Then, last Christmas, I was given a starter as a gift to try. "Treat it like your baby", I was told, added with a smile.
The first part was easy. "Feed it and keep it happy." and I did. I gave it a 1 to 1 ratio of flour and water, stirred it well and left it for a couple of hours. It grew to twice its size and looked really nice and bubbly. I was happy.
Excitedly, I watched the video again, paused and took down notes, rewinded and played again, just to make sure I did not miss anything out. I took out all my baking utensils and started the journey, played and rewinded the video over and over again.
My first try was an embarrassment. It looked like an alien rock. I gave up for a few days and tried again. My second try, was just as bad and I decided to chill for a couple more days.
It took quite a bit of courage to try once more and this time, I decided to try a different recipe, basically, followed a different video and I used bread flour instead of normal wheat flour.
The texture was slightly better before baking and I waited anxiously for it to bake. When it finished baking, it turned out pretty alright. Just a wee bit chewy and boy it tasted sour. Time to find another recipe and more courage :)
