It’s alive! Practically overnight, my starter went from producing a thin layer of bubbles to breaking forth in rolling, bubbling foam. The magic key: aeration. In Whole Grain Breads, Peter Reinhart suggests whisking up your starter a few times a day as a simple cure for sluggishness -- and boy howdy, zippity doo dah, and hallelujah, it worked!
This is the best bread that’s come outta this kitchen yet. (By the way, this is Vermont Sourdough with Rye from this indispensible book...if you want one serious book about sourdough, this is the one.) It would be hard to overstate how excited I am. Amped, people. I have been trying (granted, in a very on-and-off fashion, but still) for five years to get this right, so I am totally totally totally stoked to continue on this path and try more advanced formulas. CAN I GET A YEE-HAW!!
I really hope this is not a fluke.
I could kiss every single one of you on the mouth.
16 comments:
Gorgeous. I want to come visit!
Wow, that looks yummy Amanda and pretty, too! How did you get the circles on the bred on the right?
HONEY!! You are amazing. It sounds like you had an amazing day!
Thanks, everyone! Doreen, the circles come from doing the bread's final rise in a floured willow basket like this one:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004R92T/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_2?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B000KEJQIS&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=02TNM5J99HPBA05BY0DX
I have to give you so much credit for doing this! I am so not a make it yourself bread person! I would much rather pay the extra expense at our local deli and get a nice bread from there! That being said, I LOVE your counter tops! :D
Hip Hip Hooray!!! Wish I lived closer so I could benefit from a sample.
I saw your buddy Tasheena today, thank you for introducing us, she is a doll.
Oh my goodness ... that is just beautiful Amanda!!!! Makes me want to make sourdough!!
Nice!
Yes, oxygen is a must-have. My company makes bioreactors and it is amazing how many different ways people have thought of to get enough oxygen available to all the cells in the bioreactor...it's a big deal. For bread it will be the same...except the bioreactor is a bowl on your countertop. Other key factors for a successful bioreactor include pH (acid vs. base), stirring, and availability of food.
I wonder if the yeast cells would be more active if they could see your day-glo countertops. Maybe you should do an experiment and see if a transparent bowl gives better results than an opaque bowl. :)
Awesome! That looks delish. My sourdough starter died when I forgot to feed it enough, and then we got the (sad) news we could no longer EAT bread and I just tossed it. I'm glad you figured it out!
You made that?!?!? GORGEOUS!
YEEHAWWWWWW!!!! That's fantastic, ManTa! I need to make me some starter. Should I do one of yours or should I stick with the La Brea people?
wow, all I can say is YUM! and YEE HAW.
bravo lady!
Woo hoo! I'm truly excited for you! And inspired! I haven't begun my winter bread baking project yet, but I'm really enjoying hearing about your progress in the meantime. I'll let you know when I take the plunge -- for now, I'll keep plugging along with my bread machine :)
That's super exciting! I attempted it once and haven't since but I plan on trying in the summer! Thanks for the inspiration!
Looks too good to eat!
YUM! I'll be right over!
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