alpha

i created an account with sourdough australia more than a year ago but was hardly active cos that was when my interest in bread just began and i didn't think i knew the basic of breads well enough to start on sourdough. my interest with bread began with an interest in baking. i used betty crocker's cake mixes back then and moved on to quickbreads. i can't say i mastered those before i moved on to try yeasted bread. i'm sure they all require quite an amount of expertise but i didn't like the idea of just mixing the ingredients then pop them into the oven to bake. when i started exploring the world of bread, i was introduced to baker's percentages, baking times, really nice bread pics that turned me green with envy...and i decided bread was for me. it's such an art and so challenging. so ever since, i've been practising, though not as often as i would like as i need to finish the experiments before i can start on a new one. the worse failures stalled for longer either because i have to eat all of it myself or i feel bad sharing them out. i've learnt quite a bit but i've got heaps more to work on. i still haven't got the feel of how the dough should feel at the different stages of it's development, how to shape it, etc. i can't bake bread of consistent quality. i have decided to practise harder to master the plain loaf. i hope to see the day i can be a good homebaker.

this wave of motivation is triggered by some rejections. i fit into the role of the poor uni student pursuing a degree unrelated to food. my hols for the year have just started and given my love for bread, i wanted to work or at least observe the activities in an artisan bakery. i asked a couple of bakeries here in Australia since i study here but was rejected as i was just not qualified. i understand that it would mean a huge portion of generosity to accede to my request but i can't help being disappointed. it seems that for the moment, i'll just have to be satisfied with youtube videos of bakers at work. anyway, i felt driven to train on my own since those bakeries didn't want me. and so, i'll start my own training programme when i get home. i've decided to start by doing the tutorials on this site. i've been pretty reluctant to purchase some of the essential tools too as poor uni students tend to get a little stingy. that may change though, we'll see.

i'm aware that it'll probably be a long time before i can achieve my goal of a decent sourdough loaf, especially with 'home-schooling' and 'self-tutoring' so i hope you guys can also be part of my bread education by providing tips and comments. i'll also try to be detailed as possible with my progress. thanks a lot.

cheers,
tyro