Sourdough pet


Keeping sourdough culture is keeping a pet. My pet's name is Denver. Presently Denver is divided into three parts, this here bread, it is a very small loaf or a larger roll and it is tremendously supremely delicious, my goodness, bread just flat does not get better than this, but it is the portion of starter that is usually discarded as part of usual regular feeding except instead of being discarded it was turned into bread and it is a meal unto itself. The second part of pet sourdough Denver is in the form of a heavy sponge, a very wet dough, and the third part is in the form of scrapes and bits from the bowl that contains the original starter that started the dough in the cooler and started this here test loaf from the salvaged discarded portion, although no actual cards were involved. 

Isn't it cute?


That's what it looks like ↑ after 7 hours fermentation. Then half was tossed out, fresh water and flour added.

Then this is what it looks like ↓ after 7 more hours fermentation. 



At the next 7th hour feeding, the portion was not discarded but rather refreshed as the starter is refreshed and with extra flour to turn it into dough. 

The way the dough behaves and the bubbly way the starter in the bowl behaves both inform us to our pet's physical development. 



This dough grew and turned into a blob and spread out like a fat pizza. It was folded in half, pinched down the length and turned over pinch side down. It looked very messy and not much like a loaf. The skin was not pulled tight as with usual loaf-shaping. Not shown. It was ugly anyway. Looked like a hopeless wet lumpy sack. It could have been discarded then but it was baked instead.

The starter that remained in the bowl turned into this. It looks the same as before but it is much more active. This is at five hours so it appears to have become strong and fast.  


The portion usually discarded is used to inoculate a much larger batch. As with commercial yeast. The resulting sponge, a loose dough, will age in the cold at least overnight. That means instead of speeding along its development is arrested, just a bit, slowed down to attain character. 




Inoculated dough ball ↑ entering cold storage.

Remnant starter ↓ scraped together and refreshed with new water and flour.



Three parts ↑↑↓ of Denver, the pet sourdough.


It's very rude to say someone's pet is ugly, you know. Were it a dog, it'd be just a puppy entering his gangly stage. This is taking it out for a run off leash.


Give him some sugar, "Who's a good boy? Who's a good boy? Ew, I could just break your little face."



Denver's a good boy. Good boy, Denver, good boy. 

1 comment:

Krumhorn said...

I love it! I made my starter from scratch in SW FL about 5 years ago and brought it with me to CA 3 years ago. I call him Sam. Sam is very hearty and has successfully survived all my predations...such as ignoring him in the fridge for months at a time.

I love to make waffles with Sam. They are crisp and light and full of flavor. However I have never been able to make a great loaf with Sam without also using yeast. I am suspecting that excellent restaurant sourdough bread must also have yeast, because I can't come near it otherwise.

-Krumhorn

Love your story about Denver.

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