Sourdough starter ...

This is what gray, wet days are good for --- baking! Michael Pollan made it sound so easy. Hoy! Maybe for him. This was definitely trial by error.

I should explain that I was inspired by a passage in An Omnivore's Dilemma about whipping up sourdough starter on the window sill. I used the Boudin Bakery website to get started -- basically leaving flour and water out to soak up ambient bacteria.


After that, it was a bit dicey. My first batch of bread tasted great but was very flat and dense. I got the starter out again and let it sit for about 10 day (!!!) -- mostly because I just didn't know what to do with it.

But I didn't have the heart to throw it out. I "freshened" it again (with equal parts water and flour), let it sit overnight and le voila! I had live starter. It rose like a dream.

These loaves are going fast!


Just Google "sourdough starter" -- there are oodles of YouTube videos. Just one word of caution, the start up process takes about 4 days minimum. Don't do what I did and start a day before company arrives!