Getting Cultured

It is funny how the things that kind of gross you out are often the ones that taste really good.  Beer and kombucha are good examples.  Yeasty fermentation and scobies are yucky but the results of working with them are delicious.  So, I am applying the same logic to today's adventure of culturing dairy products.  Leaving milk out of the fridge sounds yucky but I am hoping this produces some delectable outcomes in the form of cultured butter and buttermilk salad dressing and biscuits.

Cultured Buttermilk

1 cup milk + 1/3 cup cultured buttermilk
Leave in a warm spot for a day
Result: Homemade buttermilk
Refrigerate

Creme Fraiche

1 cup whipping cream + 1 tbs buttermilk
Leave in a warm spot for a day
Result: Homemade cultured cream
Whip into cultured butter

Wild Yeast Capture

1 cup whole wheat flour + 3/4 cup water
Leave in a warm spot for 12 hours and feed every 12 hours thereafter
Result: Sourdough starter
Make into homemade bread without having to use store bought bread yeast

I will keep you posted on the progress of these culinary experiments.  The sourdough starter sounds quite involved with the twice daily feedings but it might be exciting to see something edible grow and bubble from just combining flour and water.  Its longevity depends on the quality of bread it produces.  I should probably look up how to make sourdough bread in the bread machine....just to be prepared in case this actually works out well.