{"id":2457592,"date":"2020-04-23T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-04-23T18:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/?p=324770"},"modified":"2020-04-23T12:00:00","modified_gmt":"2020-04-23T18:00:00","slug":"food-matters-burned-out-on-bread","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/local-news\/food-matters-burned-out-on-bread\/","title":{"rendered":"Food Matters: Burned Out On Bread?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Flour, water and time are the only ingredients necessary to craft a from-scratch sourdough culture, used as a leavening agent in place of commercial yeast to bake crusty bread with the mild tang of fermentation.<\/p>\n

The process does require patience. The starter culture must be \u201cfed\u201d with equal parts flour and lukewarm water on a regular, twice-daily schedule, allowing wild yeasts and lactic acid bacteria to gobble up sugar in the flour, producing carbon-dioxide gas (which makes dough rise) and developing that familiar sour flavor. After 8 to 10 days of care, the bubbly sourdough starter is typically robust enough to bake bread.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no better time than lockdown to experiment with sourdough baking. Folks isolated at home \u2014 like, all of us \u2014 are available to tackle this endeavor. Cooking from scratch, including bread baking, is the most economical way to feed oneself on a budget. (Depending, of course, on whether you can find ingredients: The current crisis has led consumers to over-purchase staples, leading to a nationwide flour shortage. On Monday morning, City Market Aspen had only a few five-pound bags of Kroger brand all-purpose flour for $2.19; Clark\u2019s Market had sold out of five-pound bags but bulk all-purpose flour is available for $0.69 cents per pound, including about seven 50-pound bags.)<\/p>\n

Little wonder, then, that cooking websites and social media groups are seeing a surge in interest about sourdough baking. (KingArthurFlour.com is a hub of straightforward information for those seeking guidance in getting started.)<\/p>\n

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