The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Good Morning Mikey! The Starter Says "Hello!"

Mike Avery's picture
Mike Avery

Good Morning Mikey! The Starter Says "Hello!"

Last weekend I taught a class on sourdough quickbreads, so I needed lots of starter. So, I mixed up less than half a bucket full as I went to bed. I like to be careful, so I set a half sheet pan under the bucket.

 

Then morning came. The sourdough faeries had paid an energetic visit. Here's what I found:

 

In case that wasn't enough to delight you, here's a closer picture...

 

Yeah, it had hit the bags of sugar and flour, as well as the boxes of chocolate I'd set out for class. Luckily, none of the bags or boxes were ruined. Cleanup took about half an hour, which made the early morning class prep run a bit longer than expected.

 

My wife has suggested that maybe the bucket should have been in a sink instead. I think that was a good call on her part.

 

See, even a self-annointed "expert" can have off days. I hope you feel better about your last kitchen foobar.

 

Mike

 

proth5's picture
proth5

We twinkle below...

Mike Avery's picture
Mike Avery

Given the pics, maybe the second line should have been,

 

"We tinkle below"

 

Mike

 

proth5's picture
proth5

Engage in punning like that.

You are - the master...:>)

Mike Avery's picture
Mike Avery

That'd be my dad. Or Chick Robinowe, a baker in Monument, Colorado. Or Stan Kegel who runs a dozen humor lists and has won the O'Henry Pun Off.... nah, I'm just a duffer.

 

Mike

 

dmsnyder's picture
dmsnyder

Hi, Mike.

Next time, hide the sugar from the starter. This looks like goal-directed behavior to me.


David

Janedo's picture
Janedo

"See, even a self-annointed "expert" can have off days."

I'd say it was on "on" day. The poor thing was just doing as told!

What a mess! :-)

Jane 

Mini Oven's picture
Mini Oven

Leave it up to a sage to come up with another useful idea for sourdough!  I especially like the creative guise making the whole experiment look like an accident.  How clever!  (The cookie sheet was the give away!)   That's a lot of muffins!

Mini O

Eli's picture
Eli

You didn't need a bucket with a handle...it could just walk.

MaryinHammondsport's picture
MaryinHammondsport

Mike, now that warm weather is here, my husband likes to sleep on the lower level of this house, and the stairs lead down from the kitchen.

He says that after seeing that picture he is going to have nightmares about my starter flowing down the stairs and drowning him.

Mary 

Oldcampcook's picture
Oldcampcook

Mike,

I can't believe you are feeding your starter Old Roy with all the corn and soy!

I am soooooo glad to see that someone else has gone through that.  I was fortunate enough to get up early before Judy did and got MY mess cleaned up. 

I, too, took pictures, but I didn't share with as many people as you did!

And I did learn to leave my container in the sink.  Makes clean up a whole lot easier!

Bob

Rosalie's picture
Rosalie

And there are some of us out here who struggle to get our starters moving.

Rosalie

LindyD's picture
LindyD

Mess en place! :-)

Mike Avery's picture
Mike Avery

I sure do wish I'd thought of that title!  It is beautiful!

 

Mike

 

ehanner's picture
ehanner

That reminds me,
of the first time I baked in a remote kitchen for 200 people. Mike had helped me with a plan to transport a large poolish during a 8-9 hour drive to Upper Michigan so I could be baking shortly after arrival. I needed to start with 2-1/2 gallons in a plastic bucket which I kept a close eye on in the back of my van. It was nearing the top as I pulled in the drive. That was a close one. Living on the edge.

Eric 

LindyD's picture
LindyD

It was the first thing that came to mind, Mike. After I stopped laughing.

Thanks for sharing; I now feel better about some of my own kitchen disasters.

 

Marni's picture
Marni

I remember an old horror movie called "The Blob".  It couldn't be stopped- kept growing and growing consuming all in its way...

Marni