Sour-OH!!!

 Hello everyone and welcome to another Sourdough Sunday!!! I know you have missed me terribly from the blogs. How you go from day to day WONDERING what is going on in my kitchen… The SUFFERING you must have endured (HAHAHAHAHAHA) Let me put you out of your misery without further delay. IT LIVES!! Turns out with the right tools and temperature, I CAN MAKE BREAD! I can make… a lot of bread. SO much bread. I cannot stop making sourdough bread. I am LIVING for the lid opening reveals in the oven. The heart racing adrenaline of cutting into the loaf and closing inspecting the crumb. I have OVER hobby-ed myself. It isn’t even borderline obsession, I am a full on sourdough stalker. I am living the bread life so hard that my sweet Hazel is becoming as engrossed in the activities as well. After every lid opening- “Can I see Mommy?” “OHHH it’s a good one!” She now pretends her puzzle box is her bread box and is making bread right alongside me. She LOVES the bread as much as I do. She asks for “squishy” bread snacks and looks forward to the first slice of every loaf. Thatcher also likes the sourdough bread, but is here mainly for the sourdough waffles. Thatcher can eat THREE HUGE fluffy waffles all by himself. I am honestly impressed and attribute said amazing waffles to his perfect 9 month weigh in, getting him back into the 50th percentile! I think if an outsider were to enter my home, it would smell permanently of fresh baked tangy bread. No need for candles in here, just BREAD.

Now have I gotten any sleep? No absolutely not. Do I make and prep sourdough every night until about 5 am? Yes. Am I tired? I HAVE NO IDEA.  I AM LIVING ON A SOURDOUGH CLOUD. When I take my nightly/morning “naps” before the kids wake up for the day, I wake up folding my blankets like they are my dough babies and I am reinforcing their gluten structures. The good news? My brain is too full for any of my other daily anxieties. I live sleep eat sourdough bread. I am as happy as our tummies!

Here are some pictures from my kitchen the past week-ish 

My first resting loaf dough baby. Trust me when I say that jiggle was PRICELESS 

Followed by a perfect cold proofing in a floured basket

Where my stalking took flight… My first lid reveal. LOOK AT THAT EAR!

TA DA!!!

And with that, I was hooked and I took the DEEP DIVE IN. I purchased big items because “We will all save on bread. So really it’s budget friendly”

My starter keeper. OH how you make my life so much better (don’t tell it I still have 3 jars in the cabinet)

Look at those BUBBLES even after 300g of water incorporation. PRICELESS I tell you!

I mean come onnnnnn! I look like a bakery!

But knowing they could get bigger at a more stable temperature…..

My Wallet nervously laughing, “I am in danger” 

The best proofing box I never knew I needed!!!!

Look at that rise!! With more to grow!

The fermentation!!!!!! It is glorious!

The next morning. I bet you heard me SQUEALING around 10am

Perfect little dough babies!!

*Chefs Kiss*

It is so squishy I could cry. We annihilated this loaf at dinner.

Which honestly just fueled my desire fire… I CANNOT be held responsible for my actions or escalations. 

One day of baking while more dough was set to bulk ferment in the proofing box…

I need to practice my oval bread shaping skills… Oh darn, I will have to make more bread

“Rose boule” Get it?!?

My favorite design to score so far,  Vines and Leaves

First floured top score!

Not too shabby!

What I like to call the Sand dollar score (This loaf was eaten before I remembered to get a picture, oops)

Checkerboard score…

And more

Please someone… I have Bread looking for good homes

 I have given loaves of sourdough bread to family, neighbors, friends…. I have more bread! 

 Please come get your bread! 

I need the space to make more :)

Up next, time to tackle inclusions!

Also apparently you are supposed to name your starter? I am thinking of calling mine Midnight.

For the “Midnight Cottage Bakery” Micro-bakery? - I am working on it.

If anyone needs me, I’ll still be in the kitchen!

Obsessively up to my elbows in sourdough,

Always,

Amelia

Brave Caturday

 Our little Devon Rex kittens are becoming so brave!

Tackling Fierce Snakes of Epic Length

Climbing the Tallest of Trees

Perching Atop an Eagle's Nest

"Psssst Mommy?"

I am learning to be so brave....Just like you!

Happy Caturday

Waiting for a Friend

 Wilson Doodle says he is counting the days until our late April Goldendoodle puppies arrive.  He has been checking the days off the calendar and cannot wait to receive the "Puppies are HERE!" announcement.

Until then he is biding his time the best he can.

