The Big Starter

Today was actually REALLY busy at work, which was pretty shocking…because it really never is, at least not for us. Unfortunately, our full day began with our alarm NOT GOING OFF this morning…which resulted in me running around like a chicken with my head cut off and us being late to a meeting with some important people. BUT the day only got better from there, and we have some exciting weeks ahead. We’re going to COURT on Monday! So excited! It’s kind of a running joke that 99% of lawyers never see the inside of a courtroom in their whole career, even though most people assume that all lawyers are in the courtroom all the time like in Law & Order…yeah, not so much. And we very well may not see the inside of one once we start “real” jobs, so I’m really pumped for the experience to see a legit criminal case in action.

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Yes, going to court totally has to do with this bread. Because I’m excited about court, and I’m excited about this bread. I don’t know about you guys but I LOVE a nice, soft, loaf of sourdough or Italian bread. I love the flavor of sourdough, it just can’t be beat. You all already know that I’m a big lover of yeast breads. I make LOTS of different kinds of yeast rolls.

I love me a good yeast roll. And I always will. But for the last month or so I’ve been feeling kind of bored with it…it’s still fun to make but I’ve done it many times now so the excitement isn’t really there as much. So when my mom bought this book,

I knew I would have to dive into it and join the big leagues of bread baking. And that means making my own starter. Here’s the short story: there’s a bunch of ways to make doughs rise, yeast is one way and leavening agents like baking powder or soda is another way. For something to be a “real” bread, it needs to have yeast (I’m sure I’m telling you things you already know) to make it rise. You can either buy dry yeast and use that to make your dough, or you can make a starter to create its own wild yeast the natural way. That natural fermentation is what gives that kind of bread you buy at the bakery its amazing texture and flavor. And THAT it what I want. So why haven’t I done it before? Why doesn’t everyone do it all the time? Because. It can take 3-4 weeks to develop an active starter. Yikes. It requires daily “feeding”, so I kind of feel like this baby is my pet.

It’s just equal parts water and flour and over time it should ferment, if it works out properly. If it DOES work, the good news is that this same little goopy mess you’re looking at will provide me bread FOREVER. Yes, it’s true! You can use the same starter as the base of your breads for literally years. The Bourke Street Bakery book says that there are starters in other countries that have been around for hundreds of years!!! Amazing. And the possibilities with it are endless: sourdough bread, Italian bread, french bread, etc. I feel like I should name my starter. It’s going to be a part of my family for the rest of my life (hopefully)! I’ll get back to you on what his/her name is. And of course, any suggestions are welcome. 🙂 When it’s fully active, it should look like this:

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Rest assured, I will be taking progress pics along the way! But I’m not going to post them every day, that would get annoying. Now all I have to do is name it…so far Ashley and I have come up with Fred and Patty. I’m kind of liking Patty…but not in love with it.

In other news, I’m on the hunt for the perfect chai latté recipe. It’s my absolute favorite coffee shop drink but it’s not friendly to the wallet at all. Today I enjoyed my first attempt at an iced version.

I took this pic right before I stirred it. I made it with chai spices, soy milk creamer, and a little coconut milk. It was very tasty but I have to work on my method. I’ll post a recipe when I get it just right.

Thanks for reading!

-Lauren