Crust & Crumb: Master formulas for serious bakers - Peter Reinhart
It is the third day of an intercontinental effort to get a sourdough starter going. Arcadia started first, I merely copied. As mine seems to be the more lively one, we won't call this a contest, it's just cooperation and coordination. Mine is bigger than hers though.
You start with wholewheat flour, a cup, and water, about a third of a cup. Mix into a dough, knead a bit, then put into a jar. You watch it like a hawk the whole day long, but nothing happens. The next day you work in another cup of white flour and enough water to keep the consistency of the dough roughly the same. You're supposed to throw half away here, but I didn't. Again, nothing happens.
Then, on the evening of the second day, life seems to spontaneously appear in the jar. A slow upward creep is discernible, maybe some bubbles too. It smells slightly alcoholic and yeasty too. For maximum growth, leave the jar close to the radiator overnight.

The kraken wakes.
3 comments:
It's ALIVE!!!
It's terrifying sleeping in the same room as this beast, along with another 6kg of flour. If it makes it into the cupboard, no-one will see me again...
I can't remember which master NYC baker refers to the mother dough as The Bitch.
He gets up at 3am to feed the bitch.
Think it's from Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential.
Sleep with a knife under the pillow.
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