Hooray for Microbiology!

Today was day one for developing my starter. Honestly, I wasn't expecting much of anything, because it's only been 24 hours. I mean, really, how much bacteria/yeast can grow in flour and water after just 24 hours? Apparently, quite a bit.



See all those little bubbles of microbiological goodness? No? Well, here's a side-view:



Beautiful, beautiful little bubbles! These bubbles are proof that my little friends are feasting away on the sugar in the flour. How cool is that? It's like my own science experiment! Know what else is cool? The starter has started to GROW - it's now a full inch bigger in the bowl! Super exciting! Tomorrow if/when the bubbles are bigger and the smell is stronger, I'll do my first "feeding", where I discard most of it and feed the rest with a half flour, half water mixture.

I also went out and purchased a cast iron combo cooker, which apparently is the best bread-making device because it allows you to capture steam at the beginning of cooking. The initial steaminess is apparently the secret of great, crusty bread.



It's basically two pans that act as lids for each other - one deep one, and one shallow.



I thought it was a good investment, especially if it makes bread more delicious. And, you know, I guess you can cook other things with it. Like... french toast?

Tomorrow, hopefully, I will have pictures of me feeding my starter. I will feed it regularly for a few days , until a regular "cycle" of rising (like I saw today) and falling is achieved. Then I can make my leaven, and finally, the bread of my dreams. Or at least my first attempt at it.