Day 5.a

At 9:30 last night, I realized I hadn't gotten started with my starters...so I head into the kitchen. I slice potatoes, boil water, scald milk, heat the oven to 250 and turn it off. Get a potato starter in the oven and a corn meal starter (different recipe than the prior two) on the crock pot. Look at the warming tray still in the box near the breakfast bar but can't bring myself to get another one going. It is 10 by this time. I go to bed with high hopes. I don't sleep well - have no idea why. Possibly the large diet Pepsi I drank with our dinner (resorted to Taco Bell, as did half the town. The line was hugely long and it took forever so I ordered a beverage while I waited). I don't drink soda much these days and possibly that led to a night of wakefullness. That and the kids trying not to laugh too loudly downstairs watching George Carlin on TV.

I bound downstairs this morning around 7ish - and see what I think is 'white foam' on the top of the cornmeal starter. My heart skips a beat as I think 'success!'. I was wrong. It was just the milk layer having separated from the sludgy cornmeal layer which lay sadly on the bottom of the bowl. The potato starter fared no better - the flour was a gross, congealed mess on top of gross looking potatoes. Maybe not enough liquid? though they were covered with boiling water per the instructions. Oh well. Possibly three more tries tonight - but I am getting discouraged and grow weary of the highs and lows of this bread making game. My kitchen is covered with bread making paraphernalia. Flour, corn meal, thermometers, heating units, pot holders, towels, etc. all scattered everywhere. It's made me realize that this kitchen is most definitely NOT a good kitchen for baking. It's just set up wrongly for baking. Oh well. Maybe we'll redo it someday in retirement when we have nothing better to do. And only if I ever get a loaf of bread actually made - which seems doubtful at this point.