Sourdough on my mind

So I am trying to make sourdough bread...

Let me let you in on the bread situation in Japan, there is no sourdough! As a person who loves sourdough, I was quite saddened to discover that no one bakes it here. You might find some artisanal bakers here and there who will make rye bread or multigrain breads but in your basic grocery store it's their version of Wonderbread. They love their fluffy slightly sweet white bread. I don't mind shokupan, but I grew up on Roman Meal and graduated into Trader Joe's whole wheat multi-grain sourdough, so whole wheat in its various forms is my favorite kind of bread.

I can get wheat. I can get rye. I can't get sourdough.

For the past few years, I have been dreaming of sourdough and been thinking about making my own sourdough starter. Unfortunately, I kill things. Plants don't survive long in our house. But I was very successful keeping a ginger bug alive last year, so, I decided to go ahead and make my starter.

I began my research and pinning a couple of years ago and there is the general consensus that water and flour in equal parts will get a ferment going with the natural occurring yeast on the flour and in the air.

Since Sunday, I have been faithfully adding 1 cup of whole wheat flour and 1 cup of lukewarm water and whisking that bad boy. It's definitely fermenting and smelling yeasty.

I am planning to test out the starter tonight by making some easy bread. I have some big plans for not only bread but a bunch of recipes that use sourdough starter. I'm really excited.