I've been on a bread-baking binge for months and months; it's been nearly a year since I've sprung/sprang/paid 5 bucks for a decent loaf of bread. It's easy to make your own. It smells so good, plus it's hardly any work at all.
If you say you bake bread, somebody will eventually ask if you make sourdough bread. This happened about 6 weeks ago & I had to admit that no, I didn't, which was bothersome. I forgot what I once knew, that
sourdough is a curse.
Thus started the "sourdough pot" which resides next to the stove. It's like having a low-key pet: quiet, pretty clean, but needs to be fed and watered every day. It grows. You have to exercise it; it wants to be used. Demanding attention, it's a food version of Eddy, our Portuguese waterdog. In the past couple of weeks I've made 4 loaves of bread, two batches of pancakes, and John whipped up a batch of sourdough blueberry muffins, but there is still just as much starter as ever.
If you live near me, don't hesitate to contact me. I'll be happy to give you some starter. It's either that or list this stuff on PetFinder.
Sourdough tastes like a mistake. Just shows what good marketing can do.
ReplyDeletehahahah! My father-in-law says the same thing about yogurt. 1st batch of pancakes were awful. They've gotten better. Looks like I can't pass any of this stuff off on you...you're only a 12 hour drive...within range.
DeleteNext month I'll probably have a "real" new pet to talk about, a dog, for 6 months.
Wow. Those images are gor-geous. And how resourceful of you to offer starter to those nearby.
ReplyDeleteHow close are you Suze?
DeleteFrom time to time Mrs. C. makes banana bread, when we have a few over ripe bananas. I love the smell of this bread when she pulls it out of the oven.
ReplyDeleteDude, you're in Portland. See you this weekend.
Deletesounds sort of like 'friendship bread' that made the rounds about 20 yrs. ago. yummy like a banana nut bread except no bananas. gosh that was good stuff, but it sure put on the pounds!
ReplyDelete#$@!Friendship Bread!!! That's what I'm talkin' about in the link where I said sourdough is a curse!
DeleteI still swear we sold our house in Illinois because I had just baked bread and the house smelled glorious for the open house!! There's nothing else like it, warm, with a little butter and honey. YUM! Not a smart thing for a single person to do, however!!
ReplyDeleteI baked ginger cookies the day we sold our house in Madison. Buyers walked in to look and said "Ginger cookies. That's not fair."
Deleteah i remember those days well ... putting the yeast atop the fridge, the warmest place in the kitchen to help the rising along .. never did attempt sour dough, brava to you ... have you tried a challah?
ReplyDeleteI made challah once long ago when I was on a different bread-baking-bender. Challah is wonderful. I made bagels too, can you imagine? Never again; bagels are too much trouble.
DeleteI can never keep those starters. A pet rock is safer with me.
ReplyDeleteA pet rock! :)
DeleteWe'll see how long this lasts. I have a friend in Alaska who says people there brag about how old their starter is. I'm not in their league.
This is similar to some sort of whiskey-fruit concoction that a very rich aunt insisted was all the rage, passing it along to various family members in the 70s. We each had a starter container of this vile stuff. I was just a child and being a curious girl, I opened the lid one day and it darn near burned my eyeballs.
ReplyDeleteA whiskey-fruit concoction! Wow! For baking or drinking? Must look this one up. Glad your eyes are OK!
DeleteMy husband bakes bread. For 28 years since we have been married he has been baking bread. I blame the pound a year I've gained on that. :)
ReplyDeleteLucky lucky you! I've been giving away a lot of this tempting bread, otherwise I would load it with butter and cheese and totally blimp out.
DeleteHave you ever read Anthony Bourdain's "Kitchen Confidential"? There's a wonderful chapter about his baker and said baker's starter.
ReplyDeleteWell obviously I must read this book. I would love to hear about his baker! I bet it's good.
DeleteTwo cats are more than enough to feed every day. Truth is, I've never ever baked bread but I hope to start once we find and settle into our new place. I need a nice kitchen!
ReplyDelete:) I almost talked somebody into taking some starter last night. I totally sounded like I was trying to find a home for a well-behaved stray:
Delete"All it requires is to be fed and watered. Oh and just a little exercise, not much at all, this creature is a TOTAL couch potato. You'll barely notice it's around!" To which I can add "Doesn't mind cats, has lived very peacefully with them."
Sourdough is perfect for not-nice kitchens; I believe you're a good match right now Hilary.
Ha! It's the lack of space in my current kitchen.. the cats take over my space. ;)
DeleteIt takes up a 1-gallon sized piece of space: exactly the size of an additional cat.
DeleteBread never seems to rise here in Phoenix for some stupid reason.
ReplyDeleteSeriously? Remember, I believe everything you say!
DeleteSo you're in the Bermuda Triangle of bread-baking.