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Starting Sourdough at Turner Library – Bill Van Tassel
TURNER – Among the many special offerings at Turner’s Public Library in February was a lesson on Sourdough Bread Making. Town resident Carey Murcin taught the class that was attended by forty people.
She started the class by telling the group, “Though I’m not a professional chef, there’s nothing like sitting down to a freshly made slice of Sourdough Bread.” She went on to teach a very thorough lesson on how to make the sourdough starter. The class was also able to follow along with the handouts provided and a slide presentation that Murcin narrated.
From what kinds of flour (unbleached) work best to the few necessary procedures one needs to keep the sourdough starter alive and not go bad with the wrong bacteria or mold, the class went on with each attendee making their own starter to take home. Everyone had brought a good-sized glass jar, most being Ball Preserving Jars. “Always use a cloth or covering that allows the dough to breathe,” the teacher noted.
Murcin used humor in her presentation, especially in reference to the temperature needed to keep the starter usable as time went on. “I tried keeping it in a warm place, my microwave (turned off of course). That worked the light bulb burned out and hasn’t been changed since,” she joked. Funny comments were also shared about the smell of the starter’s gaseous alcohol fumes that are given off in the fermentation process.
For those women in the class who have babies at home, Murcin said, “Remember that your sourdough starter, in the beginning, needs to be fed every 24 hours. It will let you know when it is time, just like a little child.” The notes she had provided also had a series of photos that showed slices of finished bread, those that turned out well and those that didn’t.
