For a recent dinner featuring shrimps in Pernod, there was special request for the bread to be made WITHOUT using my wild yeast. So I fell back on one of our favourites from Maggie Glezer's book Artisan Baking Across America: Acme's Rustic Baguettes.

i need somee advice on the maggie glezer sourdough starter. i am at the part where i have firmeed up the starter and it is a round ball. she says after one day of fermentation like this it will not have risen at all but will be very gooey. she says to refresh and continue.....well the dough doesn't seem any different than a firm round ball like it was yesterday, not gooey at all. should i refresh or wait another day? the previous days seemed to look accoding to her comments, but once i got to the step where you throw away all but 30 grm and refresh such that it goes from a soft starter to a firm starter...that is where things don't look as they should. any advice would be appreciated! thanks! this is my first 'real starter....' i have the reinhart starter and la brea bakery starter going at the same time....in case one fails. oh i'll mention that the temp of my kitchen is about 75 deg in the morning and gets up to 79 in the afternoon (texas)

Got the Maggie Glazer book "A Blessing of Bread" today, Tue April 15, 2008, new hardcover for $9.99 (CND)! Woot!

Anyone in Canada, check your local Chapters/Indigo while they still have stock. It's a walk-in sale only but you can check online to see if your local store(s) have any copies on the shelves. It looks like it's being remaindered so there may not be a whole lot of copies available out there. at this price (listed at $49.95)

-Paul

Probably a dumb question, but in your posted sourdough starter instructions from Glezer's "Blessing of Bread" I need clarification on the following:

On "Wednesday" of week 1, it says to remove 2 TBSP of rye starter and add to bread flour, plus water. Clear. On the following Thursday, Monday and Tuesday it says to "repeat the same refreshment". Does this mean just adding bread flour and water to existing starter, or, maybe more reasonably, always remove 2 TBSP and use this, as on Wednesday?

Thanks!

I just posted the Semolina Sandwich Loaf ( http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/4213/semolina-sandwich-loaf ) and wanted to share my experience making this sourdough version of Maggie Glezer’s.

I baked my first challah last Thursday and wanted to share.

I'm posting this recipe for discussion as we have been talking about it on the Glezer firm starter thread.  I have made this bread often with variations because I did not have the high-extraction flour yet.  I recently purchased the Golden Buffalo flour from Heartland Mill in Kansas and it was superb.  I didn’t take photos of those so will next time I make it.

So for a while I've been meaning to start documenting my baking a little better, and contribute a bit more to this wonderful site, and today! today is the day.