Beware! Reading further may ruin your taste for any bread not freshly baked for you by your very own sister-baker.
You’ve been warned.
It’s not only bread: she makes muffins, pancakes, pizza and many other delicious goodies using sourdough. Until recently in human history, natural cultures of yeast and lactobacillus were our primary way to leaven bread and other doughs – all bread was sourdough. I used to assume that bread choices were limited and unvaried back then, but my sister has converted me into a sourdough fan. Her sourdough bread, pancakes, cinnamon rolls, muffins, etc. are soft, pleasantly tangy, and much tastier than anything I’ve bought at a store.
Alas, once she returns to Cali, I’ll get cut off. Which convinced me, a fairly unenthusiastic baker, to ask my sister a few questions about sourdough baking to find out how I can keep enjoying the baked goods. If you’re considering jumping on the sourdough bandwagon but don’t know where to start, search no further. In the process of learning to bake sourdough this year, Sumi experimented and amassed a collection of recipes that she’s tested and trusts. Plus learn about starting a starter, why “discards” aren’t trash, and about baking with a minimal investment in special equipment.
