Start Over!

I finally baked bread using natural fermentation! I first started this process about a month ago. A few days in, my first starter attempt lost all of its ability to expand, but I kept stirring and aerating it, hoping something would happen. I had hope because it had an interesting, fruity smell and it was not showing signs of mold.

But finally I did start over.  My second attempt was doing really well, until I moved it temporarily to a spot out of sight--and forgot about it! Sadly, it had to join the compost.

My third attempt worked well. Here is the result:

It doesn't look appreciably different from regular whole-wheat bread. But the texture is slightly stretchy and the taste is lightly tangy--a nice, light sourdough. Very delicious!

Instead of giving you the recipe, I will refer you to the book. There's a lot to it. I feel like I'm at the beginning of an adventure. A bread adventure!

Here is my mother starter, all refreshed and ready to tuck into the refrigerator.

This is what makes the adventure possible!