Sourdough Bread Update

A short note….

Regular readers of this blog know that I’ve been trying my hand at making my own bread from scratch. It’s been a couple of months since I started and now have more than a dozen loaves under my belt — literally and figuratively!

In my last bread blog, I told how I had tried a new sourdough recipe and it worked OK; maybe not as well as I wanted, but it worked. Since then, I’ve baked a few more loaves; but the last two that I did came out like bricks, really thick and heavy!

Even though I fed my sourdough starter every day (and even hired someone to feed my cat and sourdough daily when I was away!), it still lost its umph.

So, I started a new culture a week ago. Here it is with some fresh flour looking good and bubbly….

Here’s some bubbly sourdough starter just right for starting a new loaf of fresh homemade bread. (Photo by Jim Ewing)

and here’s one of the first loaves….

This sourdough bread loaf is a bit thin, but it’s light as a marshmallow. I’m still working on getting it right! (Photo by Jim Ewing)

It’s maybe not so pretty as some of those that people more experienced than I might make, but I can attest that it’s very light. Pick it up, and it almost seems to float off your hand! It’s like a big marshmallow.

I used the same recipe as before, except I used Organic All Purpose Flour rather than whole wheat.

For cosmetic purposes, I probably ought to invest in a bigger pan, rather than splitting the dough into two standard loaf pans. As it is, one pan is too small without the dough rising over the sides and overflowing; two pans results in a thinner loaf.

Pretty or not, I now prefer to eat my own bread than “store bought.” And I certainly have a greater appreciation for others’ home baking!

I’ll keep playing with it, and keep you posted.

Jim PathFinder Ewing is a journalist, author, and former organic farmer now teaching natural, sustainable and organic agricultural practices. His latest book titled Conscious Food: Sustainable Growing, Spiritual Eating (Findhorn Press) is in bookstores now. Find Jim on Facebook, follow him @EdiblePrayers or @OrganicWriter or visit blueskywaters.com.