Breads made from Louise Nelson's sourdough starter. At right is a raisin loaf. (David Boraks/DavidsonNews.net)
By BRENDA BARGER
DavidsonNews.net
Our former colleague Laurie Dennis swung through town last weekend to pick up her things on her way to Madison, Wis. Those “things” included a sourdough starter that has a fascinating 25-year local history.
How many in town were recipients of a loaf of home-baked bread from the late Louise Nelson? Louise, an esteemed economics professor at Davidson College from 1964-1988, was also a distinguished baker of bread. Each loaf had its beginning in a jar of sour dough starter that she proudly kept going by feeding weekly for more than 25 years.
A sourdough starter is a mixture of flour, water and yeast that is allowed to ferment in a warm place. It adds a unique flavor to breads and is a substitute for dry yeast.
More than 4 years ago, yours truly was the recipient of a loaf of bread, a cup of starter and hand-typed directions. What a gift! And what a responsibility! Louise could be as down-to-earth as the next person, but also downright intimidating, with her upright posture and demands of excellence from young and old. Letting the gift of “Nelson sour dough starter” die on my watch was just not an option.
Louise Nelson
So every week for the past 220 or so, the Louise Nelson sour dough starter has been carefully tended with the resulting loaves mostly given to others in our community.
First, you take one cup of starter and feed it a bit of sugar, water and potato flakes so it can ferment for next week’s baking. The second cup is mixed mainly with flour, oats, wheat germ and flax seed before allowing it to rest overnight and be ready to bake the next morning. Just imagine Louise’s resolve to care for her starter for more than two decades.
On trips out of town, someone always was found to “babysit” the starter. Lots of friends expressed interest in the mason jar gracing the top shelf of my fridge but only two ever stepped up to the plate and took a cup which continues to this day: our youngest, Sam Barger (who likes adding cinnamon and raisins), and Laurie Dennis (who adds whatever is available in her kitchen and has a “winner” every week).
Brenda Barger hands off Louise Nelson's sourdough starter to Laurie Dennis.
Sam bakes as often as his studies at UNC-Chapel Hill permit. Laurie, on the other hand, has just returned from summer in Paris, France, with her family, and is now driving west to a new home in Madison with her starter carefully packed in a cooler. She says the sourdough starter and every resulting loaf of bread will always remind her of her wonderful years in Davidson. We know that Louise would be pleased that in addition to being renowned in the classroom, she is also renowned in the kitchen!
Louise Nelson passed away in November 2008, but fond memories of her continue every Wednesday when the 5×9 index card with carefully typed directions is pulled from its spot beside the toaster oven and another recipe of Louise’s delicious bread is forming in the mixer’s largest bowl.
LOUISE NELSON’S SOURDOUGH STARTER AND BREAD
Feed the starter
Every six days, add to your starter:
1/2 cup white sugar
3 tablespoons instant potatoes
1 cup warm water
Stir and leave out on counter over night. Refrigerate the next morning. (It must be fed regularly – the same day each week. Feed one cup of starter only. USE or discard the remainder.)
Sourdough bread
In a large bowl, mix
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup corn oil
1 tbsp salt
1 cup sourdough starter
1 1/2 cups warm water
About 7 cups flour. (Bread flour preferred, but you can substitute wheat germ and oatmeal, flax seed or corn meal for 2 cups of flour. Also, try adding cinnamon and raisins before last rising.)
Put dough in a large greased bowl, cover lightly with greased foil and let stand overnight. The next morning, punch down and divide into parts (according to how many loaf pans you’re using). Form into loaves and put in greased pans. Cover with greased foil and let rise 3-5 hours. Bake in 350-degree oven for 30-40 minutes, depending on size of pan.
WANT A STARTER?
Want to have your own cup of Louise’s starter? Just let me know – it comes complete with jar and recipe! Email hbarger@bellsouth.net.
NOTE: This article was adapted from Brenda Barger’s Around Davidson column for Aug. 17, 2010.
Update on Laurie’s starter: after a drive of over 1,100 miles, the starter looked about like I did – wan and jostled. I opened the lid and the normaly fiesty brew inside could barely manage a bubble. “Twenty-five years,” I said to myself as I rushed my mason jar into our temporary refrigerator here in Wisconsin. The long history of Ms. Nelson’s mix is indeed a responsibility – none of us want to be starter-killers.
After a night’s sleep – in a warm bed for me and in a cool refrigerator for the starter – everyone seemed to perk up. I fed my mixture its weekly dose of potato flakes and sugar, and was pleased to see my starter gurgling happily. My baking pans are in deep storage and I may not be able to make a real batch of wholesome bread for a week or two. In the meantime, we’re making do with, gulp, store-bought bread.
Ever since receiving a gift of starter from Brenda, my family of four has been reveling in the joys of home-made bread. I will indeed always think of the Barger farm and of Davidson friends whenever I knead my dough here in the Midwest. If you are ever in Madison on a Thursday in the early afternoon, just follow the delicious smell of fresh baked bread to my door and come on in for a slice!