Tuesday, February 11, 2025

I’ll bake sourdough bread today, using a list of ingredients and following baking instructions from my buddy, ChatGPT+.

I started this early today by asking Chat if it’s best to use a starter fresh from the fridge or at room temperature. Chat answered “room temperature” and asked if I wanted a detailed recipe. Now, I have marching orders and a forward direction to tackle an evolved learning experience.

If my loaf today turns out well, I’ll ask my Bluesky friend, Jill-Elaine, for some of her sourdough starter. She has sourdough “knocked” and creates almost everything–bread, pancakes, biscuits, and even crackers. (I have learned about Jill that whatever she chooses to learn and accomplish, she pushes to the utmost of possibilities.)

Speaking of Bluesky, I enjoy the site. Unlike Facebook, Bluesky feeds aren’t constantly invaded by unending ads, irritating (to me) worldviews, and unwanted friend suggestions. I still tune into Facebook, but less frequently. The draws are that some Facebook friends have been with me for years, and my many photos stored on Facebook that hopefully won’t become lost.

Dear Friends: I’ll start working now and get today’s sourdough fixings rolling. Diana

Saturday, January 25, 2025

The package that arrived included instructions for caring for my new sourdough starter. My instructions were to “feed” the tiny starter flour and water and discard most of it when the dough doubled. Afterward, again feed flour and water, and discard most of it when the “second dough” grows. Repeating that entire process over a week or more would “optimize” the doughball.

Following those instructions gives me mixed feelings. It seems wasteful to toss “living dough” and then start over to feed and toss. I’m a new sourdough caretaker, uncertain of what “optimizing” means. I suppose those repeated small-batch feedings strengthen a core so it has maximum efficiency in a bread mix.

While having such “supposing thoughts” about the dough, I also think about us and consider “trigger words,” like feed, discard, and feed again. They suggest how people usually learn and grow–similar to how a sourdough ball grows. By translating “feeding” into “learning.” we glimpse a key way our human skills develop.

Our journey of learning and growth is a continuous process. We absorb information, and like a sourdough starter being fed, we take in new knowledge. We evaluate its relevance and retain what nourishes us. We discard what doesn’t serve our growth. Each feeding deepens our understanding and makes us more discerning and wiser.

Humans become more resilient through the ongoing cycles of learning and refinement. They shape our perspectives and strengthen our abilities to navigate life’s complexities.

Lesson recognized: Sourdough starters and all other living beings evolve similarly.

Dear Friends: Soon, I will create a loaf of this complex bread from scratch. Diana

Saturday, January 18, 2025

I’ve been feeding my new sourdough starter. It’s supposed to have descended from a 100-year-old starter created on old San Francisco’s Warf by a then-baker, the grandfather of today’s seller.

I’m interested in starting to bake sourdough bread. A San Francisco starter is best for producing airy, chewy bread with a distinctive tangy flavor. Theoretically, San Francisco starters benefit from that area’s unique local microbes and famously foggy region. The cool and moist environment creates a unique microbial ecosystem, perfect for starter growth.

Besides, sourdough bread is historic, starting as a San Francisco staple in the Gold Rush era when miners brought their personal starters. San Francisco has an iconic bakery, Boudin, founded in 1849. It has maintained its original sourdough starter for over 170 years, and its skilled bakers have perfected the art of sourdough bread making. Boudin’s loaves are widely distributed (I can find its sourdough bread here in Central Oregon). Boudin’s longevity and success have boosted San Francisco’s sourdough legacy.

Sourdough starters can thrive in various environments and will accept many flour types. I’m confident that my new starter (regardless of its actual age and origins) will produce loaves that will satisfy. I will find new bread flavors and textures while re-experiencing a little history.

Dear Friends: Now, I will go feed my new starter again. Diana

Wednesday, January 15, 2024

Yesterday, my ancient sourdough starter arrived. It’s tiny and needs feeding right away. The instructions are to feed it today and again daily for a while. As this starter grows and becomes usable, it’ll also continually need appropriate feeding and storage.

(This resembles acquiring another pet.)

Along with the loveliness of eating sourdough–enjoying its taste and texture–it’s a bread that connects us to our historical roots. Sourdough dates back thousands of years as one of the oldest forms of leavened bread.

Working with sourdough is a little more complex than other types of bread baking, but it’s worthwhile. The processes of working with sourdough connects us more to the “natural world.”

These days, I am yearning for feelings of connection and am open to finding dependable and lasting processes! Feeding my new pet suggests a gain toward that today.

Dear Friends: Another early-to-work day forces me to head outside now. Diana

Saturday, January 11, 2025

I started making bread from scratch recently after years of not bothering to. I’ve begun by cheating a little and using a bread machine. It does the labor and frees me to apply my energies elsewhere. I’ve been reviving an understanding of ingredients–the currently available choices and how to use them; and I’m gathering those required to recreate my favorite bread types.

On another day off from my part-time job, I’ll make a loaf from scratch and the hard way by myself. I’ll physically mix, knead (my favorite part!), shape, and bake. I’ve been intending to start by making an easy loaf. That might change because I have stumbled across and purchased a 100-year-old sourdough starter. This starter originated in the early 20th Century on San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf by a baker whose family kept the starter alive, and now, his grandchildren are selling the descendants.

A living starter brings challenges. Starters need regular feeding to stay healthy and growing. Starters used inadequately will keep growing and may become unwieldy. A solution is to toss portions regularly, but that gets tiring. I’ve “been there” and “done that,” but not with an old original starter. Maybe the new one will encourage me to adapt by baking more often and using it.

There is much baking or tossing ahead. My bread machine turns out pleasing leaves and might also capably “do sourdough,” but early loaves with my new starter will be from doing the work myself.

Dear Friends, I have little spare time, but I am assuming a hefty project! Diana