Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Sourdough-Northern Style

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!










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