Adventures in Sourdough

Ok. So how are you doing? I am doing alright here on the mountain. I went grocery shopping yesterday for the first time in three weeks and it was an experience, to say the least. The stress written on people’s faces saddened me.

In order to pass time in quarantine and to quiet my worried mind, I’m focusing on some projects. The project I am most excited about is creating a sourdough starter from scratch.

Baking sourdough is something I’ve wanted to learn for a long time, but the process was always a mystery to me. A cursory scan of various sourdough recipes and websites revealed endless ratios and strange lingo. After sifting through recipe after recipe, I finally found the courage to just start.

I started a sourdough starter five days ago. It lived on my refrigerator for four days. By yesterday, it seemed something had gone terribly wrong -it was smelly and watery. From what I’ve read since throwing it away, it is possible it just needed a little more time and some more food so the good bacteria could grow and take over. Or…maybe not. Oh well.

(If you have any thoughts on my percieved sourdough fail, please leave a comment down below. Any tips are welcome!)

After throwing that one away, I immediately started another. After reading various starter recipes, I settled on the starter recipe from King Arthur Flour. This time I used nutritious organic rye flour to get the starter going.

My husband and I are Bay Area natives. My husband misses San Francisco Sourdough, his favorite. He is thrilled that I’m perfecting my sourdough game. Personally, I am not a gluten-eater – I know. Bummer. But, I have read that some tummies have better luck with sourdough bread than bread made with commercial yeast. My fingers are crossed.

Even if I can’t eat the finished product, pulling a perfectly browned, round loaf from the oven just might be the best reward I could ask for. The ability to serve my family a healthier loaf of bread while the bread shelf at the grocery store remains empty comes in a close second!

You’ve probably noticed that most stores are sold out of flour. (I was thrilled to find some rye flour on my grocery outing yesterday!). I recently ordered a bulk bag of organic bread flour from Bakers Authority. It hasn’t arrived yet, but I will keep you updated on my starter progress and first loaves. Wish me luck!

I hope you’ve found a creative project to occupy your mind during this difficult time. Please comment below to let me know what you have been up to, or just to say hi! I’m sending my best wishes for healthy bodies and minds to you and your dear ones.