I was over the top when Celia from Fig Jam and Lime Cordial offered to send me a piece of Priscilla her sourdough starter. I was worried too…what if Canada Customs opens the small envelope to discover some weird flaky powder? Would I be arrested? Would it be confiscated? Yes, I was wringing my hands with worry for the entire 12 days poor old Bob travelled to us. 12 days for almost 16,000 kilometres! That’s amazing, isn’t it? It often takes Canada Post 12 days to get mail to me from downtown Toronto, a mere 9 km away! But that’s a whole other rant. 😉
Yes, we named him Bob because we thought it was funny, Bob the starter! Good old Bob came back to life quite nicely and quickly, just as the lovely Celia’s instructions said he would. I chose a King Arthur Sourdough Bread Recipe because I was unable to find 00 bread flour so I needed an All Purpose Flour Recipe. Bob made a very nice first loaf and the remainder of Bob was dried and put into an airtight jar for safekeeping. I’m hoping Bob will provide many loaves for us in the future.
Now I have to come clean, I wasn’t feeling the greatest when I made this recipe, in fact it was my first time out of bed over the last two days (weekend days, no less; nothing serious, just a silly head cold, but they always get me in my sinuses and therefore affects my train of thought). For some reason, I completely skipped over the instant yeast, didn’t even see it! Can you believe it? I usually forget the salt!!!! Don’t you just hate it when that happens? I wondered if something was amiss when the bread didn’t rise as much as I thought it should…but I persevered and son of Bob went into the oven in a dutch oven (hedging my bets) and baked as per directions. Not bad for the mistake and first try. Thank you Celia, I am so grateful you sent me the son of Priscilla!
King Arthur Sourdough Bread with a special starter from Australia
Makes 1 very large boulle
Ingredients:
- 227 g “fed” sourdough starter
- 340 g cups lukewarm water
- 2 teaspoons instant yeast (don’t forget this step, nudge nudge, wink wink)
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 602 g Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
Directions:
- Combine all of the ingredients (including the instant yeast) and knead until you get a relatively smooth but loose dough.
- Place in a lightly greased bowl and allow to rise several hours (or until double in size). I did a few risings for obvious reasons! Shape the dough into a smooth boule.
- Slightly warm a cast iron dutch oven (make sure the handle can take the heat) and dust with fine cornmeal. Allow the boule to rise in the dutch oven for one hour.
- Pre heat the oven to 425° F (218° C). Bake the boule with the lid on for approximately 30-35 minutes, remove the top and bake a further 5-8 minutes or until the boule is golden in colour (internal temperature should be about 190° F (88° C).
Notes:
- Sourdough bread dough is much looser than normal bread dough so expect a shaggy result after the first kneading.
- We don’t eat that much bread (to keep the tonnage in check) so I didn’t think I would use Bob quickly, therefore I decided to dry Bob out in the oven with only the light on. He will wait for us whenever we need him in an air-tight container in a dark spot in my pantry.
- I’ve read recipes on-line where they add butter to the dough but most implied it’s not for amateurs so I will try it next time (hopefully I don’t forget the yeast next time!).
- Sadly, Bob came to an unfortunate end this morning when someone turned on the oven while Bob was drying out in it. RIP Bob.
Wow!! I just happened to come across your post and how Celia posted an offspring of Priscilla’s to you in Canada! I’m also thinking of sending some of my dried starter to a close friend in Canada from Australia. I tried to search for a way to ask Celia this question, but couldn’t quite find a way through her blog. Hoping that you’ll be able to help me 😊 Do you by any chance remember what Celia labelled the content as, ie. What was in the envelope? I would definitely like it for my dried starter to make it through customs! 😅 Thanks so much in advance! 😊Cheers, Hannah P.S. so sorry to hear about Bob’s untimely end 😢
LikeLike
Hi Hanna, sorry it was so long ago! I have tried to find her email address since and have had no luck. Why don’t you comment on her blog and she will respond to you.
