After learning recently about the yeasts that live all around us and how that makes sourdough bread from one place different than sourdough from another place, I decided it was finally time to make my own sourdough starter. That is, flour and water with a little pineapple juice, left at room temperature to ferment. I did cheat somewhat by adding a single grain of commercial mono-culture yeast, but that was only because it has been so cold here I worried that nothing would happen and I would end up with a horrible mess. Well, I started with equal amounts of rye flour and water and a splash of pineapple juice, which is acidic but also sweet, perfect for creating the right fermenting environment. I stirred it every day and added fresh flour sometimes and fresh water sometimes, and finally last Sunday I took half of the fabulously beery-smelling concoction and turned it into bread by adding fresh flour and water, salt, and some oil, and kneading it as usual. It rose quite slowly but baked well and tastes wonderful.
In France this would be called "levain" and it is the way our WWOOF hosts, Renee-Jo and Andre, made their country bread every week for market. Who knows how old their starter was? I'll find out and let you know.
I wanted to see if I could make bread without following a recipe and in this sense the experiment was very successful. I just happened to learn what I would have learned from my grandmother who would have learned it from her grandmother from a group of people on a food-related listserv, the Association for the Study of Food and Society, who love to talk about this kind of stuff. And I've been assured, good naturedly, that there is a special prison reserved just for yeast-cheaters like me. Thanks everyone! Here's a photo of the bread.
