Blue Sky Farm

My blogging posts and photos are part of me . I think of this as a scrapbook of my life. The names have not been changed.. they are real people who have crossed my path along my journey. Some I know intimately, my family and friends. If their names are mentioned it's a sure sign they are special to me and I love them dearly...come along see for yourself, perhaps you know some of them too..

January 17, 2009

Sourdough Bread, The Mary Jane Way







Mix, Stir, Wait then Bake ... That's it. Healthy Homemade Bread.
Not so long ago, bread was made using only two ingredients: Flour & water. Naturally leavened bread. without chemical rising agents was the authentic staple of grandmothers generation, referred to as the"Staff of Life". I remember as a child eating a warm slice of bread cut right from the oven ( the end piece was my favorite) dripping with butter & honey that my grandmother made. Here I have attempted to try my hand at it too.
Mary Jane Butters has the recipe and instructions in her Feb-Mar issue of her magazine "Mary Janes Farm". I started my bubbling alive sour dough "mother" on Wednesday and it is resting on my counter. Her recipe is very basic consisting of purified water and organic flour. No Kneading necessary. I simply placed the flour & water mixture in a ceramic bowl, added a bit of water & flour & stirred with a wooden spoon daily, then covered with a wet dish towel to rest on my counter. My "mother "will be ready to make into a loaf on Tuesday when I place the healthy dough in my cast iron dutch oven to bake.
Can't you smell it now? Nothing smells better than fresh baked sourdough bread fresh from the the oven.