When I pulled it out of the oven this morning, I was fairly certain it was going to be a decent bread. I can never really tell, until I have cut off a slab and eaten it, but it definitely seemed soft and bread-like, and it had a good smell. I wrapped it in one of my large cotton towels and went to go get some sleep. I would have rather sat around and waited the hour for it to cool, so I could try it right away, but at that point, I’d already been awake for well over twenty-four hours, and even freshly baked bread can’t keep me awake at that level of fatigue. So with the house smelling of bread and the rain –yes, rain– plopping on the roof, I settled in for some much-deserved snoozing, with dreams of tasty sourdough bread dancing in my head.

As soon as I woke up, I ran to the kitchen to have a slice. My eyes were barely open when I took that first bite, but what a bite it was! It doesn’t have a strong sourdough flavor, likely owing to the youth of the starter, but it does have flavor. Not at all bland. And it’s soft, with a nice chewy crust. It’s going to make some awesome grilled cheese sandwiches tonight!

I look forward to my starter maturing more and getting more of a sourdough flavor, and it’s such a basic recipe, there is plenty of room for experimentation. I’m going to start making this as our weekly bread for a while. My other recipe is good, mostly because it’s totally fool-proof and makes a good approximation of store-bought bread, but this one … this recipe may soar to even higher heights. It’s a wonderful base for exploration!

When I have a recipe and explanations for making this bread, I’ll pass it along. I completely just flew by the seat of my pants during this whole experiment. In other words, I don’t exactly know what I did, but it ended up being a beautiful loaf of bread. :lol:

I can’t believe this all started with a cup of water and a cup of wheat flour sitting on top of my fridge last week. It’s crazy! I love it!