Whining, Wine-ing & Winning

I caught myself talking about hydration levels, hooch, bulk fermentation, discard ratios, starter activity, feeding schedules, inoculation percentages, crumb structure, oven spring, scoring, shaping, proofing, autolyse, bannetons, and fermentation temperatures.

At one point I used the phrase, “I’m just monitoring Wayne’s activity after his feeding to see how he’s fermenting.”

My husband is scratching his head, calling me a nerd, and asking why I can’t just use the little packets of yeast from the store…does he know me at all and that all his meals are made from scratch and love?

I have named my starters. They have personalities. They have designated housing. They have cleaning supplies. They have outdoor enrichment activities.

How do I know all of this? Why do I suddenly have an entirely new vocabulary and enough confidence to discuss wild yeast and lactic acid bacteria like I’ve been doing this my whole life?

I read about it.

In a book.