Continuing on the topic of sourdough bread from yesterday, and tying it up with today’s Thankful Thursday…here are some things I am thankful for:

My sourdough starter

It is coming along nicely. That makes me happy 🙂 I just fed it on Tuesday, and loved the tangy smell. And that means all is well with it. I next feed it tonight. And hopefully bake with it on the weekend? We will see…but for now- its a work in progress, and its going well!

This Book

A friend recommended this book BreadSong to me, and it’s so very lovely! And not to mention, inspiring. The first half of the book is the story of a father and daughter and how they came about opening a bakery called Orange Bakery near London, England. And the second half of the book is their recipes. The amazing thing is that they start from simple to the complex. A section on yeasty breads, then sourdough breads, and a lots of yummy sweet baking recipes…it is unusual for a book to have recipes that I am excited by all of them…and this one is it! I am going to get my son to bake from here too- I think he will enjoy the challenge 🙂

And this is the book that I referred to when making my sourdough this time. Having an inspiration around makes getting into a new project that much easier…right?

My Bread Baker

I bought this beautiful Emile Henry bread baker on a Black Friday sale a couple of years ago. Every time I use it to bake bread…I just feel this joy. It’s a simple joy of beholding a beautiful thing that does what it needs to do perfectly. You know what I mean?

Form and function…

This too inspires me to bake bread. So I am excited to put it to use soon.

My friend

My amazing friend who showed me her half loaf of sourdough bread that kicked off my excitement…you know how that happens right?! Since I forgot to ask her for her starter, I had to come home and just get started on mine…and her advice- treat it with love so it tastes better…I think I can do that! Thank you friend!!

PS- I think I inspired to make her own Japanese fermented soy bean dish called Natto in return, because she went and bought some soybeans that very day 🙂

And finally, I am thankful to…

Me! 

For my excitement, for finding joy in the mundane (read yesterday’s post), for doing the work, and trying to feed my family the best quality food there is. I couldn’t do it without me…