Make Your Own Ginger Ale

1 cup sugar
1 1/2 - 2 TBS freshly grated ginger root
Juice of one lemon
1/8-1/4 tsp. active dry yeast
7 1/2 cups filtered water

1 clean, empty 2 liter bottle (plastic, not glass)
a funnel
Cheese cloth or mesh strainer

Preparation:

*If you've made candied ginger, you can use the reserved liquid, skipping ahead to Making the Soda.
*Also, before you juice the lemon, go ahead and zest it, saving the lemon zest in plastic wrap and freezing it for future recipes. It will stay good 2-3 months in the freezer.

Making the Syrup:

1. Peel the ginger root and grate it on the finest setting. If you don't have a grater, then chop the peeled ginger root as finely as you can.
2. In a saucepan, combine sugar, ginger root, and 1/2 cup of the water over medium heat. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Cover and remove from heat. Allow to steep for about an hour.
3. When cooled, strain the syrup through a fine mesh or cheese cloth to remove the ginger bits.

Making the Soda:

1. Using the funnel, add the syrup to the clean 2 litre bottle.
2. Add lemon juice, yeast, and remaining water.
3. Cap the bottle and shake it gently to mix the ingredients.
4. Allow the bottle to sit out at room temperature for 48 hours. 
5. At the two-day mark, check to make sure the Ginger ale has reached the desired carbonation, then refrigerate. Open the bottle each day to ensure excess carbonation is released. 
6. Store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Sourdough Bread Recipe

There are plenty of sourdough recipes out there. This one is from King Arthur brand flour:


1 cup sourdough starter
1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
2 tsp yeast
1 TBS sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
5 cups All-Purpose Flour

Preparation:

Combine all of the ingredients, kneading to form a smooth dough.

Allow the dough to rise, in a covered bowl, until it's doubled in size, about 90 minutes.

Gently divide the dough in half; it'll deflate somewhat.

Gently shape the dough into two oval loaves; or, for longer loaves, two 10" to 11" logs. Place the loaves on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover and let rise until very puffy, about 1 hour. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 425°F.

Spray the loaves with lukewarm water.

Make two fairly deep diagonal slashes in each; a serrated bread knife, wielded firmly, works well here.

Bake the bread for 25 to 30 minutes, until it's a very deep golden brown. Remove it from the oven, and cool on a rack.

Sourdough Starter Recipe

• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 2 cups warm water
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp. granulated sugar (optional)

Preparation:

In large (non-metallic bowl) mix ingredients together. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and leave in a warm place for four to eight days. This allows the dough to ferment (you can do this without the yeast as well, although you may need to let the dough ferment a little longer).

The dough is ready to use when it is bubbly and has a slight sour odor. If the dough appears pink or orange, or any other strange color, do not use it. Throw it out and start over. 

Store in a covered container in the refrigerator until you're ready to bake.

When using the starter to make sourdough bread, first divide the starter in half. Add 1 cup water and 1 cup flour to one of the halves. Mix well and leave that half out on the counter until bubbly again, then refrigerate. This is referred to as "feeding" your starter. Use the other half to make your bread. Each time you make a new loaf of bread, you'll do the same thing - divide and feed your starter.

Don't worry if a clear or light brown liquid accumulates on top of your dough. This is an alcohol that occurs with fermentation and will bake off when cooked. Just stir this back into the starter.

Homemade Pita Bread

1 1/8 cup warm water
3 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1 TBS. vegetable oil
1 1/2 tsp. white sugar
1 1/2 tsp. active dry yeast

Preparation:
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Set aside and allow to rise until dough is double in size.

Preheat oven to 500º F.

Turn dough out onto floured surface. Gently roll and stretch dough into a 12 inch rope.

Divide dough into eight pieces. Roll each into a small 6-7 inch circles.  Set aside on a lightly floured countertop. Cover dough with a towel and let it rise for 30 minutes, until slightly puffy.

Dampen two kitchen towels and set aside.

Place pita rounds on a wire wrack, pizza stone, or baking sheet and put in oven. Bake 4-5 minutes.  Remove from oven and immediately put pitas between two damp towels until soft.

Serve warm. Good with hummus or served with butter and cinnamon sugar.

Store in freezer for 1-2 months.