Slow Mornings and Sourdough
Today is one of those mid-winter mornings I dream of all year. The ground outside is covered in snow, birds and squirrels dance carefully across the ice-covered meadow searching for seeds and food. The house is quiet, Anthony is still sleeping and the animals are resting sweetly at my feet. Its a beautiful, sunny morning and the ice on the windows reminds me of diamonds, glistening in the early morning sun. These are the types of mornings I like to savor. Moving slowly from this to that and then back to the writing room with my plants.
I have been on a mission to be more mindful in 2019. Mindful of my words, my actions and what I put in my body. For me, that means slowing down and being observant of what is happening around me and within me. I’ve taken up meditation and practice every morning before work. I’m not sure what I’m supposed to feel but I think I am seeing a change, if not, that’s OK.
One of my many intentions for this year is to become a better baker. I am admittedly not a great baker. It requires attention to detail and precision that do not come naturally to me. This year, I hope to change that. I created a list of what I think are the most essential baking recipes and will be ticking them off one by one this year until I’m a master.
This month, I am focusing my energy on sourdough. Sourdough always reminds me of my childhood. My dad would go to the greenhouses in Columbus to pick up plants and flowers for my mom’s flower shop and on the way back he would always stop at Panera and pick up a loaf of sourdough bread and dipping oil for my sister and me. It was a very simple act but something that we looked forward to every week and still talk about today, after all these years.
As you will learn, the first step in making true Sourdough is making a starter. By combining flour and water, you create a medium for wild yeast to attach itself to and grow. It takes about 5 days for a good starter to form from. Once you have a living and breathing sourdough starter, you can use it to make loafs, baguettes, bagels, pizza crust - just about anything.
I will be following a guide I found on TheKitchn that seems pretty fail-proof.
Follow me on Instagram this week as I take my first attempt at this culinary challenge.
