Spot's big day...

Last night I tipped Spot (my sourdough starter) into a large plastic bowl, added half a mug of flour and half a mug of water to the mix and waited for it to prove. According to the experts a white foam should form when the job's done and I was expecting something like the head on a pint but came down this morning to find a thin layer of bubbles on top.

Usually bread making is therapeutic for me but this was a nerve-wracking time waiting to see if the care (and occasional neglect) of the starter had paid off. I didn't hold out much hope to be honest but, reserving some of the mix for another attempt, I tipped in a mug and a half of flour and started to knead. There are all kinds of variations to the recipe but I wanted to keep things simple to give the yeast a fighting chance and get an idea of the unadulterated flavour of the bread before faffing about with it too much.

I pottered about for a bit in the garden and kept checking in on it and, it rose! With commercial yeast this usually takes an hour or so for the dough to double in size so I left it for a good two hours.

Feeling a bit more confident now I kneaded the dough again and left it another two hours to rise. At this point the dough needs handling with care to avoid knocking the air out of it, just gently shaping it into a rough ball and folding the dough under to stretch its skin. This gives the loaf a smooth crust like a freshly-botoxed, fading celebrity. I stood back to admire my handiwork and, making a few tentative moulinets with the bread knife, carved a swashbuckling Z for Zorro in the crust.

40 minutes in the oven and my first sourdough loaf emerged golden and crusty. Now this is the really difficult bit. The temptation is almost overwhelming to carve a slice off it, spread it with butter and scoff it down while it's still hot from the oven but previous experience has taught me this will only give me indigestion. I have to take myself off up to M's to buy the makings of a frugal supper (Mushrooms a la Spot) and give the loaf time to cool but timing is crucial here... I want the loaf to be warm enough to melt the butter for the first slice, 45 minutes ought to do it.

While I was up there I bought a new home for Spot, an airtight plastic tub that he can occupy in the fridge. He's been living in an assortment of old jars and margarine tubs while I've been feeding him but, now he's feeding me, it's only fair that he should live in style. Now this is the bit I love about sourdough, all I have to do next weekend is tip him out, let him get up to room temperature and feed him to start the whole process off again. When I go on holiday I can just freeze him and resuscitate him when I get back, in fact he's virtually indestructable. After a nuclear holocaust the cockroaches, politicians (sorry I'm repeating myself) and sourdough starters will rule the earth!

And yes it tastes as good as it looks. I just saw my neighbour D riding past on his broomstick, wonder if he'd like a slice?

(More photos of Spot and the construction of the loaf in my gallery, I'm off to make garlic mushrooms on sourdough bruschetta... gaaaaarrll!)