad. Tomorrow is a pork sirloin roast in crockpot with apples & sauerkraut, onions, potatoes, & carrots. The last couple of weeks have included beef stew (in pressure cooker), pork green chile, ginger chicken stir fry, salmon, and beef & barley soup. DH just returned from a conference in New Orleans and brought me a signed copy of "Chef Paul Prudhomme's Louisiana Kitchen," so I'll be trying out some of those recipes soon. Chef Prudhomme catered the opening night reception and DH said the gumbo was the best he ever had. Oh, almost forgot, I don't make desserts very often, but I'm going to make a Wacky Cake tonight (only 3/4 c. sugar in it). Recipe is from my "America's Best Lost Recipes" cookbook. I've never tried the Wacky Cake before but it sounds good (essentially a chocolate snack cake).

No -- you did great. If you want more starter to maintain. Sounds like Caroline and I work pretty much the same way. When you have just fed the starter, it is diluted by all you fed it, but will eat and get fat and happy again. If you want more tang, you feed a little less or let it go a bit longer. I like to use my starter when It is fat and happy, as I call it -- cuz then it is maxed out and ready to get growing in the dough. No catching up to do. But I have used it right out of the fridge (works better if you have been using it regularly. If it has been parked and lonely for a month or two, it will definitely benefit from a couple of feedings first. Pink, you can freeze starter, but it loses potency and takes up freezer space. I keep mine in the fridge and there have been periods where I did not use it for a month or two. I've heard of people who have gone much longer and taken a small spoonful from the bottom and restarted their starter. It just needs at lest two feedings to get going again. If that will leave me with more starter than I can use plus have put back in the fridge what I want to keep, that or if my baking gets delayed by a day or two are the only times I have any discard. It happens occasionally, but I try to avoid it. If you don't have any dried, that is also a good time to take some of the extra fed starter and dry it for a backup or sharing. Remember that sourdough or levain have been used for centuries. If the gold rushers could keep sourdough going without exact measurements, differing conditions and whatever life threw at them, you can too. Butt keeping a little dried is a great way to ensure you don't have to start over if things get really wonky (happened to me once when my dad was sick and in the hospital and I was looking after him and my mom -- got left on the counter unfed for at least a week or two in summer. It was disgusting. LOL).