Like so many people in modern, first world, middle-class society, I have a strong romanticism for work that I can do myself, from scratch, with my hands. It slows down and puts back into perspective precious moments in life that can otherwise string into a never-ending stress-fest in the name of productivity.
In particular, I've always wanted to become a great baker of breads; I mean, what is more beautiful and fragrant than a smooth round of bread dough? Over the past few years I've probably made a dozen loaves of bread. They generally turn out okay, but have never been a delicious treat - more an experiment that we eat mostly because of the effort put in - not because of the great texture or flavor.
Upon thinking lately about what matters to me in my life, it has (to my own surprise) become a fantasy of mine to work part-time in a bakery. Waking up before dawn and spending a few solitary hours in the quiet of morning making bread... it sounds good anyway. I mentioned this to SB and he spurred me to press forward toward this vision by starting with Tartine as my guide. So... here I go! If nothing else I hope to learn to make good bread for us to savor each week.
Over the past two weeks I've cultivated my first wild yeast starter. Today is the day that I use it to make my first two country loaves. As I write this they are rising for the second time today - I've been tending to the dough off and on for at least 6-8 hours by now, and a few more to go before the bake. I'm sure that these first two loaves won't be phenomenal because it is my first effort, but still... I can't wait to take my first bite!
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| the starter that I "fed" daily and fermented in a cupboard |
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| fresh dough |
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| formed dough (1 of 2) |
Picture of first baked loaf to come soon...
It looks so great! Nice work. Eating from scratch is so bloody satisfying.
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