During the pandemic a lot of us started new hobbies. With my job, I had to go into work two days out of every pay period and the rest of the time I got to stay home. That lasted for less than three months before we all had to return to work full time but those months were awesome. I got so many home improvement projects done that I had been wanting to do. The number of recipes I cooked or baked had us gaining weight but was fun. Then my sister in her boredom decided to start a sourdough starter. As the starter grows every day, she offered to split it and give some to me and some to my mom. We both took her up on her offer and I quickly became obsessed.
Four years later and I am the only one that has managed to keep my starter alive. Both my sister and my mom were so cute and named their starters, and they both killed them. I’m not saying that the name is what killed them but I didn’t name mine and it’s still going strong. Coincidence? Luckily I found out that you can freeze your starter for three months at a time and it will be happy and bubbly again when you take it out, thaw, and feed it. Since you have to feed your starter every day, you have to constantly find things to make with it or it will outgrow the container. It sometimes feels like a part of the family with how needy and demanding it is. It’s like I have a sourdough baby. At this point I have kept it going for four years and I feel an obligation to keep it alive after this giant time commitment. So I bring it out for a month or so and bake all kinds of deliciousness and then back in the freezer it goes.
I had no idea all the different types of goodies you could make with sourdough. Of course there is all the breads, even cornbread and quick breads like banana or beer you can make with it, but there is also so many sweets. Cakes, brownies, pies, and cookies are all items I have baked with sourdough and they have all been amazing. Then there is things like pizza, crackers, pancakes, and crepes which I make when I need to use some starter and don’t want to do a loaf of bread. I can even make dog treats for two very spoiled Great Danes. My husband is astonished with all the variety of baked goods you can incorporate sourdough into. I think he gets tired of all the goodies though because there really is only so much two people can eat. Thankfully I have plenty of coworkers I can bring treats into work for so I don’t have to eat it all myself because I wouldn’t fit in my clothes if I did.
Baking has always been an activity I have enjoyed. Making cakes and other treats was something I would do every once in a while. Sourdough makes for a new way of baking for me and has become a fun hobby. Trying new and different things makes life more interesting. And if one of your hobbies makes delicious edible products, it makes it even more interesting.
It only takes flour and water to make a starter. You feed it equal amounts of the two every day and when it starts to get bubbles, you know it has pulled some wild yeast from the air. I use unbleached all purpose flour to feed mine but you can also use whole wheat flour if you prefer. I only feed my starter a quarter cup each of flour and water every day because otherwise you have to use it more often. Feeding it the smaller amount means I only have to find a recipe to make every three to four days.
My sourdough baby does require a lot of time and attention but it seems worth the effort to me. My husband might disagree since it takes a lot of flour to keep that thing happy. Just like our fur babies, it wants to be fed all the time too. At least the sourdough baby gives me treats instead of just dog hair and drool everywhere.