Make sourdough starter! A couple months ago, Sarah posted a recipe for a starter that calls for pineapple juice, water and flour. Once the ingredients are mixed in a jar, you cover it with cheesecloth which allows the mixture to catch wild yeast from the very air you breathe. Pretty cool!
Starter attempt #1 died while I was in the hospital (I guess my family was more concerned with keeping me alive than with maintaining the starter). With #2, I forgot to use cheesecloth and covered the jar with a glass lid. It was Mold City!
The third time worked like a charm. I followed the feeding schedule to a T, and now have a refrigerated container filled with beautifully fermented yeasty dough.
After flipping through several cookbooks, I decided to make Sarah’s sourdough bread, too. It was definitely the simplest, and I’ve always had good luck with her recipes.
The recipe makes two cute little loaves, which I scored with a knife to give it that rustic European feel. The house smelled heavenly.
I can be an impatient eater, so I barely let the bread cool before digging in. My mom and I had just picked up a carton of local strawberries, so I layered butter, lavender honey, and smashed berries on each slice. Mmm! There is nothing like bread you’ve made yourself.
When I’m a grown up with a family of my own, I hope my kitchen rings with laughter and sounds of comfort, and regularly smells like freshly baked bread.
Do you have a sourdough starter? Have you ever baked your own bread?