Photo: Great grandparents at their farm in Blandinsville, IL, with five of their six children .. my grandpa was yet a twinkle in grandma's eye. Stable boy and governess also pictured. Hodges farm, circa 1903-4

Wednesday, September 20, 2023

The "P" Word

P = pandemic 

After a few months of lockdown during CV-19, along with many others who were homebound, I had developed a decent sourdough starter by capturing wild yeast in a glass jar of water and flour. That starter was shared with numerous friends - and then I neglected my starter and had to ask a friend to gift me back some starter.
Not making this mistake again, I have been diligent to bake at least one loaf of bread each week. By now the starter is quite potent and will start a loaf unrefreshed and cold out of the fridge. It has been used to make crusty rounds in cast iron Dutch ovens, fluffy hamburger buns, nine grain sandwich bread, bagels, and baguettes. When I have extra starter, instead of throwing it away, I turn it into waffle batter and/or the base of a pizza baked in a cast iron skillet.
I have not purchased a loaf of bread in a very long time.
What is your experience with bread baking & sourdough? 

 "HOW CAN A NATION BE CALLED GREAT IF ITS BREAD TASTES LIKE KLEENIX?" 
 Julia Childs

3 comments:

Laurie said...

Oh, I so miss sourdough bread! I've been GF 2 1/2 years now, to heal some issues. I did try to make GF sourdough starter on two occasions, and never could get it to grow. Maybe this winter, I'll try again. Your creations look and sound wonderful!

Mrs. Mac said...

Laurie,
If you can get a small amount of established starter from a friend, it's pretty easy to convert to a GF starter. I hope you have success.

Saija said...

i love fresh bread ... but hardly ever make it (bread maker kind only) ... but my mom is still a real whizz at it, at age 88 ... *huge applause" re your baking skills! hugs!