Title: Ginger Beer Starter
Categories: Polkadot Faylen Bread Brewing
Yield: 1 Servings

3	md	Potatoes
3	c	Water
1/2	c	Corn meal
2	ts	Salt
		Foam from 12-ounce can chilled beer

Cook the potatoes in the water until tender. Drain off liquid and add more water if necessary to make 3 full cups again. Put potatoes through food mill or sieve. Scald the corn meal in 1 cup of the potato water until it reaches the boiling point and thickens, stirring constantly to be sure that no lumps form. Now combine the sieved potatoes, 2 cups potato water, corn meal mixture, sugar and salt in large bowl (do not use metal or plastic). Let cool until just warm. Pour the cold beer slowly into a large glass. Immediately skim off all the foam and stir into the mixture in the bowl. Cover tightly and set in warm place (80 to 85) until fermentation is complete. In warm, humid weather this will take about 24 hours. In cold weather it may require several more hours for the starter to become foamy throughout. Stir occasionally during the process. Pour into a large (about 2 quart size) glass container and store in the refrigerator at about 38 degrees. Do not put the lid on tightly until the working has subsided.

Let starter ripen about 3 days until 1/2 inch or more of clear liquid has risen to top. Stir thoroughly each time before a portion is removed for baking. When the supply has been reduced to about 1 cupful or a little more, repeat the beginning process with the exception that no more beer foam needs to be used. When the mixture of potatoes, potato water, corn meal mixture, salt and sugar are well blended and cool, add the remainder of the old starter and stir well. Cover and set in a warm place until fermented as before (8 to 12 hours). Store in refrigerator and let ripen again until the clear liquid comes to the top before starting to use from this new supply.

"Using the recipe for Beer Starter, substitute 1/2 cup English Ginger Beer (found in either brown glass bottles or tin cans in the gourmet sections of most supermarkets) for the foam from chilled beer. This makes the very best smelling starter I have ever worked with."

From: Breads and Coffee Cakes with Homemade Starters

* The Polka Dot Palace BBS 1-201-822-3627. Posted by FAYLEN By fatfree-request@fatfree.com on Jun 16, 1997

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