Homemade Vanilla Extract

Baking is only as good as the ingredients as you use.  A lot of time our budgets just don't allow us to buy the best so we have to compromise.  I hate buying imitiation vanilla extract - it just isn't quite the same as the "real" stuff.  A fellow bread baker shared this recipe for true vanilla extract and I haven't looked back since.  Who would have known it was so easy to make!  Of course, I have to explain to my husband why he comes home to find a half empty bottle of vodka on the kitchen counter!

Homemade Vanilla Extract

2 cups Vodka (I buy the cheap stuff from Walmart)
5 to 6 vanilla beans

Split the vanilla beans in half and cut in 1 inch lengths.
Put vanilla beans and Vodka into a glass container (I use a quart mason jar with a secure lid) that will hold 2 cups.

Put the container into a dark location.
Shake the container periodically, every day or so.
Mark a calendar or label the jar with the date it was prepared.
The vanilla flavoring should be ready in 6 (six) weeks from the day it is started.

After the first batch is finished, pour it into smaller bottles, as desired, and pour 2 cups of Vodka in the
original container and let it set 6 (six) weeks. This will make a second batch of flavoring.

When you reach the point where the beans will not color the Vodka in the prescribed time, start over with new beans.

I get my vanilla beans from a seller on eBay called VanillaProducts. I am not affiliated with this individual - they have a great product and offer great services.

You can do the same with Cinnamon sticks and get a cinnamon extract.

Remember me?

Life kind of got in the way and I haven't had much chance to do any baking in quite a while.  I miss it terribly.  It is sort of my therapy.  So I decided it is time to dust off the ole mixing bowl and get back to baking. 

Do you have a folder of printed recipes that you have no idea WHY you printed them off and put them in a folder?  Well, I found THAT folder the other day and started looking through it.  I came upon a recipe for a sourdough starter using pineapple juice.  As luck would have it, I have pineapple juice in my refrigerator!  Obviously the Baking Gods have a plan in mind!  What the heck, I have nothing better to do with my time.  Besides, I thought it might be an interesting experiment on a rainy, stormy day. 

The "recipe" calls for 3 T pineapple juice and 4 T flour (easy enough!) - I use unbleached all purpose flour but I would imagine bleached all purpose flour would work as well.  I am using a quart mason jar (cleaned, of course).  Once I mixed the pineapple juice and flour, I covered the top with a couple layers of cheesecloth secured with a rubber band.  According to the recipe, repeat this for a total of 3 days.  So tomorrow, I will add 3 T pineapple juice and 4 T flour to the mixture and the following day, I will add 3 T juice and 4 T flour.   We will then switch from the pineapple juice to water.  Life just can't get any more exciting!

If this does work out and we do get an actual active sourdough starter, I have a ton of sourdough recipes to try!