I imagine it is because of my parents that I have grown up with a glass half full, make-lemonade-out-of-lemons kind of attitude going through life. The coronavirus has undoubtedly put this to the test for me and for many others!

So, in addition to trying to figure out how to save my business, help others (I am a restaurateur), get some daily exercise, and help home-school our teenage son, I set a personal goal to try something new at least once a week. As a result, Saturday has become baking day! With the help of a trusted friend and extended family member, we set out each week with a new challenge.

I should start by saying that I love sourdough bread. Ok, let’s be honest, I love all bread! I mean I really love ALL bread - bagels, baguettes, cakes, muffins, donuts, you name it. So I have always had an envy and admiration for those who bake it, and of course for the foundation of it all: the “sourdough starter.”

With this in mind, and with a clear vision to recreate the perfect English muffin from Model Bakery in St. Helena, California, as well as a mouth-watering pecan sticky bun, baguettes, and the list goes on! I started my quest and began the baking journey.

As we all know, the Covid-19 crisis has caused some unusual shortages at the grocery store, making it virtually impossible to buy flour for a while. Bread flour, white flour, rye, wheat – basically if it’s flour, forget it. Luckily, prior to starting my quest, I happened to have procured some for a friend through our restaurant, Honey Salt. The very next day, she magically appeared with the most magnificent baguettes imaginable (or at least outside France) as a thank you. After sharing my goal with my friend Cynthia, she pulled up in my driveway, armed in mask and gloves, with a nondescript white plastic container filled with her precious twenty-year-old sourdough starter. As she started to drive away I asked, “Hey what do I do with this?” Then the fun began.

I watched countless YouTube videos on starters and even reached out for advice to several celebrity chef friends. HELP! What I have gotten myself into?! This thing has to be fed, taken care of, and given a name. (Every self-respecting home bread baker names their starter.)

I can honestly say I have learned a lot. My simple strategy is to refrigerate Laveur (that’s her name, and it is French for yeast) and feed her once a week. When I know I am baking Saturday, I take her out Friday morning to feed her and by the next morning she is ready to rock and roll.

I could write pages on what I have discovered, but part of the excitement of this journey has been to do it myself, so I won’t spoil your fun. The good news, as I have learned, is that it is pretty hard to kill this yeast baby!

My first two experiments were indeed the English muffin and the sticky bun. Given their swift disappearance from my kitchen, I would say it was a success.

Here is a recipe I borrowed from Thomas Keller, with a few notes of my own:

English Muffins
Makes 12 Servings

The recipe calls for a huge amount of levain, some yeast, some milk, a little oil, and a touch of sugar. The dough is almost batter-like, and while English muffins are typically cooked in rings on a griddle, we wanted to give them time to rise, so we use a mold where they proof for about half an hour before going into a hot oven. Of course, cornmeal goes into the molds first, for the classic English muffin bottom.

*Note: You'll need a 13-by-21-inch rimmed baking sheet, 9-10 pounds of golf ball-sized non-sedimentary river rocks (which can be purchased from stone yards, landscape or garden supply stores, and home-improvement centers), 10 feet of metal chain link, and a water gun that can deliver about 1 ½ cups of water quickly and from far enough away that the steam doesn't burn you (preferably a Super Soaker).

Place all of the stones and the chain in the pan and set the pan on the bottom of the oven (as long as there is no heating element there) or on the lowest rack. Position a rack above the pan, making sure there's enough room that you'll be able to hit the rocks and chain with the water, and put the baking stone on this rack. Remove all of the other racks.

Preheat the oven for at least 1 hour, preferably 2 hours before baking. Meanwhile, proceed with the remaining steps for the muffins.

Ingredients

For the liquid levain (This is your starter!!!)

1.75 Kilograms all-purpose flour
1.75 Kilograms water, ideally at 75 degrees

For the muffins

1 3/4 Cup plus 3 tablespoons plus 3/4 teaspoon all-purpose flour
2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon plus 1/8 teaspoon instant yeast
1/2 Teaspoon fine sea salt
8.7 Ounces liquid levain
1 Cup plus 1 tablespoon plus 1 3/4 teaspoons whole milk, at 75 degrees
1 Tablespoon plus 1 3/4 teaspoons canola oil
Cooking spray
2 Tablespoons coarse cornmeal

You can find the entire recipe here: https://www.thedailymeal.com/english-muffins-recipe.
Good luck!

Elizabeth Blau is an award-winning restaurateur and international hospitality consultant. She is the co-author of Honey Salt: A Culinary Scrapbook and you can learn more at www.elizabethblau.com.

My Experiment in Quarantine Bread Baking: Elizabeth Blau