Cooking class! We’re making sourdough. The old-fashioned type. That means no commericial yeast and a whole lot more time.

Each of the children will be interested in different aspects of sourdough making. Jack and Cate will be interested in the chemistry of sourdough, Carrie and Will will be interested in the art of forming loaves, Sophie will be interested in mixing the starter, and Louis will be singing over all. I’m sure we’ll be poring over all the possibilities for the use of our sourdough and dreaming of what we’ll try first. Brian will be thinking about sampling the fruits of our labour, perhaps with a nice bowl of soup…

We do eat lots of bread here. It’s great with salad, soup, and toasted with jam. A slice of home-baked bread makes a lovely snack when you’re feeling a bit peckish and is especially satisfying when spread with a soft cheese like brie.

And NOTHING compares to the smell of fresh bread baking in the kitchen. I can remember what Nana’s house smelled like when she’d been baking. I couldn’t wait to get a slice! So, we’re making a starter this morning. It should be ready for using next week. A nice way to start our new year - with a good sourdough starter that could last a generation - and a tradition of baking breads the old fashioned way.

There is a bakery in a neighbouring town that makes wild yeast breads. That doesn’t mean that they go out foraging for yeast, it means that they have let it grow in their bakery and use their sourdough to make all kinds of delicious breads.

If you’re interested in starting a sourdough, visit this site. It’s excellent.

Posted: 12|3|07 at 12:00 pm. Filed under: from our hearth and home, from the kitchen, from the schoolroom.
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