Applesauce and Sourdough

Sunday, this all started.  Day 4 is today for me starting a sourdough starter and I just divided it for the second time.  I am using the instructions on The Fresh Loaf which I came across from Chocolate & Zucchini.  I have always loved ‘real’ bread ever since I was in high school and went to Italy and had un-Wonder bread for the first time.  I like a good crusty bread you have to chew.  

Actually, these are the twins.  I was suppose to throw out half on Day 3, but I couldn’t bear to part with half.  So I had two going.  But today I did throw out half.  So I still have twins.  I might be giving myself bad luck by having two starters in case something goes wrong.

But they were bubbling nicely yesterday.  Today is the deal breaker.  Just divided and added more ‘food’ and will see how long it takes for it to double again.  I want to learn to do bread.  I had so-so results (better than other loaves in the past) with the no-knead bread, but I want to really make a great, crusty loaf of sourdough bread.  What interested me was as I read some of the instructions were two things - (1) I need to get scales in order to weigh out my ingredients and (2) I started my starter with rye flour.

And while I was in a ‘domestic diva’ mode yesterday (and the girls were still sleeping in), I used several of the apples I had from this big box of apples I had and made applesauce.

 

This is cooked and run through a sieve.  I got the recipe from the book Homesteading by Abigail Gehring.

The apples were all Fuji and still crisp and tart.  And the applesauce was to die for.  I made 3 pints and a bit.  The bit disappeared.

 

I might be tempted to save one until this October and enter it into the fair.  We will see.

Now for the rest of today it’s sewing, sewing and then sewing.  I have to finished up the bodice, do the sleeves and have Savvy try it all on so I can mark the hem.  Then it will all be handwork.  And scheming about the Spanish Surcote I want to make to go with it.