It’s a sourdough day on Thursday, and all the new starters (prepared after the last soda bread session) will be coming out for inspection. I have to admit that although I’m fascinated by the history of sourdough (and by the fact that various cultures can claim to trace their roots back to the California gold rush of 1849) I’m not a great fan of the bread.
Sorry if that’s heresy amongst bread makers, but it’s the truth. The flavour of a proper sourdough loaf is too intense for me and although I know there are good reasons for making sourdough, I can’t, in truth, be bothered with all the messing about when you can buy perfectly good tinned yeast from the supermarket. As an aside, I do have a use for a starter, because I use it in my presentation for schools when we show them dried yeast, fresh yeast (often identified as chicken or cheese when I ask what they think it is) and a sourdough starter. I did it last week and, as it hadn’t been opened for a while, managed a very pungent experience for the visiting kids. There were definite smells of beer and vinegar with a particularly noticeable smell of nail varnish remover.
Talking of thoughts on bread flavour, we have done several bread tastings with schools using a variety of bought and home-baked bread. The favourite is always – white, spongy supermarket bread. I’ve even bought TESCO’s cheapest white sliced and it still beats the good stuff. Makes you wonder what you need to do to promote real bread doesn’t it?
The newly made starters won’t be as strong as mine yet (or the one pictured below), and definitely won’t be covered in black liquid yet, but it should still be an interesting session.
Just a short post to start the week, as it’s a busy week and I am supposed to be working.
Correction: Due to a change in plans Sourdough Thursday has been put back by a fortnight.
You can’t put it off forever 🙂
I’ve a dental appointment lined up for the next one. That’s how serious I am about sourdough! 😉
I’m not keen on sourdough either… As for children preferring cheap, supermarket white bread, I think it is in the nature of youngsters to prefer what they know. In other words, once their tastes mature they could well gravitate more towards better stuff.
Yes, even now I tend to think that familiar equals good and find myself buying things that remember fondly rather than things that are good for me. Angel Delight anyone?
Yes please!
😉