Says Judy ...

I started baking bread in the 1960s  - we had a tropical fish tank in the wall between the kitchen & lounge and the cupboard above it provided the warm space for proving the bread dough!

It was normal plain flour + gluten in that era.

In the 90s Simply No Knead came along with their No Fuss techniques and a good supply of really fresh ingredients: bakers flour, grains, malt flakes, etc.

Also the Bread Machine, just marvellous when we were both working - chuck in the ingredients in the morning, set the timer, and walk in to yummy fresh bread aromas late in the day.

Every so often I would try my hand at Sourdough. Instructions tell you how to get Starter going and 3-4 days later you make the first loaf. Disgusting. So bad you wouldn't even offer it to the dog!!

Then in 2004 the lovely young baker at La Madre Bakery, Bell Post Hill (Geelong) told me about Nancy Silverton, Sourdough Guru in Los Angeles, and her book Breads from the La Brea Bakery which is a joy to read.

Following Nancy's instructions we got the Starter going, a 2-3 WEEK process (and it did go through some decidedly unlovely phases including turning pink and smelling like acetone!)

Then we baked. Beautiful. We were hooked. I've been baking and we've been eating sourdough ever since.
As a bonus, it's a low GI product and good for the diabetic members of the family.

One of the best things is knowing you can simply park the Starter in the fridge and IGNORE it until you want to do your next bake - the longest it has sat in the fridge, ignored, is 10 weeks and it only took 3 days of 'feeding' to have it sparkling again.

If you are starting on your Sourdough journey, I recommend that you get hold of Nancy's book and follow her instructions for making Starter (UNLESS you live near me in which case I can give you a pot!)

Usually, I make sourdough about every 10-14 days.
It can sound daunting when you hear that it's a 3-day process (Day 1: feed the Starter, Day 2: Make the dough, Day 3: bake)
BUT You only spend a little more time on the actual doing than you would with yeast bread, and there is lots of flexibility with the timing so you can easily organise to make it fit around other activities. You just need to know that you will actually be in the house occasionally during those 3 days!

I also make conventional bread with yeast at times, and each week grandchildren LOVE to 'help' Nan make a big batch of focaccias. They love eating them too - they tell me they're the best focaccias in the world!

Sourdough recipes        The Incubator     and Yeast Bread Recipes
method & ingredients distilled from Nancy Silverton's book