What have I done? I'm in my seventies now and, over the years, have been a competent home cook. As a small boy, under my Dad's supervision (he said every bloke should know how to cook) I started with steak and eggs, grilled fish, fried fish, and pikelets, amongst other things. But always plain, simple and good family food. Breakfast food mainly, but with a lot of campfire cooking, including that old Aussie bush staple, damper. Damper is a simple dough mix, leavened with baking soda, cooked in a Dutch oven buried under the campfire coals. Sometimes rum soaked raisins were added and it then went by the name "spotted dog". Spread with golden syrup it was called "cocky's joy". However, in the intervening years bread making was not something I did. Ever.
To cut a short story shorter, last year, as a birthday gift, I was sent to a Neapolitan Pizza making class. Pizza being something that I do like eating it was an experience I thoroughly enjoyed and since then I have made, I believe, good crusty rimmed bases and toppings that were approved by family and friends. Doing some research on alternate methods of pizza base preparation I came across this site and my attention was captured by the Basic Sourdough Boule video and recipe. Wow, it looked wonderful. I just had to try it. Making a starter took time of course but my patience was finally rewarded with a good active starter, "Polly Poolish" by name. I then went down to my garage and rescued, from my camping gear, a cast-iron Dutch Oven that has served me well for over forty years. I think it could be described as well seasoned. It was a long day but finally I had my sourdough loaf. Good? Yes.
But I have become as a thirsty man led to water, I have become an obsessive baker. Polly has since helped me make baguettes, pizza base, grain bread and fruit bread. As are others on this forum, I am now working on overnight cold proofing to reduce the day's work, as well as to have a beautiful, warm sourdough loaf or fresh baguettes for Sunday brunch.
So far so good. Thanks Jacob and thanks to all the contributors to this site.