As of this May, we were no longer aspiring sourdoughs.
After enjoying a beautiful late spring and summer (even if we barely had a chance to catch our breath), an incredible fall (which a little too often lacked electricity), an intense yet awesome winter (despite the fact that some old-timers that have been up here 50 years or more described it as the worst they had ever seen), and a late-coming early spring, we have officially lived in Alaska for a year!
Now that we are Alaska residents, we enjoy some GREAT perks. One of the most notable of these is the fact that we can now go dip-netting. For those unfamiliar, this means that instead of trying to snag the salmon by the mouth as it swims up stream, we get to hang a huge net into the water and just let them swim in! Not exactly as easy as it sounds, but still pretty darn nice if you intend to eat much salmon! Also, to get a hunting/trapping/fishing license (we won't go into everything that we can hunt/trap/fish with one of these...because it is just about everything), the cost drops from astronomical, to what could almost be described as "measly".
Despite this though, probably the best part about being a sourdough is know that we came out of one of the harshest winters that this planet can throw at us, laugh about it, and ask for more!
...Well, that and the sourdough starter that we got from two of the greatest friends, and indeed people, that we have ever met!
According to Mark, this sourdough starter is at least 80 years old (that's eight decades, four score years, four fifths of a century!) and originally came from Germany.
If you aren't familiar with the workings of a sourdough starter, it is essentially a Lactobacillus stew, and is started through the fermentation of "potato water". As the mix of potatoes and water ferments, this bacteria grows which will act, on its own with no yeast present, to leaven flour and water when mixed in the right amounts. When done properly, this creates the most delicious sourdough bread, waffles, pancakes, and any number of other delicious items.
Let's make some sourdough!
Start with some meager potato water, a fair amount of sourdough starter, a lot of flour, and a few other ingredients. Coffee also helps if you are embarking on the traditional way of making the bread...because it will take a while, and it's good to start in the morning.
Making it takes a while, and there are faster ways to do it, but we wanted to do it the all-natural Alaskan way (plus old sourdoughs thought that adding yeast and/or baking powder makes men less virile, so...).
Mix half of the flour, and all of the other ingredients together, and sit back, maybe play some banjo, read a book, take a morning nap, or make breakfast while it rises.
It helps to put it in a nice warm place while it's rising. Stoves work great, and heaters and other things like that...but if it's July in Montana and going to be ridiculously inordinately hot, you may as well put it outside on the chimenea.
Once it has risen, add flour until it stops doing this...
...and you can do this. Practice your pizza crust spinning skills for a while if you want! You can use sourdough for that too!
Knead it up good, and let it rise again!
In true Mark Ifflander style, we'll just say, "Yeah baby!"
And knead it again!
Making this bread has convinced Ben that one does not need to hit buckets full of iron filings or sand in order to achieve the fabled Chinese Iron Palm.
Just make some bread everyday!
Stick it back in the bowl for one more round of rising! Continuing doing whatever it is that makes you hungry, because you will want an appetite when this is done!
A little more handiwork and it is ready for the oven! As the original Alaska sourdoughs of the gold rush would say, "Eureka!!!"
And bake! This takes about an hour, and the smell is intoxicating...
Finally! Learn from your mistakes (should have used twice as many pans...WHOOPS!).
Let the bread cool and salivate whilst smelling it and staring at it...
Enjoy!
Let us tell you about the experience of not just leaving remote Montana for even remoter Alaska, but from leaving remote Alaska, for village Alaska. Until you have done it, which we know some of you have, the experience is almost indescribable, but we will do our best. First of all we landed in big city Anchorage. All of the amenities of modern day life are available there. This includes, but is not limited to, restaurants, hospitals, doctors, cars, running water, toilets, pavement, other white people, grocery stores, banks, cell phones, stores, and civilization in general. You then deny yourself of all of those amenities and put your life into the hands of one man who flies a six-seater plane with not jet engines, but with a single propeller, to take you two hours away from all of that. It is about this time that you are thinking there is a possibility that you have made an error in your life decision, but you are too late.
