The Sourdough Adventure Begins

 So, it all started because I needed delicious dense bread to dip in my olive oil and seasonings from Greece.

After I tried several store-bought and local bakery breads, it was obvious that I needed to make sourdough bread, even though I really had no idea what that meant.I began by researching online how to start a sourdough project. Then, I started accumulating what I thought were the necessary ingredients and tools. After I had invested a significant amount of money and stuff, that it turns out I don’t really need. I learned that the gold prospectors in California in 1850 did not need any of the stuff I had purchased.

Since I knew it would be several days before I could even start a starter, I began by making what I hoped would be bread bags coated with beeswax and jojoba oil. I bought a pack of linen and napkins, and started sewing up bags. I found cute Cricut Design Space Sourdough images. My first attempt at applying the cute image resulted in the design being backwards. Not the best way for this journey to begin! After two more tries, I got a bag that was about the right size and had the image transferred correctly. I had seen lots of bags and wraps available online that already had the beeswax applied to them but thought I could make them cheaper. I was mistaken! I ordered bags yesterday!

By yesterday, I had Kensington bread flour, which came with a package of freeze-.dried starter, a Danish dough whisk, and a bread lame (lahm). I’m waiting on a proofing basket, but decided that I couldn’t wait any longer to start working on my starter. Within the first hour I had already made two mistakes. The first was using tapwater. instead of nonchlorinated water. The second was, instead of just adding water to the sourdough starter packet. I put the flour in there at the same time.

Cindoughrella and I are on the second day of this journey, and I’m just hoping I didn’t already kill the starter😅