Sourdough Saturday. That is what I have decided to call Saturdays from now on! Mom made me a sourdough starter for my birthday. If you had told me five years ago that I would be over-the-moon excited about getting sourdough starter for my birthday, I would have said you were crazy. But the presents we get the most excited about definitely change as we get older! Today was the first day my starter was ready to bake with. From what I have read in the recipe book Mom also gave me for my birthday, once the starter is ready to bake with, you will have to bake with it at least once a week. I know what you’re thinking, “Shayne, why are you putting this on your blog for busy women if it is going to be a time-consuming project?”. Well, just stay with me for a little longer. I am working to simplify the sourdough process for all of us (if you want to know more about sourdough, visit the Cooking section).
Side note: I am calling the sourdough starter Mom gave me “Refrigerator Mother” (since this is what the sourdough industry calls a starter you keep in the fridge). The starter I made, I’m calling my “Counter Mother” (again, this is the name the industry gave to a starter that sits out on the counter). It is a little strange to call the starter “Mother,” but it makes for a good laugh!
I didn’t have enough of either starter to make bread, so I made bagels and rolls instead. I used the Counter Mother to make the bagels and the Refrigerator Mother to make the rolls. This was the first time I had made bagels, and it didn’t go so well (which is why there aren’t any pictures of them!). I think the starter wasn’t quite active enough, and they ended up not having enough flour in them, which made them not hold their shape. I have made rolls before, and they turned out much better. Also, the Refrigerator Mother was much more active, so they raised like they were supposed to. They actually raised more than they were supposed to, so I ended up with quite large rolls!
All in all, I started this journey at 5:30 in the morning and was finished by 1:30, but my kitchen was a mess, and I’ll probably spend the rest of the week cleaning it up! But it was fun and made me realize that I missed making my own bread. I used to make bread in high school and college (once I moved out of the dorms). And it was gratifying to slice into freshly baked bread and slathered it in butter! Do you have experience with sourdough? I’d love to hear any advice you would have for me! Use the comments below or go the my contact page.
Happy Journeys!
Shayne
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