If you follow us on Instagram, you’ve already met Audrey, our sourdough starter. With her assistance, we (and by “we”, I mean “he” because he’s the baker and I’m the fermenter..though, technically, sourdough is a ferment, too) have delicious, fresh, additive-free loaves of bread for our morning toast+cream cheese+alfalfa sprouts and our meatloaf sandwiches. We consider Audrey a treasured pet, and we try to ensure her health and happiness so she’ll continue to help us make great bread.
Sometimes, however, Audrey is unhappy. Not “hooch on top because she hasn’t been fed” unhappy, but more of the “I don’t like the flour you’re feeding me” unhappy or “it’s too cold in here so I’m slowing down” unhappy. We have pretty extreme fluctuations in temperature where we live, and Audrey is sensitive to it. Continue reading “Audrey Tales: Misbehaving Sourdough”
One of my go-to sources for recipes as a starting point for many of my homemade country wines is the little purple book that came with my winemaking equipment starter kit: Raymond Massaccesi’s “Winemaker’s Recipe Handbook”. Typically, when I try a new recipe, I follow it exactly as it is written; the next time around, all bets are off! One of the first recipes I tried was for Orange Wine…oranges are delicious as flavoring for secondary ferments, so I guessed that the wine would also be a winner. And it was. It turned out almost cordial-like: a beautiful amber color reminiscent of sherry, with a pleasing warmth and complex flavor. It didn’t scream “orange”, but the mystery of it made it even more enjoyable. 