Honestly

Honestly....

I don't know if I can eat/use this sourdough. It smells, kind of "sour".
Buying a loaf of sourdough bread from your favorite bakery or having some sourdough biscuits made by your grandma is one thing (well, two things actually, but try to follow me here), but I..... have a weird idiosyncrasy.
I cannot eat anything the "day of" or past a due date.
I cannot eat food that has been in my fridge for longer than a day or two...and even the 2nd day is stretching it.
I'm weird, I get it.
I so wanted to make a good sourdough and make these cinnamon rolls. But I just don't know if I can make bread from something that is sitting out and getting smelly on my counter.
It's not natural to leave food sitting out and letting things grow in them. Microorganisms, to be precise.
I will try tho. Wish me luck

I will end with what we picked/harvested from our backyard yesterday. We thought it time to not let the birds get them (the grapes). And I have one green tomato left, a few jalepenos, and a bunch of apples that I need to pick.

Maybe some applesauce on Sunday? I'll blog about it.
I'm off tomorrow with friends to go to the "Taste of Home" Cooking show in Elko.
We're excited. We're spending the night. Girl time!!

NOW I'm crazy

I thought this would take longer....It's been 18 hours. A day and a half.... and I have the beginnings of sour dough. It's bubbling away already. Can you tell from the pictures?

Here is what John Ross says:

Within 3 or 4 days (it can take longer, a week or more, and it can happen more quickly) you should start getting lots of bubbles throughout, and a pleasant sour or beery smell.

Okay, it has begun to have bubbles throughout, but it doesn't smell sour or beery yet.

I will give it another day.

Call me crazy

Sourdough?

Call me crazy. Yes...crazy. I have no idea why I decided to do this, but I have.
I am making a sourdough starter. Because I have this vision of great cinnamon rolls in my head. Made by a living organism, a thriving colony of microorganisms in fact, that live in my fridge....for years. (we'll see)

I took my cue/recipe/ideas from two sources.
1. John Ross ( Sourdough Baking, The basics)
2. My mother in law, Teresa Belcher (she gave me some recipes from her file)

I am going the "purist" route.....no potato water, no vinegar, but only flour and water. I'll let you know if it works.
And if it does, in a few weeks, I'll try out those cinnamon rolls.

My recipe
Blend 1 cup warm water with 1 cup flour.

THAT'S THE WHOLE RECIPE

Don't use metallic containers or utensils.
keep in a warm place--ideally, 70-80 degrees.
Cover with a lose fitting piece of plastic wrap.
Feed every 24 hours. (throw away half the starter and add 1 cup warm water and 1 cup flour)
Within 3-4 days (may take longer) you should start seeing lots of little bubbles, throughout and a pleasant "sour" smell.
When your starter develops a bubbly froth, it is done.
Then you can put it in your fridge and it only has to be fed every 7-10 days.

so says John Ross.

I'll let you know.