the remaking of a kitchen

i got the sourdough starter out of the refrigerator today and took a sniff. it's beginning to smell like sourdough now.....before it had a clean yeasty smell. this could really happen.....i think i will try to make a loaf of bread toward the end of the week.

Labels: sourdough

the starter didn't grow today, BUT the bubbles were really rising and it appeared to be more active. it still smells fresh and the color is good, so perhaps cockeyed optimism is at work but it may be about to happen. maybe. i removed a 1/2 cup and replenished with flour and water and it's in the oven as we speak. i just peeked to see if anything was happening and the bubbles are rising already and it's been about 90 minutes since the addition, so more hope. i shall check it in the morning!

Labels: sourdough

well, it's still not working, or if it is it's pretty slow. i put it in the oven and left the light on for part of the time as rose suggested a temp that is warmer than we keep our house. so, i read rose levy beranbaum's blog and she suggested just staying with it, so that is what i will do for a few more days. it still smells good and the color is good, and there are bubbles rising, there are just fewer and the starter is not growing. if it doesn't begin to grow i will just start fresh and try it all over again.

Labels: frustration, sourdough

i am not sure what is going on, but it appears that it's not much. tbb hints that it could take longer to get going, so i am keeping the faith for now. our house is cooler than the recommended environment for action so my baby is sitting in the oven with the light on for now.....incubation time. ;)

Labels: frustration, sourdough

it's really growing! i am amazed. i started this with no confidence whatsoever.....just sure that it would show the streaks of color that indicated contamination or that it would just sit there like a sullen lump and do nothing at all.
now i have to figure out how to use it to bake bread. well, not quite yet, i still have a few more days of discarding and adding before the opportunity to bake arises. (not a pun)
i decided that i wanted to try sourdough for my first bread from TBB because i have loved the taste since i first experienced it on my first visit to san francisco in 1980. i have always purchased it as a treat.....used it for special meals for us or for when we entertained guests or visiting family. now, hopefully, i can bake my own. i think.

Labels: sourdough