Sourdough & wine anyone?

e3e11e
Summer of '75, he rented a VW Thing, we'd just met on the flight to Hawaii.   After a whirlwind of activity we set out to explore The Big Island.  I don't know how or where we picked up that bottle of white wine and a loaf of sourdough, maybe it was destiny.  We reached Sunset Beach. Never had I seen rollers like that.  The sun was sinking as the beach maintained trenched buttresses hammered out by rhythmic pounding torrents. The light gone, we realized how hungry we were.  Our wine and sourdough held small expectations: but the best was yet to come.

That was my first introduction to sourdough.  I have been up the Alaska Hwy and found on the way a suburb sourdough cinnamon bun that set me in quest of making my own sourdough.  Upon return home I had many failures of foul slim for my efforts.  This past summer on my trip to Alaska I found a powdered packaged in the tourist traps that boasted of the ability to keep the 49r going through the trials of the trail to the gold-fields.  I brought my treasure home and have fed it faithfully on light rye flour.  

I have found an egg, sugar and oil along with a bit of soda added to my sourdough sponge makes a great start to a day when fried up as pancakes or waffles, but tonight was a revisit to the romance of my first love

I made a sourdough fruit-bread this morning and  quite by accident, found it blended wonderfully with the fruitiness of the Riesling we had had with dinner.  I know I am on the threshold of something great.  So... where do I go from here?  Who has experience with wine and sourdough?  What are the wines that make this magic?
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LeadDog's picture
LeadDog 2008 November 6
I make both sourdough and wine at home.  My job is a wine chemist at a winery.  The combinations for wine and sourdough are endless.  Explore and enjoy the adventure.
Karniecoops's picture
Karniecoops 2008 November 6
Sounds like a fab combination which I might just have to try with my next loaf - thanks for that!  And Reisling sounds like a perfect companion.  I think our NZ ones would be splendid - lovely and fruity, but nice and dry.
Can I ask what recipe you used for your fruit loaf?  I made 2 different ones last weekend (one with molasses which i found I didn't like the taste of - never had it before, maybe I just added too much), the other was a Tuscan Coffeecake bread (from breadchick.blogspot.com - apparently adapted from recipe on back of KA Euro style flour) which was lovely, would make again.
Happy rising,
K.
e3e11e 2008 November 7

I'd love to try a NZ white wine.  I don't know of any available on our Canadian market, but I will be looking for it.  What sort of grape would you say I should look for?  Sometimes I set wine kits to brew at our local brew house and my husband enjoys making wine kits in our basement during the winter months. 


I have stayed with waffles for my 100% whole grain & 100% sourdough leavening.  I haven't achieved the confidence nor skill to be successful with a sourdough loaf.  The recipe that I used  was:

1 cup Sourdough, 1 pkg yeast, 1 1/2 cup warm water, 6 cups of flour, 2 Tbsp sugar 1/2 tsp soda.

Add yeast to warm water. Mix in Sourdough, 4 cups of flour, sugar and salt.  Beat well. Put in greased bowl and let rise until doubled. Mix soda in 1 cup flour, add to original dough: kneading until satiny and springy to the touch.  Cut the dough in half, I roll it out flat and add my fruit and nuts at this point like a cinnamon roll.  The loaf can be rolled or cut into buns.  Bake the loaf for 45 minutes at 400F.  The buns will need 30 minutes.

e3

PS... where I was raised on the East Coast of Canada molasses was a staple of the diet for the ol' timers.  It was served up from barrels.  It was the grade of molasses that is now known as "fancy"  My mom does not consider any other grade of molasses fit for cooking nor table.

Panevino 2008 November 7
Has anyone tried baking with the flour made from grape skins?   Added an astringency that was pretty good.  Although, come to think of it, I did make one loaf with valhrona chocolate and the grape skin flour added a nice depth.
Karniecoops's picture
Karniecoops 2008 November 7
I'm personally fond of all types of wine - it depends on what you're eating with it and how you feel at the time.  I'm very fond of aromatics - riesling, gewurtz, pinot gris - but we are very spoilt for choice here.
Thanks for the recipe, I will try it this weekend, and will let you know how I go. 
Re molasses - i'd never had it before, and am not sure I will again!
K.
LeadDog's picture
LeadDog 2008 November 8
I was asked privately for a red wine choice to eat sourdough bread with.  The answer I thought would be beneficial for many people to see.  The problem in recommending a wine is that peoples tastes really do run to very wide extremes.  Then until you know what you like recommending a wine would be just a wild guess.
Here is a page with a fun test to help you find out what you like.
If anyone wants to ask questions about their results I would be glad talk about the subject.
TeckPoh's picture
TeckPoh 2008 November 8
I know next to zero about wines but drink it on occasions. The test quite accurately describes my preference, and, will definitely be helpful for future purchases. Thanks!

TP
Millciti's picture
Millciti 2008 November 8
E3elle this is a great thread!  I too first found my love for sourdough in California.   Sourdough actually goes well with any fermented food or drink, well at least the ones I have experienced so far.  You know wine, cheeses, yogurts, beer, olives ... etc.

LD The test pretty well matches my current wine interests but my taste has changed in the past few years.  We used to prefer much sweeter wines but now we love the richer more complicated flavors of Deep Red Italians and Spanish wines.  

LD You wouldn't be able to reccomend a good equivalent type or label from California or ... Austrailia and NZ?  It won't get you in trouble with your winery will it?;)
 
Terri

LeadDog's picture
LeadDog 2008 November 8
Millciti you didn't say what the results of your Bud-O-Meter test were.  I won't get in trouble with my winery because I work for one of the largest suppliers of premium wines in the world.  So if you listen to me then you will be buying our wine from California, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, and France.  Most likely you already drink our wine from time to time.
Millciti's picture
Millciti 2008 November 8
Thanks for asking... The sensitive tasters category, which seems to be exactly what we have been finding that we like.  According to my son "a coffee officianado" our increased interest in coffee has probably influenced our taste in wines. I know there are great California Varieties now but I just don't know which ones to try. 


Terri

By the way my Nephew's wife has a sled team here in Ohio.
LeadDog's picture
LeadDog 2008 November 9
California growns all the varieties that the Bud-O-Meter recomended that you try.  I'm going to suggest something different that I think you will like.  It is from France and from wineries that are not owned by my company.  There are some subregions in the Rhone area that makes very good wine by the names of Gigondas and Chateauneuf-du-Pape.  There will be good/bad years/wineries but the good stuff from there would be perfect with a loaf of sourdough.  Now I have made myself hunger and thirst.  Time to start making some bread.

By the way I use the nickname of LeadDog because I used to lead bike tours in Alaska.  That brings back memories of Sourdough pancakes.
Millciti's picture
Millciti 2008 November 10
I will have to look for it.  It really sounds very interesting.  I will have to see if I can find it.  We have lots of places here that sell good wine but only a few where you can afford it!

Now that explains your ID picture completly!

Terri
LeadDog's picture
LeadDog 2008 November 10
[quote=Millciti]
Now that explains your ID picture completly!
[/quote]

To explain my picture ID completely will take a few more words.  The last day of my last tour in Alaska we went to a bookstore in Homer Alaska.  The bookstore had Jon Van Zyle in the store drawing pictures for customers.  Jon is a very famous Alaskan artist and the official Iditarod sled dog race artist.  I had seen his art all over the state and have several of his prints.  I bought a book that he illustrated and he drew a picture for me.  That is what you see as my ID.

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