Sourdough bread

Damn, there's a lot of bread down the drain when you make a sourdough starter. Every day, throw out half. Then, to make it into a stiff starter, throw out half. Then when that rises, throw out more than half! Then, when that rises, mix in some flour. Five hours later, fold it twice. Five hours later, fold it again. Five hours later get it ready to bake. Then turn on the ove, and an hour later, bake it. As if I have 35 hours of uninterrupted time with which to bake bread! There's not even a convenient time to sleep in this schedule!

However, it came out great. It's not too sour, but that should improve as the starter ages. The crust and crumb are really great- a thick crust and a chewy crumb, which is great. Also, if anyone wants some sourdough starter with that famous Bay Area natural yeast, let me know. Our fridge is full of it. (Jenne, one's for you!)

I did manage to find time to go on a gorgeous hike in Berkeley...


... and go wine tasting in Sonoma & frolic in a field of wildflowers.



Also, I found this on another blog, and since my copy of The Bread Bible is right next to me, I thought I'd do it.

1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the next 3 sentences on your blog along with these instructions.
5. Don't you dare dig for that "cool" or "intellectual" book in your closet! I know you were thinking about it! Just pick up whatever is closest.

"Spoon or pipe the batter into the muffin containers, filling them three-quarters full. Pour a little water into the unfilled muffin cup to prevent uneven baking. 3) Bake the muffins."

It's a recipe for "Big Banana Muffins".

In knitting news, I bought delicious Brittany white-birch dpns (size 2) to use for the WWII Long Socks, and have been working away. I've got about 4". I knit 2" the other day, and another two on the way to wine tasting, but unfortunately 4 hours of "tasting" wine and frolicking with the roomies plus getting in the car does not make for a prime knitting mindset.

I'm not too into the tan, but I am starting to dig the spiral it is making. These are supposed to be thigh-high socks, but we'll see how long I can stay interested in a 2x2 rib! We did decide, while knitting in the park this afternoon, that thigh-high socks would make Mike the hottest thing around, so I better stick to it!