Braided Pear Nutella Bread

  I'm sitting at my kitchen table eating sour blueberries trying to figure out what words I should stick on this page.  I keep getting up every five minutes to pull a bored adolescent dog out of whatever she's not supposed to be doing.  It's like having a kid around here, she's glaring at me from the corner and dragging her toy bone across the wall in defiance.  Oh, I see you, little curmudgeon.

Nutella Cinnamon Sugar Pull-Apart Bread

  Let me give you a quick rundown of how my Wednesday went.

6:00 AM- alarm goes off, I roll into the shower.

6:30 AM- I begin chocolate chip nutella pancake preparations, because it's my mom's birthday, and birthday mom's deserve naughty pancakes.

8:00 AM- The academic studies begin.

Parmesan Ciabatta

  Is it just me, or does the phrase "I trust you" seem to be dying out?  I don't mean that trust itself is dying, I mean our ability to say that we trust.

  I'm not talking about looking deeply into somebody's eyes and muttering it while you hand over your heart or whatever, I mean more everyday occurrences.

Sourdough Bread

  Friends, I have finally put my sourdough starter to use!  And I remembered to take pictures for all of you before the loaves got greedily gobbled.

  Herbert has made some delicious bread, I am pleased.

  Herbert is my sourdough starter, I'm not totally bonkers or anything (sort of).  If you would also like a Herbert, check out my sourdough starter posts!  Day 1 has the starter recipe and instructions, Day 2 shows Herbert in the inbetween stages, and Day 3 he's all bubbly and happy and yeasty.

Wild Yeast Hunt, Day 3 (Sourdough Starter)

  Friends!  We've done it!  Wild yeast has been caught.  Herbert is alive!

  This morning I pulled back the towel to reveal this bubbly beast, and there's definitely a distinct sour aroma.

  All that's left is to let this aroma develop for a few days, and you've got your starter! 

  Separation is still occuring, so to prevent icky dry tops, stir it 1-2 times a day for the 3-4 days you have this sitting on your counter.  And keep it covered!

  Yay Herbert!

  (Check out Day 1 and Day 2 if you're terribly confused.)

Wild Yeast Hunt, Day 2 (Sourdough Starter)

  Here it is!  Day 2!  Obviously, we haven't caught anything yet, but no worries!  Sometimes it takes awhile.  Patience.

  As you can see, it has separated a bit, so we'll just stir that back together.  I usually do this 2-3 times a day, but for the most part I leave it alone and let it do it's thing.

Wild Yeast Hunt, Day 1 (DIY Sourdough Starter)

  A hunting we will go!  Roll up your sleeves and scald a bowl, we're going to catch wild, airborne yeast today.  Well, maybe not today, but we're going to set a trap.  It's a simple trap, consisting of things yeast goes bonkers for.