LikeLike
Your bread looks amazing & i love sourdough a lot too! That is so cool from Celia! She rocks! 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
I think your cold has traveled as well.. it headed west and landed in my head:) I just got sick today and was thinking how frustrating it is that it does seem to affect one’s ability to think clearly.. or maybe it’s all the cold medicine I take;) Love your loaf, I think it turned out beautifully despite the mix up:)
LikeLiked by 1 person
I am truly sorry for Bob’s demise. At least Bob’s son was with you for a brief time. I just had a conversation with a friend about the wild yeast I tried to grow once. It worked, but it tasted nasty. I never figured out why maybe it was the dry Kamloops air, or perhaps the pulp mill… I would love a Bob. Hope you are feeling better!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi Zsuzsa, I’m developing my own starter with Bloor West Village wild yeast, if it works, I’ll dehydrate it, test it and send some to you.
LikeLike
Wohoo! you are a terrific gal Eva!
LikeLike
It’s such a beautiful gourmet generosity story… Your bread looks amazing! I suppose we’ll see here many more sourdough experiments now! I hope you are no longer sick.
LikeLiked by 1 person
What a happy story, Eva. I’m so glad Bob made the journey and wasn’t arrested at customs. Celia has been terrific at sending starter all over the world. Your first loaf of bead looks incredible – well done and happy sourdough baking xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
How fun. If only “Bob” (the world traveler) could talk! GREG
LikeLiked by 1 person
What a result Eva. A tremendous looking loaf at the end. I waas just thinking this needs a delicious soup to dip in…….Your previous post was just that.
LikeLiked by 1 person
How nice to get a gift of Bob! We often name things, too — fun, isn’t it? Sorry about the cold (never a fun time, particularly on a weekend). Great looking bread — thanks.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Bob the starter, good name. Interesting how it takes only 12 days for Bob to travel from Australia to Toronto but 10 days for my air-mail from New York to Toronto. Good looking loaf of bread. Feel better.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Poor Bobmeeting an untimely end what a lovely loaf.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love that you named your starter. So glad Bob made the trip safely. What a magnificent loaf!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Bob is a great name for your starter! Yay for Celia’s Aussie sourdough 😀 My Kevin sadly passed away but I can’t even keep plants.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sigh, I feel so envious… sour dough simply doesn’t agree with my tummy… but my Ludmilla starter was doing beautifully… and that dough… exquisite to work with!
LikeLiked by 1 person
My Esmerelda is fantastic, she keeps coming back even if I neglect her. I pour off the liquid off the top, add more bread flour and filtered water and off she goes. Bits of Priscilla are all over the globe and we’re all grateful to Celia for sharing this wonderful starter.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hope you’re feeling better. The bread looks good. Even more than most yeast breads, it’s good fresh the first day, but I don’t really like it the next.
I’m not overly fond of sourdough bread after all my experiments. And, I still use some dry yeast to prop up the leavening as just starter on its own would take 18-24 hrs, at a guess, to achieve the same lift, especially in my cool house.
I dried some of my starter and froze some before shutting things down. And then tested them both to see if they were still alive.They were. 🙂
LikeLike
Thanks Maria, that’s promising about freezing the starter, I wondered how well it would keep in a jar. I’m going to try to make my own starter and continue this line of experimenting, JT loves sourdough bread. Thank you for your well wishes.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I just poured a cup or so into one of those medium sized freezer bags and froze it flat. You can break off pieces, put them in a jar with equal weights of flour and water and start a new batch when you want to.
LikeLike
What fun! Bob the starter! I kept a sour dough starter for a while – Lucy. Unfortunately we let Lucy go a while back, but my kefir has replaced her. It’s so nice to have fresh bread in the house. I hope that you’re feeling better Eva! I hate head colds. Your photos were gorgeous – the bread even without the yeast looks wonderful with a great crumb!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Kristy, I haven’t tried kefir bread yet but it’s on my list — so good for digestion. Thank you for your well wishes.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I just fed my rye sourdough starter this morning :-)) Your bread looks wonderful!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you kindly Angie, it was a tasty little experiment. I’d love to try a rye sourdough…one of these days!
LikeLike