Ok, it didn't happen yesterday.

Today is definitely bread day.

It is light and bubbly and smells wonderful.

I added:

1 cup white flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

2 tbsp so of olive oil

1 tsp of sea salt

Now to let it rise .  I kneaded it at noon and will let it rise until I get back from my spa afternoon.  Then it should be ready to bake for dinner.  What goes well with fresh bread?

We might be having bread tonight!

Overnight something magical happened!

8:45 am, Wednesday, March 16

It looks and smells like bread dough should.  Nothing but flour, water, and time exposed to the air has lead to this.  Nature is a fantastic thing.

I added another two tablespoons of each flour and four of water.  It smells like it might be delicious.  We'll see what a few more hours bring.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9:30 am, Wednesday, March 16

Feeding the ...beast? monster? delicious bread starter?

This is what it looks like after 36 hours.  It no longer smells like flour and water. 

10pm, Tuesday, March 15, 2016

I have added another two tablespoons of each flour and some water.  I also decided it was time to wash the bowl.

10:15, Tuesday, March 15, 2016

So it's back to looking like this and starting to smell like something - although Darryl can't tell.  I really need to buy a copy of COOKED.  It might help me better understand what is happening.

P.S. I do not like "The Good Wife". She's prissy and self-righteous.

P.P.S. I'm in desperate need of an exotic vacation or a pearl ring from Birks.

Next Day - some drama?

This is a bit like watching paint dry.  I added 2 tablespoons of each flour and 4 tablespoons of water.  It smells less like flour and water, but still nothing like I imagine it should.

8:30 am, Tuesday, March 15

It feels puffier, but I don't think it's bakeable yet.  I'm considering taking the dough for a walk, but the weather is miserable and that would add too much water to my dough.  Maybe when I add more flour I should do a dough dance outside and use rain water.

Inspiration

After watching Michael Pollan's "Cooked", I was inspired to conduct my own investigation into baking bread.  This will become an ongoing summer project, once school is finished I will be able to dedicate more time.  However, it is March Break this week so I thought I would make a stab at a starter.  Or rather, I want to see for myself what happens when you leave flour and water out for a few days.  So here goes!

Dough started at 10:30 am on Monday, March 14, 2016

1/2 cup white flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup water

Let's see what happens.