Sour Sourdough

Well, today I made two loaves of whole wheat sourdough bread. I started last with the sponge and mixed it up and let it set out. Since the recipe said that it can take 6-24 hours for this stage, I made it up last night and let it proof while I slept. After breakfast I started mixing up the dough and then kneaded for a good 10 minutes. The dough felt so nice and smooth. I enjoyed the kneading part, well until my arms got tired. I greased the bowl and let the dough rise for about 3-4 hours. Next I formed it into 2 loaves and put them into the loaf pans. I scored the top and set them in the oven to rise. This took about 3 hours (I think). I baked the loaves and couldn't wait to eat some bread. I was anticipating the taste of the bread and my labor and care that went into the bread- the care and attention given to my starter too. I took the bread out and lucky for me a piece was stuck in the pan. I picked it off with great anticipation of the flavor. I pop the piece in my mouth and start to taste the tantalizing flavors of the sourdough, oh man was it sour. The bread is basically inedible. I followed the recipe and the instructions and couldn't figure out what in the world had gone wrong. I was mad and frustrated at not only the time and effort but also the money that was wasted. However, I realized learning from our mistakes/errors is the best, so I set out to see what I did wrong. Guess what I found out- Rye and wheat starters sour much quicker than white flour starters. I don't know if the problem with my bread was the rye/wheat starter that I made or not but I am hoping. I saved a little of my old starter, between 1/4 to 1/3 c and mixed up a new flour/water mixture hoping that the flavor will be better this time. I did use naturally white flour for the new starter, not sure what a difference that will make. I just hope any future mistakes taste good.
Well, one thing I mixed up and kneaded did turn out well today. I made Kool-aid playdough. Here is the recipe if you are interested:
1 C Flour
1/2 C Salt
2 T Cream of tartar
1 Envelope Kool-aid
1 C Water
1 T Oil
Whisk the dry ingredients together in saucepan. Stir in the liquid ingredients. Stir and heat over medium heat until mixture forms a ball. Allow to cool until able to be handled. Knead a few times and give to the kids for some nice scented fun.
This is a frugal activity time, good all year round.