Our mission for February was learning to make bread and making bread using sourdough starter. We were so lucky to have two bakers that work/have worked at True Grain Bakery in Cowichan Bay which is one of my most favourite places. If you haven't tried their chocolate buns you must go and get one. Your life will never be the same! They donated the flour for us to use, made from grain grown down in Metchosin!
We started with a little poolish (pre-ferment), flour, water and salt...
...and a lot of muscle for mixing and kneading.
We talked about gluten free options for bread making as well.
This amazing baker sure could mix!
AH! The bread, a delicious sample that made me want to have fresh bread every day of my life!
Such a great evening made better by such amazing women. I love this group!
Tessa, one wonderful woman travelled Europe to do some WWOOFing. She got to work with a baker when she was there who gave her a bit of sour dough starter that she carefully brought back to Canada with her. She gave us each a bit of our own to take home with us and now mine lives happily in my fridge!
Here is my first loaf.
It amazes me that I have never done this before. It was so easy and seems like it should be something we should all just know how to do. I want to learn things like this, things that 100 years ago were necessity but today we so very much take for granted.
I started to become a vegetarian when I was around ten and since then my food "standards" have been drastically changing. Going from vegetarian to include eating only organic and now to as local as possible. It is SO important to be aware of the food we eat. We go to the grocery store and because everything is so readily available we tend not to question or even think of how it was grown or made, or where! This not only does damage to our local agriculture but also to the planet as thing are trucked, boated and flown to us.
There is nothing better than seeing your food grown in front or you, knowing the farmers and what they use/do to grow your food and then to pick it and eat it only hours later. Amazing...THAT is real food. Thank you Makaria Farm!
This was such a great experience. I feel a little bit more superhuman now that I know how to make bread. Silly I know but it's true. I could also live with my house smelling like fresh bread for the rest of my life, there is nothing better.
I encourage everyone to give bread making a try! It's pretty great!
Well I'm off to feed my starter so that we can have fresh bread for dinner tomorrow night. MmmMmMm.
2 comments:
I don't get how the starter works?!
Glad to see you are having so much fun! I have a bread maker- and I have never used it... I should try making bread one day- from scratch (no breadmaker) maybe in the summer when I have some time... you should come here and teach me!
love you!
Your bread looked AMAZING! Did you make that, or is that from the bakery? Just teasing. You are a superhero. I have bread envy.
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