Another pretty good day. Helen came and walked me around the
garden, so there has been some exercise. I am within half-a-dozen ends of
finishing the Virus Scarf. Then what? My package from Sundayknits was processed
through the Chicago International Distribution Centre yesterday. It
probably won’t be here tomorrow but you never know.
I need to get back to work on the to-do list. It doesn't get smaller or less pressing, just because I've got rid of the car.
Christine and Karen, thank you for your sourdough
contributions. Christine, are you, too, using the starter recipe in the new
Good Food Magazine? It’s wonderful that we’re both on the same day. I began on Saturday evening, so I am counting my days in the Jewish fashion: I am about
to feed the starter again and start Day Three.
I won’t be able to make any bread until I can get some
proper bread flour, but I am grateful for your remarks, Karen. The Good Food
recipe doesn’t include the “autolyse” step but I have watched enough on YouTube
to know what you are talking about, and I think I will include it.
Cats
I shut the sitting room door last night, hoping to keep
Paradox away from the knitting, and succeeded in shutting her in there. It is
she who sleeps at the foot of my bed now, helps me dress in the morning,
reminds me where the cat food is kept. In the early months of her life, Perdita
was always with me at night.
So I was alone last night. But Perdita knew. She it was who
came in in the morning, looking anxiously over her furry shoulder for that
other, awful cat. It’s been a long time since she has even been in the bedroom.
Jean, you won't regret using the "autolyse" technique. I detest kneading, and doing that means I knead little, if at all-- mostly a "stretch and fold" of the dough once my mixer has done the work. Also, I use all-purpose flour almost exclusively for bread baking these days (since I haven't found any bread flour since before the virus). Bread flour would probably rise better, but all-purpose makes a perfectly serviceable loaf for me. Enjoy your sourdough adventure!
ReplyDeleteJean, I thought of you last night. We had our first asparagus, with plenty of butter and a squeeze of lemon, and salmon with sauce from the sorrel in the garden. I must try your soup this year!
ReplyDeleteOne doesn't need Proper Bread Flour. Any white or brown including rye will work fine. We've made sourdough bread from starter weekly for years and been through most flour combinations.
ReplyDeleteJennyS
No, I'm using a recipe found on the nourishedkitchen website which uses strong white bread flour at the start of the process. It is doing what it should do and forming bubbles and froth. Today is day 4 and I have to feed it morning and night from now on.
ReplyDeleteI'm interested to see any flour will work for sourdough. My husband 'read the writing on the wall' back in January (he's like that) and started building up stocks in a casual 'packet here, bag there' fashion, so we have flour but yeast is getting low. Veg box delivery today, and a tray of 30 eggs!
ReplyDelete