Just Baking

As I’ve started getting into this bread baking thing, I’ve been reading a lot.  My current book is The Bread Baker’s Apprentice, by Peter Reinhart.  It’s got a lot of great info in it.  But even before that, just reading on the blogosphere, I have been getting the urge to use sourdough instead of yeast.  I think, I said think, I want to try making all my breads with sourdough instead of commercial yeast, just to see how it does.

Why this interest in sourdough?  I know that, in Ohio, I’m not going to get the San Francisco sourdough flavor; the wild yeasts in my house aren’t the same as the ones in San Fran!  What I like about the idea of sourdough, though, is a couple of things:

• Every loaf I make will have flavors of my kitchen.  Wild yeasts and bacteria change by location, so what I produce will be unique to me, hopefully.
• It’s taking bread to very base elements.  I’m not going to mill my own flour, but making bread from nothing but flour and water and the natural yeasts that are in my starter appeals to me.  How much more base can one get?  It just seems like I have more control over the quality that way, and I can control exactly what goes into my bread.

I may find that it’s a pain in the butt to do this.  However, I am happy to say that, over the last 7 days, what started with nothing but flour and water appears to have become a sourdough starter!

Here are photos of most of the days and the progress made.  Somehow, I’m Missing Day 3, but nothing really happened that day.  I started with whole wheat flour and water, 2 tablespoons of each, stirred with a wooden spoon in a porcelain bowl, and left on top of the refrigerator (for space more than anything) covered with a woven cotton towel.  The photos aren’t all that exciting, but you can see the transition from flour and water to starter.

After the first day.  Nothing much going on.

After the 2nd day.  It had dried out a bit, but came back when water was added again.

After the 4th day (this is where I missed Day 3).  Still not much going on.

After the 5th night, and some bubbles are starting to appear.

After the 6th day, more bubbles are apparent.  When I stirred in the flour and water, I noticed there was a sponginess to the starter.

After the 7th day.  Definite bubbles, and the sponginess was even greater.  I’m about to transfer the starter to a jar or some sort and store in the refrigerator.  I’m not sure if I’ll be ready to bake with it yet, or if I’ll let it grown another week first, to ensure it’s stable.

I’m more than willing to hear from experts!!!  Let me know if I’m on the right track or not.  I can’t wait to make my first sourdough loaf, with my own sourdough.