During the pandemic years, many people made sourdough bread...for fun. Dutch ovens and proofing baskets and mason jars were purchased, and there were varying degrees of success posted to social media. So, when I was offered a sourdough starter, I gladly accepted.
And then I made sourdough, with varying degrees of success, though I did not buy any new equipment to make that happen. Mostly, I enjoyed the process, and the bread...the bread that sometimes took two days to prepare for the baking. Two, labor-intensive days of measuring and mixing and checking and folding and checking and shaping and resting before baking, with constants stops to wash the sticky dough (and all of the moisture) from my fingers and hands.
The bread is good, but I'm not sure it's worth the 48-hours of attention I've lost to it. It's really more of a hobby than a recipe.
Today, as the snow continued to gracefully and lightly accumulate,
I made French bread with yeast. It took about three hours, and the most labor-intensive part was 8-10 minutes of kneading. This bread will be every bit as good as the sourdough, and we will gobble up every crumb over the next few days...yummm!
Some things are worth hours and days of my time and attention...like a handknit sweater, or pair of socks...
Or watching my grandkids jump off the end of the slide in the backyard, until they have tired of shouting, "Watch me! Look at me, Gramma!"
I'm not really soured on sourdough, but I think I'll save my attention for knitting and playtime and recipes for French bread (and sweet rolls and fresh, white bread).
If you have a starter, and you look forward to making and eating sourdough regularly, I am so glad for you and your bread hobby! If you'd ever like to learn to knit or crochet, I'd be happy to help you get started with that hobby, too.
Whatever you give your time to, may it bring you great joy!
Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!
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| Sometimes, my joy comes from a ceramic chicken dish on the table. |
