Alioth's Journal: Something full of bugs is lurking in my kitchen...

...and it's called a sourdough starter. I just fed the beast for the first time tonight (actually, just building it up - I started it off almost as soon as I got back from the airport). It seems to be fermenting. By Saturday I may be able to do something with it.

I also flew my T-Rex 500 heli for the first time after rebuilding it after The Crash (caused by an improperly set gyro). Unfortunately, it seems like one of my LiPoly battery packs had died so I only had one pack to fly with. But it flies again. I was so tempted to loop it, but the blade tracking is slightly out so I need to borrow the pitch gauge from the model shop again and do some tweaking (I really don't want to try to set the tracking like with the little helis - by looking eyes level at the rotor disc while holding the heli down!) But it flies so well. I think I might need to up the head speed a little bit too, to improve responsiveness.

Love the sourdough

[Shadow Wrought]

If it ends up turning out nicely for you would you mind kicking down the recipe?

Re:

[Alioth]

This is the method for starting the starter that I'm using:

http://www.exploratorium.edu/cooking/bread/recipe-sourdough.html [exploratorium.edu]

For the eventual bread, I think I shall start with a straightforward bread made with the starter (probably using the method on the side of the pack of flour, I'm using Manx Pioneer flour so it'll be a not-quite-white bread)

Re:

[Shadow Wrought]

I know you live in the UK and used to live in Texas, so I was not expecting a recipe from the exploratorium! We used to go there when I was a kid;-) I grew up in Satna Cruz, which is about an hour and half South of San Francisco. It's even cooler now.

Re:

[Alioth]

I visited the Exploratorium a couple of years ago, fun place :-) I love San Fransisco.

From the King Arthur blog comments yesterday:

[TinaMarie]

(http://blog.kingarthurflour.com/2009/03/31/its-that-time-again-april-fools-in-the-test-kitchen/#more-7158)

"It is nice to know that everyone else has things that do not turn out picture perfect every time! Some of the food media sets very high expectations for home cooks.

Aside from the usual failed recipe, fire in the oven stories, my worst involves baking - kind of. Hubby and I were moving so most of the stuff in the fridge got tossed, except my precious sour dough starter. I put in in a sealed jar, packed