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Sourdough Blues

Well, I never!

My foray into self-sufficient bread baking has seemed marked by tragedy from the get go.

1.  The first starter I tried went liquidy and bad on me.

2.  I used the second starter to make one loaf.  The recipe I was referencing said bake for an hour.  The ensuing product was NFL-football material.

3. I "fed" the starter, then proceeded to knock the jar over, spilling most of the contents across my kitchen counters.  There was hardly any starter left, but I added the flour and water "refeed" anyway.

4. Loaf #2 baked for only 45 minutes, but it was still too long.

5. Loaf #2 resulted in a bland (though edible) loaf of bread.

6. Starter is completely gone (after just two loaves of bread).  My proportions must have off.

7. I start another starter (#3). 

That brings me to today.  I contacted Capt HD for the proper oven temp and time information and then proceed to turn out a beautifully textured, nicely tasting loaf of sourdough bread.  The starter was fed (measurements from yet another source) and allowed to foam.  It has been placed in my refrig, loosely covered. 

Hopefully, this whole bread baking thing will not suck anymore.



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