Starting a new Starter

A disaster

A little less of a disaster

A beautiful loaf at last

I think I would describe myself as a tactile person. I like to get really involved in the garden, the kitchen, the art room, and I usually wear the evidence on my face, grubby hands and clothes. I love to experience life through my senses.

I was prompted to try making my own sourdough bread last year after I began researching a low Glycemic Index (GI) diet to help improve my skin. The process of fermentation which occurs in sourdough has many beneficial effects on the flour/grains. I won't be able to explain it very well but this lady over at Nourishing Gourmet has done a lot of the research and explains it well here (will insert link later, having some trouble...)

I had a few failed attempts as you'll see in the first 2 pictures before Natalie's mum stepped in to help. She kindly offered me some of her starter and a proven recipe which helped me to achieve a beautiful loaf. I've since left that starter with my mum who is now regularly making fruity toast which she and dad enjoy for breakfast.

2 days ago I began a new starter from scratch - simply mixing 1 cup of organic rye (organic is preferably as you want to encourage growth of GOOD bacteria which might otherwise be inhibited by traces of pesticide), with 1 cup filtered warm water. Mix well and leave in a warm place in a bowl covered with cheesecloth. Even though it's cold and wet here today it is quite warm beside the heater vent. Each day I mix in equal parts flour and water to feed it. This morning I was excited to see that after only 2 days it has begun to bubble and ferment. Within a week I should have an excellent, slightly smelly culture so I can begin my bread.

Bread making can be a little fiddly for beginners, and sourdough especially as it requires long times to rise in between, but I think this quote sums up nicely why I enjoy it:

“Someone once asked me why I bother mixing and shaping my bread by hand. I didn’t have the words to answer them, nor could I understand why they didn’t just know. I will not let my fingers be reduced to simply button-pressing, dial-twirling or switch-flicking. There is no instrument in my bag of baker’s tools more useful and adaptable that my tow hands, and as long as I can use them to make and shape bread, I will.”

Dan Lepard in the Introduction to his book “The Handmade Loaf".

This afternoons project is my first attempt to make some mozzarella cheese from scratch...