Finally! I have a successful sourdough loaf! Admittedly, I don't have holes as large as I'd like but it has a soft, light interior and a dense, chewy, flavoursome crust so I'm not complaining! I swapped to Dan Lepard's recipe which I found much easier, less time consuming and more successful than the River Cottage sponge making version I had been using.
It's a nice place to be - good enough to make an enjoyable loaf to be proud of but more than enough room for improvement to keep the interest alive (and hopefully the starter too!)
I've now reached the point in the Norfolk Kitchen year when the blog quietens down as I don't have a great deal of foraging or allotment activity going on in the winter. I don't even have a Christmas Presents series this year as I've decided to give my long suffering family a break from home made presents (apart from Hot Chocolate on a stick which I will blog about separately)
My current winter creativity outlet appears to be sewing. I'm somewhat hampered by the fact that I'm an utter dunce in this arena, straight lines and hems are about as far as I get. I prefer not to think about buttonholes and zips and the like unless I'm breathing into a paper bag so I'm quite proud of the 2 patchwork throws I made for the living room.
They're basically 9 50cm squares, sewn together in a block and backed with fleece. They're warm and soft, ideal for snuggling under while waiting for the central heating to kick in. I saw some in a local shop, made in exactly the same way for £45 each. Mine are made from scraps I had lying around plus a length of fleece which cost £25 for both so I'm feeling rather smug. Next up, helping Father Christmas with the stockings he asked me to make for the children - where did I put that paper bag ......
Yay for the sourdough! It will improve further the more confident you get. And the taste should also improve as your starter ages. As for the sewing, well done you... do not knock sewing in straight lines, you can achieve wonders with that!
ReplyDeletelol on the paper bag. I have to admit at being rather inadequate at sewing too. I can do the straight line stuff, take things up and put on badges but that is where I draw the line...I'm quite happy with my knitting and crochet...plus they are two things I can do snuggly curled up in my warm lounge in the winter!!
ReplyDeleteI am hoping my starter gets the opportunity to age, I'm a bit afraid of getting to a point where I forget about it and it dies.
ReplyDeleteOoh, I wish I could knit and crochet. My Nan taught me to knit when I was little but neglected to teach me how to follow a pattern. Funnily enough plain squares got boring quickly!