Happy Thursday!!!  We have bluebird skies here today and spring is right around the corner!  Exciting news for all of us here at Sourdough International...we are taping 3 episodes of Taste This TV this weekend right here at our facilities.  We are going to be taking tons and tons of pictures.  Can't wait to post them here for all of you to see!  Hopefully we will get tidbits of the show to share with you also.  When we know when it airs we will be sure to let you know.  So my exciting adventures and misfortunes of baking are on hold for a couple of weeks while we keep you updated on the happenings around our shop.  Until next week...happy cooking!!!!

This week I have been trying to "pick" Ed's brain and see what else I can learn from him about sourdough cultures.  I wanted to know the difference between our cultures and the sourdough breads that use commercial yeast.  One of the biggest things is being able to control the taste of the sourdough.  With our cultures when you proof them you can control how sour they get.  With commercial yeast there is no way to control the sourness of your bread.  The temperature and time are what makes our cultures develop more or less sourness.  Also, what Ed tells me is that the "crumb" of the breads made with our cultures is also different than commercial yeast made bread.  These two things alone make our bread cultures the Gold Standard of Bread.  Not only that but I am learning that proofing, feeding a culture and enjoying the smell of fresh baked bread is also a huge benefit!  I love the smell of sourdough bread coming out of the oven.  Also....we have 17 different kinds of culture.  17 different tasting cultures.  That alone amazes me.  So far I have been able to start three;  the Original San Francisco, the Giza, and the Yukon.  Each one is different.  The Original San Francisco is the easiest and most user friendly.  The Giza and Yukon I started at the same time and was amazed at the differences.  The Giza took off and grew like mad.  The Yukon took a little longer and had a different taste.  I can't wait to try the rest.  Share with me what your favorite sourdough flavor is.  Can't wait to hear from you!