A lesson in sharing

Some of you have been following my sourdough adventure. And I must say, it's been an adventure. I've had all sorts of fun and all sorts of results.

If you haven't been following, I'll give you a brief rundown.

Making my own starter:



Edible failure:



My first fabulous loaf:



And yesterday's gorgeous loaf:



It's really been coming along. And it's getting easier and easier and I'm getting braver and braver, branching out and trying new sourdough strategies and looking for new recipes. My starter has been fabulous lately. I don't know if it just matured into a lovely starter or the weather changed and made it happier.

But today I went to make another loaf and ended up nearly crying. If you aren't familiar with sourdough (and I'm no expert, really), you have a starter that you "proof" to make a "sponge" and then make your bread. After you proof your sponge you keep out a bit of it for starter for you next loaf.

This morning I opened the fridge to get my starter AND IT WASN'T THERE! BECAUSE I FORGOT TO KEEP SOME BACK AND BAKED IT ALL INTO THE BREAD!

I felt like I was going to cry.

And like I'd been punched in the stomach.

I called my mom. But she wasn't answering. I tried her three times.

Then I gave up and called Kimber. I had given her some starter a while ago.

Wassup!! (That's how she answers the phone.)

I think I'm going to cry.

Why?

Because I didn't save any starter from my last batch of sourdough."

GASP!

That was my baby!

You ate your baby!!

And I fed it to my friends!

HAHA!

Thanks Kimber. :p But seriously, I need some of my starter back.

I had given my mom some starter, too. So I tried her again. She was much more sympathetic. And she told me I might want to change my strategy when I proof the sponge and just keep some back even before I proof it. Or have a couple rotating starter containers. She also was making sourdough pancakes when I called. Now I had two options of getting some of my sourdough starter back.

Thanks mom. I love you.

There are a few lessons from my experience. Some of them I have learned over and over.

1. Don't call Kimber when you need a shoulder to cry on.
2. Always call your mom. She is always helpful and empathetic.
3. I need a new sourdough strategy.
4. Always share the good things in your life. It will come back to you.

PHEW!!!