Adam Kuban: Kublog

Haven’t updated on Tartine bread because, well, it was pretty damn successful the first time I made it. Figured, hell, what do I need to say besides, “It works!”

But you know with gambling — and this is what I’ve only heard — is that if during your first time gambling you win big, you just assume you’re always gonna win big. Similar thing here.

My first batch of bread was pretty damn good. Seriously, better than anything I’ve had from the bakeries in my neighborhood. But …

On Friday night (Day 12), I decided to make a leaven in preparation to make bread on Saturday (Day 13). Even though I had some misgivings about the new Tartine starter (“Francis”), I worked up a leaven using it. As a backup, I also worked up a leaven using my “Cavanagh” starter. Come Saturday morning, [...]

I’m now feeding Cavanagh with a 100% hydration feed (equal parts flour-water) but I’ve been using a varying proportion of inoculating starter each morning. This morning I think I used too much of all components, because Cavanagh overflowed its modest jar. Lucky I placed it on a towel in anticipation of this. (The fact that I placed the towel there, I think, shows that I truly am getting to know Cavanagh’s life cycle.)

Same as yesterday for both starters, though today when I got home I noticed that Cavanagh must be easily doubling in bulk, since I saw crusty evidence of that on the sides of the glass bowl I’m using to grow it in. This morning I tried using a timelapse video app to capture the activity while I was at work. Unfortunately, the app seems to have crashed about 15 minutes into the day. Going to try to set that up again this weekend or Monday.

Nothing much to report. Cavanagh continues to thrive. After mistakenly adding the 50-50 white–whole wheat flour mix to it two days ago, I’m back to white flour, and it looks the same as before.

Because that’s what it’s like waiting for this starter to take off. I know it’ll get there, just getting impatient. And not much to report otherwise. Instead, I’ll just show you this: That’s Il Cornicione’s Basic Country Bread. He and I (and Caleb Schiff) have been talking on Twitter about this recipe, and Il Cornicione [...]

I’ve brought Cavanagh up from off the bench (i.e., the refrigerator) and have revived it after months of neglect. Which is first-hand proof for me that you really can resuscitate a starter you’ve all but left for dead. What I’m going to do is keep feeding the TB starter and see if I can get it to take, but if not, I’ll use Cavanagh next weekend to make my first loaf of the Basic Country Bread.

Seriously, don’t bother watching this video. Nothing much happens. I got the notion of setting up a time lapse thing so I could see if the starter really was bulking up as part of the feeding cycle, as the book suggests it will. This is about 3 hours’ worth of time here. I’m thinking I [...]

As I said yesterday, I decided to time-shift my feeding schedule to the mornings. Trouble is, I’m pretty groggy in the mornings. Today, for instance, I almost forgot about tending the starter. But then I went into the kitchen to take my vitamins, and BLAMMO. “What’s that smell?” … “Oh. Yeah. Gotta feed this thing.” [...]

I fed my starter last night around 9pm. In his book, Tartine Bread, baker Chad Robertson recommends feeding in the morning. Not for any technical reasons. It’s just how he likes to time his day, he says. So he can feed the starter in the morning and use it for bread that’s ready for dinnertime. [...]