Figure 3 Ranch Cowboy Morning Sourdough Biscuits

Source: Anne Christian, Figure 3 Ranch, Amarillo, Texas

5 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup cooking oil
2 1/2 cups Sourdough Starter (see recipe below)

Place flour in a large bowl and make a well in the flour. Pour starter into the well and add all other ingredients. Stir until mixture no longer picks up flour. Cover and let rise three to four hours, or overnight.

Place dough on floured board and roll to one-half-inch thickness. Cut out biscuits and place in greased cast-iron Dutch oven. Set by the campfire to rise for one to two hours. Place hot lid on oven, set oven on coals, and place coals on lid. Cook until brown (five to eight minutes).

Sourdough Starter
1 cake or envelope of dry yeast
4 cups warm water
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 raw potato, quartered

Dissolve yeast in warm water, and then mix all ingredients in a one-gallon crock. (Do not use a metal container.) Cover with a close-fitting lid and let the starter rise until light (12 hours in warm weather, longer in cool weather). Do not let the starter get cold, ever.

After using part of the starter, add one cup warm water, two teaspoons sugar, and enough flour to mix to the starter's original consistency. Add more potato occasionally as food for the yeast, but do not add more yeast. Use daily for best results. Starter improves with age.