One of my other new fascinations is bread making. I received a sourdough culture from my dear friend and have been playing with the art for the first time. And it is an art, I assure you. In previous years, I’ve not had the best luck with yeast breads, so this is a leap of faith and determination. MiLady Carol: Bread Warrior. Rar.

I have decided to stick with a basic French bread, nothing fancy, until I understand what I’m doing. I don’t want to complicate matters with heavier grains, herbs and nuts – though that’s the goal. My first attempt saw a great rise and made a lovely interior bread, yet the crust was far too hard. I chalk that up to me following the baking time on the recipe and my oven having a vastly different notion.

My second attempt saw a much better exterior crust – I do sometimes learn lessons – yet, the interior was rather dense. This, I surmise, was a direct reflection of the lack of the dough’s enthusiasm in rising. I noticed the proofing didn’t really show a pronounced effort to froth, yet I hated to waste all that flour, so I forged ahead to rather lackluster results. It was still yummy, yet the slices needed to be quite thin — did I mention it was a dense bread?

I also have noticed that both times, when I free-formed the French loaf, the dough spread out as much or (as in the second case) more than up when it rose. I’m not sure if this means I need more flour in my mix. Maybe. All these recipes say the texture of the perfect dough should be “satiny.” Well. I guess a satiny texture is in the eye of the beholder, for I’ve not noticed anything I would describe as such in what I’ve made to date. Perhaps with more experience…

Breathe deeply,
Laugh with abandon,
Love wholly,
Eat well.

MiLady Carol
www.miladycarol.com
Dazzling jewelry that reflects sparkling personalities!

I have a few friends who have successfully worked with this Sourdough recipe.  I, inspired by them and the thought of delicious bread, delved wholeheartedly into this science experiment. 

I have followed the directions, picked a lovely wide-mouth glass jar with a metal latch and a rubber seal, I have my spelt flour and my warm water and I’ve diligently cared for my little project every morning.  I began this journey on March 19^th and, though the batter has a slight vinegar scent, it has not yet frothed.  Granted, he suggested the perfect room temperature would be 21-26^oC and my house is comfortably 17^o.  I fully expected it to take the full week rather than the few days, yet it has been almost two weeks and I’ve seen nary a bubble.  That’s 7 cups of flour I’ve fed into this experiment with nothing to show. 

Sadly, I’m thinking I need to quit until my house’s ambient temperature is 21 degrees.  This will likely be a couple months from now.  It pains me to do this, yet I can see no way to keep this jar at a warmer temperature other than lock it in a room with the heat cranked which, to my mind, is penny wise and pound foolish.  I had stopped buying bread for my husband thinking we were a week away from our own sourdough.  He’s been asking for bread the past few days, though, and I’m no closer to joy with my starter than I was two weeks ago.  I guess a $4 loaf is still less expensive than the amount of money I’d be paying to my local utility on the off chance I can rescue this experiment. 

I’m open to suggestions.