I’m German, that means I like beer, cars and … bread. Unfortunately, the bread we can buy here on the island is not good. After a couple of sad, flat and boring loaves of super-easy-no-knead-bread, friends gave me some of their sourdough starter (called Lucretia). What a revelation. So much flavour.
Not gonna lie, not every attempt was successful. Yes, I’ve yelled and cursed while trying to shape way too sticky dough. But it was worth it. I’m still not completely happy with every single loaf, but I’m getting there. And along the way, I’m baking sourdough focaccia, sourdough pizza, sourdough pancakes, sourdough cheesecake – ok, the last one was a lie.
I’m mostly following this recipe from Joshua Weissman, but I’ve watched many more videos and read many more recipes about sourdough bread. I’m looking after my starter meticulously, feeding it in the evenings, tucking it in it’s little blanket and giving it a little good night kiss.
Now, after many attempts, it’s a nice ritual at the beginning of the week. It doesn’t take up much time anymore, I know the steps and the measurements. And the next morning, I’m rewarded with two delicious smelling loaves of fresh bread. Is that how new parents feel? Probably not, but it must be close.
For the record: I started baking at the end of last year when the coronavirus wasn’t a thing that we knew about.