Sorghum

This generic sourdough starter recipe works with any grain flour, except oats. Use it to make an active, rich-tasting starter that can be incorporated into any sourdough bread recipe, gluten-free or glutenous.

Instructions include "Putting the starter to sleep", "Feeding" the starter, and "Waking up" the starter.

Yield: About 1 quart ready-to-use sourdough starter.

Time to make: 10 minutes per day for 10 days

Tools needed: 1 Qt or larger glass, plastic or stainless steel container with lid. Measuring spoons and cups. Stirring spoon. Zip-lock bag.

This strong-but-steady starter is a stable, consistent performer. Used in all the White Lightning bread, bun, and pizza formulations on this site, it's easy to make and, if properly maintained, will last indefinitely.

Included are instructions for putting starter to sleep and waking up sleeping starter.

Yield: about 2 cups "Sleeping" sourdough starter.

Time to make: 45 minutes active, spread over 4 days.

This very tender bread captures two of summertime's best savory flavors: corn and wild black trumpet mushrooms, AKA Poor Man's Truffles. Available in many farmer's markets July through September (November through February on the West coast), black trumpets are earthy and intense. Placed into a bread that's designed for post-oven toasting makes a genuine treat.

Yield: One, 22 Oz (610 gram) loaf.

Time to make: 30 minutes plus overnight soak. 25 minutes oven dwell.

These delicious treats will not only use up any pre-dough left over from bread baking, but are tasty, versatile and easy-to-make. You can alter the amount of salt and spice, or change spices to meet your taste. They're really good with soft cheeses or paté.

Yield:  About thirty-six, 1 1/2-inch X 1 1/2-inch crackers
Time to make: About 20 minutes

This double-crust favorite is a rustic take on the dessert that has graced American dinner tables since pioneer days. My version combines sorghum and millet flours in a crust "shortened" with butter, then hydrated with a blend of water, vinegar and honey. The spritz-and-fold technique produces a luxuriously flaky crust, and pre-cooking the apples, then blind-baking the bottom crust, maintains a toothsome crunch.

With origins in the Southern USA, squash pie uses a flavorful custard filling that surpasses pumpkin. The version below is a panna cotta rather than an egg-based custard. This allows the filling to be added to the crust immediately before serving, thus preserving crust crunch and flakiness with no sacrifice to flavor. 

These zesty, crunchy but tender rye-flavored crackers are an easy treat; quick to make and the perfect companion to cheeses and paté.

Yield: About a dozen, 2 inch X 2 inch crackers.

Time to make: 30 minutes prep time; 7 minutes oven dwell

Tools needed: Large bowl. Work surface. Plastic wrap. Bench knife or spatula. Sharp knife. Pizza stone or steel, sheet pan or cookie pan. “Peel”, or thin sheet of cardboard.

A classic treat in Scandinavia, this 9 Grain Flours version ups the spice profile while paying accurate homage to the original. Traditionally served with chopped boiled eggs, Karelian pies are an any-time-of-the-day food. They keep well under refrigeration too, and can be readily warmed in a microwave.

Yield: About 6, three-ounce pies.

Time to make: About 1 hour.

For any pie to be successful, the first prerequisite is an excellent crust. To me, this means two things: buttery-rich and flaky. This method provides both .

Regardless of flour blend or filling, the innovative pie dough technique described below will produce a puffy, delectable crust. Smearing the fat (ALWAYS butter!) into dry dough, then gently spritzing water onto the dough/butter mixture, are the essential steps. Keeping track of water use with a kitchen scale guarantees precision and repeatability.

Making pizza on a grill is the perfect summer project, since it avoids overheating your kitchen, gets you out-of-doors, and fumigates the neighborhood with delicious aromas.