What has been going on all this time? 2 whole years!
Well, if you are still following my Facebook, there's been some baking, though not with the same intensity of the last decade but it's still very much a labour of love, because I love the people I bake for (you know who you are).
While cakes will always have a special place on a baker's menu, what I have discovered in the last year is that the true joy of baking is when you pull something out of an oven that has history, gives sustenance and can be eaten over and over again. OK, at this point, I should pause and recognise that cake-lovers will say... what is she talking about? Cakes have a place in history. Cakes can fill you up (literally) especially if you eat it over and over again.
I'm talking about BREAD people!
So I've gotten back to basics, and I'm not talking about old fashion butter cake and vanilla chiffon sponge. I'm talking about baking basics - flour and water.
Some time in 2019, my dear sister-in-law R passed me a sourdough starter that is older than my mother. A 90-year-old levain that has been places and picked up on the cultures around the world, and now it's sitting in a jar in my kitchen. I was apprehensive at first. I didn't know what to do with it. I have 3 kids, yet I was filled with trepidation with the potential that was in this jar.
The levain has to be fed. Daily. (like my kids)
The levain can go bad if not properly cared for (like my kids)
The levain can give you much much joy when you've invested in it (like my kids)
The levain can be moulded, to be the best it can be (like my kids)
So the levain has become my 4th child.
It's a steady one, an old soul. I know it has a lot to give, I just have to tend to it, know when to harness it's potential, and give it all the right ingredients to become the awesome product it's meant to be - beautiful Sourdough Bread.
Oh, and of course, it needed a name... hello "Beastie Boy"
Beastie Boy (BB) and I may have had a rough start, we produced many sour-tasting loafs that were dense and chewy all at once. BB didn't always agree and I've had to throw away copious amount of good flour. There were late nights, frustrations, wasted energy and repeated disappointment. But like any good parent, you never give up on your child.
After some months of consultation with fellow sourdough starter mummies, watching all versions of YouTube how-to videos and even researching on the science of bread fermentation. BB and I finally yielded a beautiful open crumb sourdough loaf with a golden crust and a creamy tang that you couldn't get in any instant yeast commercial bread. I couldn't turn back now.
So here I am. 2020.
Perhaps, I should start another blog... and you can hear all the funny stories that Beastie Boy and I have had. It's been a rewarding relationship that nurtures, feeds and grows. What more can a home baker ask for?
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| It's in the proof, ready for baking |
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| Sourdough satisfaction |
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