Pet
A project update. It's a WIP. (And also, pray for me.)
*deep sigh* It’s been ten years since I have genuinely entertained the idea of returning to the beginning. From scratch no less because that’s how I would prefer it. When it comes to baking, I’m aspirational like that.
*settles into rocking chair and gazes off into distance*
I remember that phase of my mid-20’s so vividly. The feedings. The attention. The care. So much time. I see her now, nestled in the back of our simple oven. Our kitchenette, barely spacious for 1. And I had a roommate lurking around somewhere, but that didn’t stop me. I was committed to producing something worthwhile. Fluffy. Undeniably sour. Edible.
Yes. My senses recall it all. There she is, my old friend: my first sourdough starter. It was the winter of 2014. You and I gave it the ole’ college try, eh? To what I would call, “meh” results.
Oh, I definitely used the starter. And I definitely made what appeared to be mounds of bread-like mass. Was it enjoyable to make or eat? *polite cough* Well. Define “enjoyable.”
Was deciding to make bread from scratch a bit of an impulsive decision on my end? Maybe.
Was I trying to cope with being on-call at the hospital at my very first professional job out of grad school? Absolutely.
Did I possess a single tool to make, shape, or bake bread properly? Probably not.
Most importantly — was I heavily fueled by grit, random articles from the web, and pretty Pinterest photos? Heck yes.
Put that all in the mixer (see what I did there) and at the end of the day, the whole experiment left me puzzled and de-motivated. I begrudgingly settled for store-bought after this experience.
Welp. *slowly but resolutely stands from rocking chair* That was long ago. And in spite of all that, what do I find myself doing these days? Despite any semblance of good sense, I’m taking up the mantle once again.
Someone help me.
My person might have changed but the task really hasn’t. At least, bakers for millennia would likely say so.
Look. I’m hopeful, however skeptical.
Equal parts optimistic and cautious.
Confident, yet nihilistic (enough to know that none of this really matters).
*dons apron and says a quick prayer*
Okay. We’re ready.
And lo, the internet has been persuasive enough to convince me to have another go at it. It’s been ten long, crisis-avoidant, resentful years and I’ve felt disappointed, annoyed, and thwarted in the interim. Much to my surprise, this all dissipated a couple of weeks ago. I found myself pulling up my baker britches and hunkering down to work.
One anxiety-filled week later, I had a mature sourdough starter made from a mix of whole wheat flours and filtered water.1 That’s it, two ingredients. (Plus oxygen, as The Boy likes to point out to me.) She currently lives in my fridge in-between feedings.
Meet my new pet. Isn’t she’s beautiful?
I am going for simple this time around. Nothing too fancy so as to not get overwhelmed. Basically, I feed her when I am going to bake something and let her rest in the fridge until she is called to duty.
For you bread-making enthusiasts, here are the other strategies I am employing this time for baking bread:
the stretch and fold method (versus kneading)
bulk fermentation (for those probiotic benefits)
longer proofing times (rest is productive too)
a kitchen thermometer (to take the guesswork out of it)
a Dutch oven (borrowed from my mother-in-law, she’s the best!)
convection oven settings (our oven runs HOT)
proofing with tea towels (to absorb moisture)
…and probably a bunch of other little strategies specific to the recipe and my oven.
Whew! Good thing I’ve been working out that baker’s arm.
Is baking bread in the dead of summer a sign of major procrastination? Maybe.
Have I (re)recorded a single podcast episode as yet?
Thank you for indulging me. And thank you for reading this rambling post about another project I have started. Your patience in dealing with my disjointed creative lifestyle is truly saintly.
If you bake bread and/or keep a starter, and you want to make this a conversation, be sure to leave a comment down below!
Building a flock one post at a time,
Starter recipe from this blog: https://www.farmhouseonboone.com/make-sourdough-starter-scratch
Subscribed so will read it! I feel baking sourdough bread is a very good practice in failing 😂.
Also started my first sourdough starter more than ten years ago. I think was 2011, I was burnt out (yes, it happened twice during my nursing years) and it was such a perfect way of spending my time. Failed a lot, but also made a lot of yummy bread. We still bake all are bread at home, most of it sourdough.