Waiting for a friend,

Love,

Wilson

Love Cheyenne

 My horse Cheyenne is the sweetest horse ever.  She really is part Doodle.  She will follow you everywhere and LOVES to be pet and snuggled.

The fencing at Yesteryear Acres is showing its age and needs replaced and Cheyenne has just discovered that her paddock area is not as secure as it once was. The other day I woke up to find Cheyenne waiting for me at my back door.  I mean that is super sweet and thoughtful but not where Cheyenne should be.  Cheyenne noticed Mr. Yesteryear Acres back by the pond and decided she would like to keep him company.  Also - again - not where Cheyenne should be.  I was walking in our back yard only to find I was being followed by a very happy and enthusiastic Cheyenne.  Obviously Cheyenne believed she was DEFINITELY a Doodle and should come inside the house with us. The fence repair is a major project and it is impossible for Cheyenne to safely stay at Yesteryear Acres. I thought my heart would break into a million pieces when my grandson Colton said he didn't want Cheyenne to be lonely so she could stay with him.

We took Cheyenne over to my son's house that evening.

The next morning Colton woke up early to go take care of his new horse

Immediate best friends

Colton is now Colton the cowboy

and Cheyenne is his best buddy

Cheyenne says she loves her little cowboy

And her little cowboy loves her too

7 Years of Therapy Work

 Baxter sent us a wonderful PUPdate. He is doing great and brings much joy and love to everyone he meets.  

Baxter is now starting his 7th year of therapy work and everyone loves him.

Baxter's PAWrent says he is the most loving beautiful dog anyone could ever ask for. 7 years of pure unconditional tail wagging devotion.

Thanks for the PUPdate Baxter! 

We think you are PAWsome!

Charlie Going Strong

 We received such a loving PUPdate from Charlie Doodle.

Charlie is 13.5 years old and still going strong.

Charlie loves all people.  Especially the grandchildren. He loves walking outside and it is never too cold or too snowy for Charlie. His favorite store is Home Depot as he always gets lots of pets and love while shopping.

Most of all Charlie loves love!!!!

Thanks for the PUPdate Charlie!

Another SNOW Day!

 We woke up to more snow here but nothing tops the snow doodle fun happening in New England!

Another fun day hitting the snow trails!

I just love days like these

It's a beautiful morning

for snow pouncing!!!!!

Happy Snow Day Doodles!!!

Sour-Oh No

 SIIIIIIIGHHHHHHHHHHHHH. SIGH SIGH SIGH

I am sure you have been able to hear my heavy numerous sighs over the last few days. Four days to be precise. 

Yes, I spent FOUR days trying to make a loaf of sourdough bread... FOUR DAYS. ONLY to be sabotaged by my cold cold kitchen. I feel betrayed. And I am taking it personally.

My anxiety of trying to make sourdough bread coming to full fruition as I watched over HOURS and DAYS as my carefully measured and weighed loaf never ever rose. 

I bought a food scale and everything. I took this so seriously!

Starter, warm water, bread flour...

All the way down to the salt! Measured and weighed for the utmost accuracy. Baking after-all is a science!

So full of hope with my little rough mix sourdough baby... SIGH

I even channeled my inner Belle with my bread towel cover for the rise

Folded 4 times every 30 mins for 3 folds

and NOTHING!

After intense googling/searching, my kitchen's balmy *60* is NOT the way to encourage anything bread to rise with love (and without a leavening agent).

I tried re-inoculation and NOTHING. Just intense sticky wet sourdough sadness

I tried putting my sourdough baby into the oven with just the light on to warm it and NOTHING.

Finally on the fourth day knowing I was officially beat, I tried to salvage the dough into a sourdough focaccia. Which turned out LAUGHABLE as it was so weak and the gluten so locked up and exhausted from a never ending "cold bulk" where my bubbly dough was choked out endlessly until it popped it's last 'Mercy please' fermented bubble.

And thus my 'Sourdough Teeth Cleaner Cracker' was created. 

Tastes SO good. Very nice sourdough flavor, hint of olive oil, and flaky sea salt AND as hard as an absolute rock. Possibly harder than diamond? 

Mmmmmm tasty and tartar free teeth! 

Is this what dental dog treats are like? 

Currently researching how to create a sourdough bread masterpiece (I will even take a most humble loaf- no masterpiece needed) in a drafty cold kitchen.

Please let the sabotage end. I just want to learn how to bake artisan style bread!

Wishing rising bread warm thoughts to all my Sourdough Starter Friends on this PERILOUS journey.

Oh sour... oh nooo.

Always,

Amelia