Tag Archives: sourdough bread

Bread rising bowl results

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The rice flour didn’t stay in the bowl indentations without moistening the bowl first. The pattern was faint on the unbaked loaf. With the expansion in the oven, the pattern all but disappeared. So, as means of creating a flour pattern on the sourdough loaf, the rising bowls didn’t work the way we hoped. All three of us had that experience. BUT, as a vessel for holding warmth for a happy little ball of dough as it was rising, the bowls were perfect. I will be using my bowl every time I make sourdough bread. A tangible memory of some happy times spent with island friends!

Meanwhile I am knocking down some dreaded responsibilities one by one. Bruce’s corporate taxes are done, our joint taxes are done, along with my own business figures. It’s time to knock out the next Working Waterfront column. (Due later today of course!) If that goes smoothly I hope to find time to photograph some jewelry this afternoon. A visit to Mom tomorrow and then I’ll whip her figures into shape for her taxes. Outside everything is muddy. I kind of hate this time of year, but oddly enough it goes by as quickly as the rest of the year so why waste precious time complaining eh?

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A day of this……

…Sourdough bread lesson on Saturday….

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(Fabulous bread made by sweet expectant mama Kaitlyn Duggan above and happy new mama Lindsay Eysnogle below)

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…led to a Monday afternoon of this:

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Kaitlyn decided it would be a great idea to carve our own bread-rising bowls so she can add them to her bisque firing tomorrow night. Sweet! Thanks Kaitlyn! It was really fun to extend our bread baking endeavors to a related creative activity. Can’t wait to make the next batch of bread with these to see how/if the patterns transfer to the top of  the loaves.

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Saturday’s excuses for not getting to work in the studio

We invited friends to come for dinner tonight. I thought I would be able to find time to work after I made the bolognese sauce:

But I still had sourdough bread to bake:

I remembered to throw some garlic in the oven to roast during the second half of baking the second loaf.

And still there was the house to clean and the table to set and a pineapple almond crunch pie to make.

Now I’ve posted my blog, I’ll take a shower, make a salad, and then people will arrive. That’s it. There’s my Saturday. I can’t wait to eat, and catch up with good friends. All in all some very good reasons to miss studio work today. It will be there tomorrow and so will I. Bright and early!

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Rocks, rocks, and more rocks

I never get tired of them. I can’t walk on the beach without looking down. I just don’t want to miss the next special rock. I’ve been spending a lot of time this week drilling beach rocks for necklaces. It sounds monotonous but it’s really not, for me. I finished one book and started another today (on CD), all while drilling rocks.


I have containers and boxes and bowls of little rocks all over the house. Next to our front steps, outside, there are rocks. Many of them ended up there when they were replaced, inside, by other special rocks. I would be shocked to think there is anyone who has visited our island who has not taken home a small rock or two. They don’t call it “the rocky coast of Maine” for nothing! Tonight, when I went to take a shower, a few more rocks fell out of my pockets.

Rocks from today, drilled 3/4 through, waiting to be marked to drill from the other side.

Rocks drilled all the way through, waiting to be waxed.

Wax off, wax on.

Sea glass does not benefit from waxing. It would lose some of its weathered frostiness.

This morning I got up early, again, and left the house for a quick walk to the station and back. I did not take the beach for the first part of the walk, but did walk on the sand on the way back. I didn’t plan to even look for rocks, but I managed to find a few more to bring home. I mixed up some dough for sourdough bread, and patted myself on the back as it started to rain, then thunder, then hail within 20 minutes of getting back from my walk!

Man can not live by rocks alone.

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Steps for another satisfying sourdough saga

1. Sneak some sourdough starter from Islesford into carry on luggage. Leave some “health and beauty aids” at home to fit these little jars into the allotted size tiny plastic bag for liquids.

2. Feed starter 2 times with flour and water, showing future daughter-in-law what to do.

3. Show future daughter-in-law how to mix starter with more flour and water to make bread dough.  Add salt and fold dough at 30 minute intervals during the bulk ferment stage. Talk about September wedding plans. Leave dough in Tupperware container while going to the movies.

4. Come home from movies, fold dough one more time then shape into loaves and let rise in bowls lined with flour-covered towels. Go out to grab some pizza at Joe Squared for dinner, making sure to spend time in the art supply store next door while waiting for a table.

5. After eating terrific pizza, come home, turn oven on to 500º and heat up cast iron dutch oven.

6. Place first batch of dough in dutch oven, score with something sharp, cover and cook for 20 minutes at 450º.

7. Take lid off dutch oven, be amazed that the bread actually rose like you wouldn’t believe, and let it cook for another 20 minutes with lid off, so it will brown up and finish baking.

8. Ta Da!

The bread turned out crusty, chewy, and fairly sour. Exactly what Stephanie was hoping to bake.  I love that this strong young woman is going to be my daughter-in-law, that she an my son are so happy together, and that she so thoroughly enjoyed success with her first attempt at sourdough bread.

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