But for my birthday, my great friend Jeff gave me some of his sourdough starter. Since my birthday I have been feeding this starter and caring for it like a beloved pet. And on Sunday, I turned the starter into leaven. And late Sunday evening I turned that leaven into dough, letting it do its bulk fermentation throughout the night. And on Monday morning I separated it into two dough balls, and let them rise in the refrigerator while I was at work. And finally, on Monday evening, I baked those two dough balls and they turned into beautiful, heavenly loaves of rustic bread.
And on Tuesday, we ate that bread. With our eggs in the morning for breakfast, and as french toast for dinner. (Yes, you heard that right!)
Sometimes I sit back and reflect on who I am these days. Here I am talking about leaven and bulk fermentation. Last week I was discussing processing time and pounds of pressure (that's canning talk for those of you that aren't familiar) with my mother in law. Three years ago I would have told you that all of this is more trouble than it's worth when you can buy these things at the store. But boy was I wrong. It is worth it!
Today I wouldn't trade our fresh food for anything. Food for our family has become a passion for me. And yes, it takes time, but it is definitely a labor of love. And the quality can't be bought.
No comments:
Post a Comment