Day 1: The Baby

Before I could dive in and start cranking out the bread, I had to take the partially dormant cultures I ordered from sourdo.com and wake them up, or "reactivate" them. The cultures came with instructions, too, which was a relief because if you've ever browsed around the Internet trying to figure out how to do sourdough, all you end up with is a bombardment of different opinions, many of which are in DIRECT conflict with each other:

Add sugar!
Don't you dare add sugar!
Use grapes!
...no, use pineapples!
Just use water and flour!
Use a heating pad!
Cheating by adding yeast is okay!
Adding yeast is on par with turning to satanism, you devil worshipping heathen!
I can't believe you didn't add sugar!

So, frustrated with the lack of a universal, true method, and not wanting to experiment TOO much, I decided to stick with the instructions that came with the culture. Ed Wood recommends using a homemade proofing box made out of a styrofoam cooler with a dim lightbulb poked into it. Simple enough, and definitely cheap enough. The lighbulb would need a dimmer attached to it so the temperature can be regulated, but other than that, nothing complicated or fancy, just how sourdough is meant to be--simple and attainable by all.

25 watt bulb with in-line dimmer (that plastic thing with the dial). These are attached to a simple work light I found for 6 bucks, which is just a light socket attached to a cord.

To ensure I maintain the recommended temperature range of 85-90 degrees F, I put my Polder to work.

With the proofing box ready to go, I grabbed a jar and dumped in weighed amounts of water, flour, and the culture, and mixed it up. It looked like pancake batter, just as Ed Wood described, so I felt good. Some small air bubbles were rising and erupting at the top, gently foreshadowing the days to come.

With the tip of the probe touching the floor and the oven temperature sensor at the top of the jar, I was able to get great data on how the culture was doing, top to bottom. Why yes, I am a huge nerd.

I waited until the temperature breached 90, and then dimmed the light. After about an hour of checking and adjusting, I was able to get readings constantly around 83F (bottom) and 93F (top), which seemed about right. Now I just had to wait 24 hours. The glow of the proofing box in the night sent me back to childhood, when the calming dimness of a nightlight was a requirement. In this way, the warm box gave off an aura of safety, and I wanted to lay on the couch by the newborn and just watch it all night like an overcautious parent. Lucky for my neck and back, I knew already how uncomfortable that couch was.