I began learning how to make sourdough bread during the Covid lockdown…like a gazillion other people did. Yeast was hard to come by so sourdough experienced a renaissance and everyone was doing it. Therefore, YouTube was (and still is) packed with instructional videos. I’ve been making it long enough to spot the recipes that probably won’t work so I can avoid the costly waste of ingredients. While I was learning, I came across a recipe for English Muffins, tried them, and they were divine!

I quit baking sourdough around the time the world opened back up, but I decided I’d start again this winter. I got a good, strong sourdough starter going and commenced to baking bread. Every once in a while I try a different recipe for sourdough bread, but I always seem to come back the Tartine Bread Book by Chad Robertson. Their beginner recipe consistently works for me. I was lured away to try a different recipe yesterday was bitterly disappointed at the flat dense loaf it produced.

I’ve tried a few English Muffin recipes and could never get them right. You know how sometimes things you’ve apparently forgotten just come back to you in a rush? Well that’s what happened and I found the original recipe on the King Arthur Baking website. (https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/english-muffins-recipe ) I followed the steps yesterday and voila! Perfectly wonderful muffins with a nice crumb, nooks and crannies, and tangy flavor. 

Mr. FixIt had an appointment in town yesterday so I stayed home and baked. I had to laugh at the end of the day when I surveyed my totally destroyed kitchen. Mr. Virgo worked his entire career in restaurant and hospitality management. He knew how to cook and ALWAYS had everything clean as he went. Not me! My ADD brain has the kitchen looking like a bomb went off as I tried to cook a meal for an army. I finally gave up and I’ll finish cleaning it this morning.

Are you all bread bakers? Did your mom and grandma bake bread and teach you how? What’s your favorite kind of bread? Extra points for sharing a recipe with us!

❄️🩵❄️

“The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.”    ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭13‬:‭4‬ ‭ESV‬‬

***Gratitude Journal***
Today I am grateful that I connect with people I love on a regular basis. I’m grateful I can provide comfort when my loved ones encounter struggles. And, I am grateful that I have the love and support of so many people.

#baking, #cleaning, #englishmuffins, #sourdough