Last week, I read ahead and became very afraid.
I'm referring, of course, to Uncle Ralph's sourdough section. Ten pages for five recipes. Fourteen Dos & Don'ts. I have to check something every other day and feed it every three days. It's going to double in size, yet it could take a couple months to be able to stand on it's own. I woke up at 3:AM one morning worrying about it - the sourdough starter.
So I went online looking for shortcuts.
There aren't any.
I confess, I ordered a starter kit out of fear to boost my confidence. Today it arrived in the mail, and I jumped in and made the commitment. I started the starter.
The recipe with my 'kit' is very similar to Uncle Ralph's: 2 cups flour and 2 cups water (80-100 degree). My 'kit' adds a special packet; Uncle Ralph adds sugar. (Here's where I wonder if I wasted my money on my 'kit.') Mix it all in a plastic bowl with a wooden spoon. I could hear Uncle Ralph over my shoulder reminding me - NO METAL OF ANY KIND AT ANY TIME!
Next, I covered the bowl with plastic wrap and tried to find a place in my house that is 70-85 degrees. I decided the best bet was next to the base of my ancient energy-hog refrigerator. (It would have been warmer in the bathrooom, but I cannot live with that.)
So now I care for it regularly until we get to those amazing sourdough recipes.
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HAPPY NEW YEAR! Tonight Andy & I will be observing our New Year's Eve tradition of watching the midnight Space Needle fireworks show from a viewpoint in West Seattle. Then we'll rush home to drink a nice bottle of champagne and eat dates wrapped in prosciutto. Here's wishing us all an amazing 2009!
I'm referring, of course, to Uncle Ralph's sourdough section. Ten pages for five recipes. Fourteen Dos & Don'ts. I have to check something every other day and feed it every three days. It's going to double in size, yet it could take a couple months to be able to stand on it's own. I woke up at 3:AM one morning worrying about it - the sourdough starter.
So I went online looking for shortcuts.
There aren't any.
I confess, I ordered a starter kit out of fear to boost my confidence. Today it arrived in the mail, and I jumped in and made the commitment. I started the starter.
The recipe with my 'kit' is very similar to Uncle Ralph's: 2 cups flour and 2 cups water (80-100 degree). My 'kit' adds a special packet; Uncle Ralph adds sugar. (Here's where I wonder if I wasted my money on my 'kit.') Mix it all in a plastic bowl with a wooden spoon. I could hear Uncle Ralph over my shoulder reminding me - NO METAL OF ANY KIND AT ANY TIME!
Next, I covered the bowl with plastic wrap and tried to find a place in my house that is 70-85 degrees. I decided the best bet was next to the base of my ancient energy-hog refrigerator. (It would have been warmer in the bathrooom, but I cannot live with that.)
So now I care for it regularly until we get to those amazing sourdough recipes.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
HAPPY NEW YEAR! Tonight Andy & I will be observing our New Year's Eve tradition of watching the midnight Space Needle fireworks show from a viewpoint in West Seattle. Then we'll rush home to drink a nice bottle of champagne and eat dates wrapped in prosciutto. Here's wishing us all an amazing 2009!
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