In the last year or so, I changed my mind about bread baking. I think it was in 2019 that I had decided not to bake bread — any more! Even though I’d been baking all kinds of yeast breads for most of my life. That was okay for a while, but recently, I realized it just didn’t feel right, to eliminate that art and craft entirely.
I planned to get back into making sourdough loaves, but week after week I never made time to assemble the ingredients for the “pre-ferment” that would collect wild yeasts from the air. Then when I was at my daughter Pippin’s earlier this month, I found that she had a good one going. She was happy to share it with me, so I moved half of her starter to a new quart jar and fed both jars a couple of times while I was there, and then brought the one home.
Today I used it to make a “sponge,” by combining one cup of the starter with two cups of water and three cups of (rye) flour. I will let that ferment for a couple of days and hope to bake just one loaf from it this week. Part of the reason I had given up bread baking was that I had too much bread to use or give away; the solution to that would be to make one loaf at a time — which I am certainly not accustomed to doing.
After I set the bowl of small sponge on the table, I went off to the church kitchen to help bake our special holy bread called prosphora. And today is my name day, on which I remember St. Joanna the Myrrhbearer. That’s three things that make me happy, and if I hadn’t been so busy about them, I might have figured out a way to tie the threads together for a blog post, the way I made a sponge out of several parts. If the bread turns out well, possibly it will be the unifying loaf.
Gladsome Lights 
A special post on a special day! You are loved, Gretchen. I’ll be thinking of you as I go downstairs to make sourdough pancakes for the morning. I hear you on the overwhelming volume of bread that comes from sourdough baking. A profusion of opportunities for generosity that can easily get out of hand!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Happy Name Day to you, Gretchen Joanna…may you sponge up the joy!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love the idea of St. Joanna the myrrhmaker! The bread looks great. Rick makes bread regularly but not sour dough.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I hope you will continue not “to feel right to eliminate that art and craft of bread making” (especially sourdough)! I am always tweaking, my sourdough bread recipe but I have found confidence in an easy sourdough boule I can throw together rather quickly any time of the day and make it happen. I find it very grounding to bake bread.
And how nice that your daughter gave you a starter, that is the best of all. I would have given you one if you lived nearby😊.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I can just imagine how your sour dough rye bread will smell….and taste. Good idea to bake one loaf at a time.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Belated happy name day! I also took a break from baking bread and am back at it. I got a kitchen aid mixer last month and it gives my hands a break. I’ve been dealing with carpal tunnel. My family loves fresh bread!
LikeLiked by 1 person
How did it turn out? Our kids were into sour dough baking during the shut down, but then they dispersed, and I needed to cut down on carbs. This past year, our adult son living at home found a recipe for a “Quick rise” sour dough type loaf that doesn’t require keeping a “mother” alive. I don’t have time to feed that little starter, and honestly, I prefer a honey wheat to sour dough. With the size of our fam at home now, a loaf rarely gets finished before it molds. Unless it’s a sweet quickbread… but now I’m thinking of warm bread and butter and thinking maybe that’s what we’ll have for supper…
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s still in process, Emily. I always ferment my sourdough for a few days in order to get a strong sour flavor. I plan to bake it tomorrow when I have the whole day at home. Last night I added some other ingredients, and lacking space in the refrigerator, set the bowl in the garage overnight, as I had got the house warm by cooking all day.
I’d like to get a container designed for keeping artisan type dough in the fridge; I gave my first one away when I thought I wouldn’t do this again. 😉 To get the custardy texture I like, it’s best for the dough to be on the wet side, and to rise at a cool temperature.
LikeLike
Happy Names day!!! fun about the bread baking! I have been wanting to do some bread baking…. my pantry is still in our library/chapel because of roof issues (pantry is roof access) so I need to be patient…
LikeLiked by 1 person