What starter dough and self-help have in common
About two months ago I received an awesome gift from a co-worker.
When I heard about how this starter dough had been in his family for years, and the amazing breads and pancakes that had been made with it, I got so excited by the tradition that this little gift had. So much so that I forgot to do a check in with reality.
Sure I have this fantasy of being Julia Childs, but the reality is I’m the gal who runs head on into the kitchen with the most complex recipe, has a panic attack mid way through, then yells at her husband to help (even though he asked from the beginning what he could do to assist).
The way it was described (2 cups water, 2 cups flour, 1 cup starter) seemed like something even I couldn’t mess up.
I am a visual learner, but it seemed so easy I knew I could do it.
As I took my new little baby home, popped it in the fridge and waited that 1.5 weeks to pop it out and give it the first flour breakfast, I was so excited.
Finally, a hobby! You see my hobbies are starting businesses, working, trying new wines and the occasional dabble in cooking.
This was finally my chance to fit into social norms and all of the amazing new trends that exist.
Flash forward, 1.5 weeks. This is the day, I am going to feed this little gremlin.
There is another thing you must know about me as you read on. I am a rule follower.
If there is a rule, I will follow it exactly (unless it is grammatical or manners). Passing the salt and the pepper together was the least favorite rule I learned.
But when I am not confident in an area (aka cooking) the only thing I know how to do is follow rules.
So I followed this recipe exactly.
Step 1: 2 cups flour, 2 cups water, 1 cup starter. Never did it say stir.
So I didn’t!
I covered it with a loose plate, exactly as it said. 8 hours later, I was so excited for the big reveal.
It was going to rise and just be the ball of dough right?
Wrong!
Never fear though, I took out the one cup for the next starter and put it in the fridge just like the directions said.
Next up, I had my husband take a look. He his a little better in the kitchen then myself.
First look he said, I think you should throw it away.
OUCH!
Not what I was expecting to hear.
Now I love my husband, but he knows I don’t give up that easily.
I text the co-worker who had given me the gift, I shared the steps I took.
Turns out you were supposed to mix it, not just throw all of the ingredients in together!
Good news was, he said there was still hope! Just a little more flour and I should be solid.
So a little more flour, I watched it, looked fine, but I still had my doubts.
Nothing was rising, and it started to have an interesting smell.
At this point it was time to call in all of the forces. I sent a 12 person group text, surely one of them would know the answer.
Was this still alive? Was it dead? Could I even make bread?
A good amount of group chat later, they all had the same opinion, it was time to lay this starter to rest.
This was certainly not the news I was hoping for.
BUT, I had a lifeline. I messaged some I knew who was definitely the expert.
Between a ton of articles and advice, it turns out the good news was, my 1 cup I had saved was basically in a coma in the fridge and I could bring it back to life when I fed it!
I had done one thing right!
Flash forward, a couple of days later, my husband still thought I should throw it away. Nope, not ready to give up.
I kept reading.
Did you know that starter dough and bread are the most controversial things out there?
I am pretty sure every article I read gave a different opinion.
Some said to feed it for a week. Some said I killed it, some said to feed it for 24 hours.
The list can go on and on.
In the end, I made pancakes (which was the recipe my co-worker had given me).
As I have been reminiscing on the hilariousness that I (the girl who gets overwhelmed in the kitchen) was gifted a starter and has continued to attempt it, I have realized that starter dough is actually quite similar to the self-help world.
Shit, even the business world.
Every single day we are given different messages, different ways of life.
The answer to getting zen is meditation, no running, no float tanks. Or here is the million-dollar business idea that you HAVE to try.
Now I am a self-help junkie so by no means am I hating on any of these technique. I have tried them all! If you can’t tell from this article I am type A and obviously need more zen.
Maybe if I meditated over the starter dough it would have worked out better?
Never in my life did I think I would be comparing starter dough to the self-help world, but honestly it can be overwhelming.
If I have learned one thing about this quarantine it is to remain curious.
I have tried setting expectations (I will become the bread-making queen after 45 days of quarantine).
I have tried to set goals (I will be in the best shape of my life with 6-pack abs).
I have overwhelmed myself with seeing what everyone else is doing and have been hard on myself for not doing more, trying harder, or coming out of this quarantine with our next million-dollar business idea.
But I am realizing, when taking advice from many, you don’t have to implement everything you hear (same goes with your starter).
The biggest key to success is remaining curious, checking in with yourself, and getting quiet enough to hear the answers.
Kind of like when my gut was saying “Just make pancakes Lindsey, stop reading all of these articles that are overwhelming you.”
I think staying curious sounds good.
In fact this week I got so curious that I used whole wheat flour for my starter dough to make pancakes, yep took a real walk on the wild side.
But seriously, whether it be self-help tips or starter tips, you don’t have to follow everyone else’s rules, you just have to find the path that is best for YOU!
——
Here is the terrible bread I finally made lol! Let’s just say it was very sour!
We finally have bread!
Here are the articles/recipes that actually made sense to me:
Starter Dough Maintenance
This one helped a ton
Recipes
This article kept me sane
This article was the easiest starting place for me , and it actually worked!
This is another one friends swear by, I am not that advanced yet!
Happy Baking!!
xoxo
Lindsey