Read the original post "Cranberry Orange Scones" on A Modern Homestead. These cranberry orange scones are buttery, soft, and full of bold citrus flavor with bursts of tart, juicy cranberries in every bite. A sprinkle of coarse sugar adds a delicate crunch, while a drizzle of sweet orange glaze finishes them beautifully. Make this recipe with all-purpose einkorn flour or any AP wheat. Whether it’s a... Read More The post "Cranberry Orange Scones" appeared first on A Modern Homestead.

Read the original post "Easy Shepherd’s Pie Recipe" on A Modern Homestead. Filled with sauteed meat, onions, carrots, and peas, then topped with creamy mashed potatoes, this easy shepherd’s pie recipe is simply perfect. This version is our go-to when we want something satisfying without fuss. You can bake it as a traditional double‑crust version or skip the top crust and go straight with the mashed potatoes.... Read More The post "Easy Shepherd’s Pie Recipe" appeared first on A Modern Homestead.

If you’re new to sourdough or wondering “what supplies do I need to make sourdough bread?” then you’re in the right place. Here’s a list of 11 tools, ingredients, or other sourdough supplies – including essentials like starter and salt, as well as a few optional goodies that we find very useful when we’re baking. All of these items are pretty affordable, or may be things you already have around the kitchen! NOTE: This post was originally published in February 2019 but recently significantly updated. 1) Sourdough Starter One of the most crucial sourdough supplies you’ll need is a sourdough starter: a colony of beneficial bacteria and wild yeast living in flour and water, nurtured by routine “feedings” to keep it alive and happy. Starter is added to every sourdough recipe – be it bread, crackers, cookies, or bagels. It’s what makes your bread rise without the need for commercial yeast!   If you know a local friend or colleague who bakes sourdough, ask if you can get some from them! I’m sure they’ll be happy to share. Otherwise you can make your own sourdough starter from scratch, or purchase an organic dehydrated sourdough starter from our shop. It comes with easy step-by-step instructions and is literally foolproof to get going. (Thank you for supporting our small business!) We like to store our starter in a 1 liter flip-top glass jar. RELATED: Learn how to reactivate a dry starter here, or visit our guide on how to feed a sourdough starter. (Don’t worry, it’s much easier to maintain than you may imagine! We store ours in the fridge and often go months without feeding it.) 2) Flour, Water, and Salt Options Beyond starter, the key ingredients needed for every sourdough recipe are flour, water, and salt. Here are a few tips on choosing ingredients for the best results possible. While it’s possible to make sourdough with all-purpose flour, it’s typically recommended to use bread flour: the higher protein content yields a higher rise, improved dough elasticity, and that quintessential airy, chewy sourdough texture. Sourdough starter and dough thrives with non-chlorinated water, so you may want to use a basic carbon filter (or whole-house filter, if you have one) if you otherwise rely on chlorinated city tap water. Skip the table salt! The iodine in basic table salt can hinder the beneficial bacteria and natural fermentation process needed for sourdough. Instead, choose a non-iodized salt such as sea salt, real salt, or pink Himalayan salt. In addition to organic bread flour, we like to add a little whole wheat flour or rye in some recipes. Experienced bakers may start to experiment with other types of flour like einkorn or home-milled whole wheat. 3) Kitchen Scale You’ll want a kitchen scale to measure ingredients since most sourdough recipes call for flour, water, starter, and salt by weight rather than cups or other volumes. And it’s not always easy to convert or substitute since various types of flours (and even salts) are more or less dense, and therefore weigh differently. We love our handy digital scale, which we routinely use for many other recipes and uses too! 4) Dutch Oven or Combo Cooker I’m sure you’ve seen people using Dutch ovens for sourdough, but do you know why?… Steam! Baking sourdough bread inside a dutch oven traps in steam, prevents the dough from drying out, and contributes to a beautiful springy rise and airy “crumb”. The enclosed environment also helps evenly distribute heat and produce a desirable crisp, deeply-colored crust with blisters and a well-developed “ear”. It’s as close to baking in a commercial oven as you can get at home. We bake our sourdough in this cast iron combo cooker; it’s like an upside down Dutch oven. With the flat part on the bottom and dome over the top, it makes it exceptionally easy to slide the dough in and out without accidentally burning yourself – especially since you’ll be preheating the dutch oven or combo cooker to nearly 500°F before the dough even goes inside! 5) Proofing Baskets Once the dough is finished with it’s initial rest and rise period (aka bulk fermentation), you’ll fold and form the dough into the shape of a loaf. Then, it’s really helpful to set the dough inside a proofing basket – also called a banneton – which helps it maintain it’s shape during the final rise period. They come in different shapes including a round “boule” loaf (the most common) or oval-shaped “batard”. Some folks use a cloth-lined mixing bowl, but a banneton can yield superior results since it’s specifically designed for this purpose. Bannetons are made from breathable materials that help the dough stay nice and airy, wick away moisture, easily release the dough without sticking, and contribute to a great crust. 