In Summary – Starch March

So as always, I’ve been busy and didn’t get around to posting my wrap up for Starch March until well into April. So sorry!!!

Regardless this has been an interesting month for me! Starch isn’t something I really knew anything about.

And without further adieu…

1. Starch isn’t all bad

I did a little research into what exactly starch is, and it’s not all bad. Lucky for me it’s in line with the “In Moderation” approach that I like best. For more details check out my post here.

2. Sourdough is relatively easy to make

So my Sour dough starter series started, and I managed to make one pretty successful loaf of sour dough. This was a really easy recipe to follow that you can find here.

Unfortunately, I forgot about the starter, it went mouldy and now I’ll need to start over. The lesson folks, it that you need to remember to feed the starter, and use your starter, otherwise this becomes a royal waste of time when you decide to make another loaf a week later.

3. You can’t beat home baking.

I’ve been putting in a little more effort to make the other half better snacks for work in the effort to stop him spending so much money each day. One of his (and my own) favourites is Peanut Brownies. 

4. The start of winter sucks BUT getting sick sucks even more!

I spent far too much time sick this month. the only positive from this (asides from being better) is hot lemon honey and ginger drinks. My concentrate recipe is here.

Not really a starch but starch and these drinks are something that always makes me think of winter.

5. Pizza

There isn’t much else that needs to be said about Pizza just that its best with cheese on top!

I’ll be back soon with the April theme.

What is starch?

So I’m coming to the end of Starch March and I’ve realised that I don’t really know that much about what starch actually is.

What I do know is that lots of people use starch in cooking for everything from helping to thicken gravies, soups and pie fillings to using it in cookies and dusting pastry before cooking. Starch helps prevent bread getting too tough, makes cakes and cookies tender and is excellent at thickening a gravy when mixed with a little water.

Beyond that I don’t really understand much else so today’s post is going to be a little bit of a background (after a lot of researching) explaining what exactly starch is, why low carb dieters hate them, and if there is such a thing as a good starch.

What is starch

Starch or amylum is a carbohydrate consisting of a large number of glucose units joined by glycosidic bonds. This polysaccharide is produced by most green plants as an energy store.

My first reaction was a giant pause followed by “what??”

Firstly it’s a carb. So that means it must be bad right? Well maybe not!

There are so many diets that tell you all the reasons why you shouldnt eat carbs and I quickly realised that exactly what makes up a carb isn’t the interesting bit, it’s the reaction that it has in your body that drives the love/hate relationship we have.

Carbohydrates generally are a biological molecule which is made up of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. High levels of carbohydrate are often associated with highly processed foods or refined foods made from plants, including all the delicious treats we love like cookies, pasta, sugar and breads. But there is also carbs (granted, at a lower level) in unrefined foods like beans, rice and fruit.

So what is the difference between starches and carbohydrates?

Well starches are one of the three main types of carbs and are described as complex carbohydrates. These are slightly different to other simple sugars (simple carbs) because of the way that they are made up.

How do we break them down

When our body breaks down carbs, we turn them into sugar, or glucose. When then use that, not only for immediate energy, but also for future use, which is when we store it. Because our brains function best on glucose there are benefits to eating these sorts of foods as part of our everyday diet.

You might be starting to see that there are benefits in eating carbs. Eating a diet rich in carbohydrates doesn’t necessary cause weight gain, but there are different types of carbs and eating too much of the wrong ones can.

Simple and complex carbohydrates

Carbs are made up of basic units called sugar molecules, or a simple sugars. When you join these together they form long chains, and you create what is called a complex carbohydrate or starches. The dense combination of these long chains, makes it easy for your body to store energy for later use. So if you eat lots of complex carbohydrates then it is easier for your body to store these for energy later.

Don’t panic! – It’s not all bad news

What this all ends up meaning is that complex carb’s are slower to break down than simple carbohydrates, such as sugar and juice, providing longer-lasting energy and fullness between meals. And there are plenty of healthy options out there for you such as beans, lentils, vegetables like potatoes and butternut squash, and grains like rice and flour.

Foods high in starch include legumes, such as beans and lentils, vegetables, such as potatoes and butternut squash, and grains, such as rice and flour. As well as containing carbohydrates whole foods containing starch, including vegetables, legumes and whole grains, are great sources of fiber, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.

So is this good or bad?

The short answer is both. There are plenty of good carb options out there and very few people recommend cutting entire food groups from your diet. My plan is to avoid the refined carbs as much possible and to look for whole foods. But again, everything in moderation.

The smells of my kitchen – flowers, sourdough and soup

Today my kitchen smells amazing. It’s a mix of freshly baked sourdough bread, simmering potato and leek soup and the  sweet delicate scent of fresh flowers. There isn’t a lot that can make a girl happier!

I set off this morning to the supermarket with a list. The only things I needed. As per usual, I returned without some of those things but with wine and these gorgeous flowers!

They smell incredible and when combined with finding my cook book stand after the move, I felt all inspired to get some cooking done.

This week, I’ve been feeding my sourdough starter. Building up the courage to attempt my first ever loaf of sourdough. Needless to say, I’ve grown quite fond on my gooey, sour mess so the idea of using some of this to make a loaf of bread hadn’t really crossed my mind until the end of the week.

After a little bit of searching on the internet I came across a basic recipe and got started with this kind of result…

This may take a while but its worth it! Prep and rising time takes around 2 hours and the baking time adds just over an hour. Plus to make this you will need the sourdough starter that you already have going. This takes a few days but once its going its easy to maintain.

The starter is gooey, bubbly and on its own, tastes absolutely terrible but it gives sourdough that great flavour which makes it irresistible.

Basic sourdough recipe

Makes 1 small – medium loaf

Ingredients
2 cups bread flour (or plain flour)
1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups sourdough starter (recipe here)
3/4 teaspoon salt

Method
In an electric mixer with a dough hook, combine the flour, starter and salt, and knead until it no longer sticks to the sides or bottom of the bowl.

Place the dough into a lightly oiled bowl, turning to coat. cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rise for 1 – 1 1/2 hours in a warm, draft-free place until it had doubled in size.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and sprinkle the dough lightly with flour. Gently knead out the large air bubbles, then knead in a small circle and shape into a tight ball. Pinch the seams together underneath.

Place the dough onto a baking tray and cover with a tea towel and rest in a warm place for another hour.

Preheat the oven to 200 C / 400 F. If you are using a baking stone / pizza stone preheat this in the oven now.

With a sharp serrated knife, cut a cross pattern in the top of the dough. Spray lightly with a mister and bake until golden brown and the dough sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.

Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes before serving. I served mine with a creamy potato and leek soup.

Note: Sourdough is darker than other breads so leave in the oven for 5 minutes after you think it is done.

Creamy Potato and Leek Soup recipe

Serves 4

Ingredients
60 grams butter
1 leek, sliced thinly
3 cups of chicken or vegetable stock
3 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/2 cup cream
Salt and pepper
3-4 rashers of bacon, chopped (optional)

For a vegetarian option use vegetable stock and leave out the bacon.

Method
Melt the butter in a medium to large pot. Add the chopped leek and cook until it is soft.
Add the stock and potato.
Boil for 20-25 minutes until the potatoes are tender and cooked.
Remove from the heat and blitz the mixture using a hand blender until smooth.
Add the cream and stir. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

If you are including bacon, fry this until crispy and stir through the soup.

Serve with your freshly baked sourdough and enjoy!