Sudeep Agarwala

Really makes me think of these old tweets from @benwurgaft and @sarahzhang from a month ago (H/T to @thisischristina for pointing them out to me).https://twitter.com/benwurgaft/status/1233396647998230531 …

What a lovely day, first talking knitting and yarn with @ZWilderTenor, then getting to go on and on about sourdough and baking. What is it about the anomie of quarantine that makes us want to return to the touch and textures of everything we took for granted?

I still remember hearing his Polish Requiem for the first time. What a life and what a loss.https://twitter.com/zwoolfe/status/1244225651281932288 …

He fathers-forth whose beauty is past change...https://twitter.com/Jenwunder/status/1244335433758187520 …

What *will* be there is are yeasts from different sources that are ready to bring your bread to life! That's another thread for another time. Just remember: yeast is everywhere! Also: please wash your hands and stay away from other people. <3, your local frumpy yeast geneticist.

Just finish a lovely Belgian ale or were you drinking a bottle of wine with dregs at the bottom? Add it to some flour and water and see what pops up! Keep it mind, you'll be cutting your starter back quite frequently, so the original flavors won't be there when you finally bake.

Don't be afraid to get creative. Try it with some old bread you have lying around. Or bread crumbs. There are old stories of Parisian boulangeries selling baguettes that were more old bread than flour to cut costs and stay afloat.

It's closest I've come to witnessing spontaneous generation; it always feels like there's a bit of magic around whenever it works. And if it doesn't work the first time: 1) be patient and 2) try it with something different.

YOUR YEAST ARE MAKING THOSE BUBBLES. Once the flour paste loosens up (24? 48 hours?), take a tiny bit of the fruit/flour/water mix, and add it to 30-40mL of water, add flour, and repeat. This time, it should come to life and those bubble should pop up much quicker.

And then you wait. You'll want to keep this warm (but not hot). Hug it while you binge Netflix. Cuddle it while you yearn for human touch once again. Or put it on the counter while your dishwasher is running. Do it right and after 12 hours you'll see bubbles. These will grow.

You're well on your way. Add an equal mass of flour to this mixture. If you don't have a scale add enough flour to make a loose, wet dough. DON'T GET FANCY: old flour is fine. White flour is perfect (it's what I prefer). Doesn't have to be organic, doesn't have to be high gluten.

Take your fruit (or, if using fresh fruit skins--please use your judgmenet), pop it into a jar, and add a little bit of water to it. 2 or 3 tablespoons (30-40 mL) is more than enough. If you stir the fruit around, you'll notice the water gets slightly cloudy. That's the yeast!

Scour your kitchen for any dried fruit: grapes, raisins, prunes, apricots. Fresh fruit works too, but it's best to leave it unwashed, and given our current situation this is probably not a wise thing to do unless you've grown the fruit yourself and trust it.