My mission for the last few weeks has been to create the perfect sourdough loaf of bread. This idea stemmed from my Bio IA, where I decided to test different amounts of protein and their effect on the final rise in a loaf of sourdough bread. Bread making is something entirely new for me, I have never attempted to learn it before, and I know it can be quite finicky. This is why learning outcome #2: Challenge & skills, was super relevant during this creative process. In order to complete my Bio IA I will need to know how to bake a good sourdough loaf, so that is what I have been practicing. I watched various videos from my favorite bakers on techniques and recipes and methods, then I tried them out. The first loaf I made was a complete fail :) That was expected though, and I wasn’t upset. Sourdough is a process that uses a natural leavener to help the bread rise, and in theory, the process is super simple, but there are certain tricks that help make it perfect. My first attempt was too soon, and my starter was not ready to be used, therefore the bread didn’t have a good rise and looked like a flying saucer. A week later I tried again and watched some other videos. This time my starter was definitely ready to be used, and I even tried out a new recipe with different types of flour. The bread turned out so much better! It still is not perfect, but each time I try I learn so much about the process. I know with more attempts I can create something I am proud of. This activity really encompasses learning outcome #5: Showing perseverance and commitment. The process of making sourdough bread can be disheartening because each time you make a loaf so much energy and time goes into it, that when it fails it's really disappointing. It takes about 3 days from when you start making the dough to when the loaf is ready to eat, and the dough and starter become like little pets you have to take care of. I even named my starter. Baking bread is all about practice, there is no YouTube video that will show you how to make it perfectly the first time, it is about working with what you have and preserving through the individual challenges that you face. For example, here in Costa Rica, the dough becomes a lot more sticky because of the humidity so I needed to make adjustments to how much flour I added. Similarly, the type of flour we can buy here is different than in most places, and the wheat flour is so much more coarse and grainy than normal wheat flour. All of these things make the process different and more challenging, which is why it will be so satisfying when I achieve my perfect loaf!
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