6) Dough Scraper  A bench scraper or dough scraper is another handy tool for your sourdough supplies collection. We use ours during several stages of making bread, including when we first mix the dough (helping to scrape up leftover bits from the edges of the bowl) and while forming the loaf shape on the countertop. The round banneton that we use (linked above) actually comes with a dough scraper! Or you can get a two-pack of basic dough scrapers for only $6. They also make some nice stainless steel bench scrapers, but because we use a round bowl for our mixing and bulk ferment, we also like using more flexible ones. 7) Non-Toxic Non-Stick Baking Pans A Dutch oven is great for classic sourdough loaves, but if you want to branch out and bake sourdough focaccia, sweet breads, or other types of sourdough, you may want a few different shaped baking pans. For instance, we love this non-toxic, non-stick cake pan to make cornbread and focaccia (which is even easier for beginner’s than round loaves). We also have a classic 1-pound bread loaf pan by the same brand. They’re lined with food grade silicone instead of standard toxic non-stick chemicals! RELATED: Don’t miss our easy sourdough focaccia recipe, delicious sourdough zucchini bread, or healthy sourdough pumpkin bread recipe. 8) Bread Knife If you don’t have a decent serrated bread knife, I definitely suggest investing in one. The wrong knife (even a nice sharp chefs knife) will simply smush and tear your beautiful fluffy loaf. This inexpensive bread knife has done a great job for us, with many years of use! These trendy bow slicers can make it easier to cut thinner even slices too. 9) Bowl Covers It’s best to cover your dough to prevent it from drying out, including the many hours it’s resting in a mixing bowl during bulk fermentation and also in the banneton or proofing basket. You can use a lint-free towels like these flour-sack tea towels, or get some handy reusable cotton bowl covers that are specifically designed for this! I usually get the cloth damp before covering the bowl, which helps keep the dough moist but also still lets it breathe. (We generally avoid single-use plastic like saran wrap, which doesn’t allow your dough to breathe either.) These reusable cotton bowl covers come in 3 sizes and are pretty darn cute 10) High-Heat Oven Mitts Sourdough is baked in an incredibly hot oven – usually set to between 475 to 500°F. Unfortunately, many basic oven mitts aren’t thick enough to block that level of heat, so be sure to protect yourself with high-heat rated ones! We love these high quality mitts that are rated to 500°F. They have great anti-slip silicone grip and protect fairly high up your arms. 11) Bread Lame Here’s a final item for your sourdough supplies list: a bread lame, which is basically a razor blade attached to a handle for safety and ease of use. It serves two purposes: 1) so you can carve pretty patterns in the dough crust, and more importantly 2) to score the dough, or make a deeper slash across the top or side that helps control where the bread expands as it rises – which is also what creates a desirable “ear”. If you don’t score the dough before baking, it haphazardly split open somewhere (or many places) during the rapid oven rise. Now that you have your supply list, you can get on to the fun part: baking sourdough! Check out our go-to, simple no-knead sourdough bread recipe here and other popular recipes below. I hope you found this helpful! You may also enjoy: Easy Sourdough Discard Crackers Recipe (Optional Cheese or Herbs) 15 Best Sourdough Discard Recipes: Ways to Use Starter Discard Sourdough Granola Recipe (Discard or Active Starter) with Fermented Option Easy Sourdough Pancakes Recipe (Discard or Active Starter) + Topping Ideas Did you enjoy this article? Want to hear more? Stay in touch! Sign up below to receive weekly updates on new posts from Homestead and Chill. The post Sourdough Supplies List: 11 Must-Have and Useful Items appeared first on Homestead and Chill.

Read the original post "Homemade Caramel Sauce" on A Modern Homestead. This recipe for small-batch homemade caramel sauce uses only four simple ingredients, takes about 10 minutes, and gives you a rich, velvety caramel that’s perfect for drizzling over ice cream, cakes, or even enjoying by the spoonful! Yields a 1/2 cup of caramel sauce. Homemade Caramel Sauce Recipe Whether you want to dip your apple slices in caramel... Read More The post "Homemade Caramel Sauce" appeared first on A Modern Homestead.

Read the original post "Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup" on A Modern Homestead. There’s nothing more comforting than a big pot of homemade chicken noodle soup. It’s cozy, nourishing, and easy to stretch across several meals. This chicken soup is simple, customizable, and delicious whether you’re eating it fresh, freezing portions for later, or canning the base for shelf-stable storage! Originally shared in 2015, this recipe has been... Read More The post "Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup" appeared first on A Modern Homestead.