Let me tell you about my Sourdough Son

I know it’s Passover but isn’t staying inside and avoiding the plague the real point?

Hello and welcome back to Five Things I Ate! This week, we report to you, the stir-crazy and sourdough-starved. Check out past posts here, and please follow my Instagram @fivethingsiate.

No-knead (but actually just a little kneading) sourdough bread

Recipe from the New York Times

First, an update on my Sourdough Son: This week, he produced his very first loaf! Ultimately he did not quite rise to the occasion, as the pressure on him was too high, and the resulting bread was a bit dense and contained exactly zero instagrammable big air bubbles. I’m pretty sure the starter was over-fermented (it rose and fell flat on its face far before 12 hours in), and also possibly too wet (is no-knead dough supposed to be a wet blob?). I ended up doing a last-minute rescue, throwing in fistfulls of flour, and another spoonful of starter, to coax out a second rise. On the plus side, the taste was excellent, and the crust was pretty and golden. 7/10 stars, time to go to Kumon, my son.

Whole wheat blueberry sourdough waffles (or pancakes!)

Recipe from King Arthur Flour

I will give credit to Sourdough Son in that he does make possibly the best waffles and pancakes that I’ve ever made in my life (but the standards are high here, okay!!!). Sourdough parenthood is all about patience and planning, so you’ll have to prepare the batter the night before. It is absolutely worth it, I swear. The recipe is from King Arthur flour, which is quickly becoming my most-visited website. I used white whole wheat flour, because that’s what my starter is made of, and I like the hearty grain taste, and added a cup of frozen wild blueberries. I halved the recipe, which yielded about six waffles and two little pancakes. Tbh the pancakes might be even better than the waffles (and easier to make!) — they’re so springy and tangy, I don’t think I’ve ever come across ones quite as fluffy.

A quick recap of how to grow your own Sourdough Son

You can Google this for better instructions. King Arthur Flour is good.

For those following the Sourdough Sagas along at home, it’s not too late to join! Simply take a big (4-cup) mason jar, stir in an ounce of whole wheat (white also works, just not as well) flour and an ounce of water, lightly cover, and set somewhere warm. Each day, feed your hungry sourdough son an ounce of whole wheat flour and an ounce of water, give it a good stir, and set aside. Every so often, remove some starter before feeding, and cook with it so the volume doesn’t overflow. Your starter is ready when it rapidly rises (then falls) each day, and smells pleasantly yogurt-y.

Eggs à la Soph (aka Crispy Shoyu Eggs with Sriracha)

At home, of course

Let’s be honest: My pandemic diet is mostly breakfast food, and by “breakfast food” I just really mean eggs. They’re easy, cheap, filling, and also you can buy the fanciest kind while still spending less than five dollars. (Think of it like a less problematic and gender neutral demonstration of the Lipstick Effect.) That means I’ve had a month (has it really been that long?) to come up with the Perfect Egg Technique: A fried egg with a super crispy lacey bottom, a barely-set yolk (not runny, but never solid), finished with a dash of Shoyu soy sauce and a drizzle of sriracha. To replicate at home, preheat a big glug of olive oil (or bacon grease, I won’t tell!) on a screaming hot skillet. Crack two eggs into the oil, and cook (step away, they’ll sputter), until the bottoms are browned, lacy, and crispy, and the top is barely set. Transfer to a plate, puncture the yolks, and top with Shoyu and Sriracha. Enjoy.

Roasted butternut with frizzled sage

Recipe from Prevention Magazine

Crispy sage, frizzled in olive oil, is the balm I didn’t know I needed on my poor frazzled soul. It magically fills the apartment with the smell of Thanksgiving and is the perfect flavor pairing with sweet butternut. Here’s how to bring the magic home: Preheat the oven to 425F. Slice a small butternut squash in half and scoop out the seeds. In a small pan, heat up a few tablespoons of olive oil, and when piping hot, fry cleaned and dried sage leaves for about a minute, or till fragrant. Set squash cut side up on a baking sheet and brush with oil and top with crispy sage, plus plenty of salt and pepper. Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until browned and soft. Side note: I can’t believe I didn’t realize I could completely avoid the most dreaded task of peeling and dicing squash by simply roasting it in halves, scoring the flesh into cubes with a paring knife and then scooping the sweet squash out...

Virtual hugs,

Soph