Fermentation cultures of all kinds

I'm having so much fun baking with my sourdough. The rye starter did die--it got too hot on the stovetop when DH or I turned on the oven yesterday. But the starter I converted to whole wheat is thriving. I moved half of it to the refrigerator as a backup yesterday.

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The other half of the starter I'm going to try to maintain at room temperature. I really like the flavor of it and want to preserve that if I can. I'm not sure I can keep up the pace, though. Very soon I'll have to start giving loaves away. (If you live in the area and want one, holler.)

I'm feeding the culture so frequently that it is more yeasty than sour. The flavor of the baked goods is not what I would expect from sourdough at all--mild and almost sweet, with just a bare hint of tanginess. Interestingly enough, the fermentaion seems to soften the flavor and texture of whole grains. I'm beginning to believe what I've heard: that anything baked is better made with sourdough.

I've been making the loaves entirely by hand instead of using the bread machine. I like having more control over the baking process, and I'm getting better results than I used to get with the bread machine--not to mention prettier loaves.

It seems to be harder to ruin handmade sourdough bread than I expected. If I let it rise too long or not long enough, stick it in the refrigerator overnight and let it rise more slowly, or let it rise more times than recommended, the flavor and texture changes. But so far all the variations have been delicious.

DH bought me a pizza stone yesterday. The texture of bread baked on the stone is better than that of the loaf from the same batch of dough that I baked in a metal bread pan, even with a pan of water in the bottom of the oven both times. I have another batch rising now; I'm going to try baking one loaf on the stone and the other in a covered glass pot.

I doubt we'll be buying much store bought bread in the future. Making it myself is so much easier and more satisfying than I expected. I've been eating far too much bread the last few days. It's so good that it's hard to resist. It's definitely helping me gain a few pounds. :)

We're currently trialing lentils, which so far Baby E seems to be tolerating well. Tonight I made a thick, rich soup with black lentils, chicken sausage, a few colorful veggies and some herbs and spices. I served it with a plate of sliced raw vegetables (carrots, cucumber, turnip, daikon radish, red bell pepper) and a fresh-from-the-oven loaf of bread. The rich soup, cool crunchy vegetables, and warm bread made a delicious combination.

Last night I started some kombucha tea culturing. I'm brewing it in a gallon jar from loose-leaf black tea, sugar and a bottle of store bought raw kombucha. I went through all the bottles in the store to find one with lots of dregs in the bottom and a new culture starting on top, so hopefully I'll be able to grow a baby SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast) from it.

Baby E just fell asleep in my arms, so I'm going to go downstairs and start shredding cabbage for my first attempt at homemade sauerkraut. Then I just need to find a way to get some water kefir grains and I'll be all set with my own personal probiotic factory.

Eating traditional fermented foods rich in good bacteria does seem to be making a difference in how well I feel, and is definitely helping my stomach problems. I'm glad to be switching from buying them to making my own, partially because of cost considerations, but also because it's fun. And the fresh homemade versions (so far, at least) just plain taste better.

Mmmm, this is the life.