BREAD BAKING

This is why I'm not finishing my marbleized piece.....lately my attention has been so divided...what with trips to see our darling grandson, car races, household chores, year end business paperwork...and so it goes.

Don't get me wrong...I'm not complaining....just making excuses why it's taken me a week to make a 11" x 11" piece!!!

So today I decided that my sourdough starter was long overdue to be 'fed'....as you can see, very few bubbles appear on the surface....meaning unless it gets more flour/water...it will die.  So, rather then throwing out some of the starter (in order to make room to add the flour/water) I used a portion to make bread.

Normally the surface of the starter is full of air bubbles.

 Sorry for the out of focus photo...but of course once the dough has risen and punched down....there was no chance of a 'second take.'

 Normally I make free form rustic style loaves....but I decided to try to use the dough to make sandwich bread instead.  Years ago a roommate gave me this Pullman loaf pan from her father's bakery.  It's a very heavy tin...with a lid that slides over the top....to achieve a flat top loaf.

Here's the less than attractive loaf.....the amount of dough I made wasn't enough to fill the pan properly so perfection in shape wasn't a result but the taste was super.

Sometimes I can be so one dimensional.....wanting only to spend time in the studio....which doesn't make for a very well rounded person.  Guess I'll be more well rounded after consuming heavily buttered slices of warm bread!