Baking bread is hard to do.

Since last we wrote, Boston experienced a truly terrible tragedy. I am so proud of my city's first responders, medical professionals, neighborly neighbors, and tireless spirit. My thoughts are with all the victims and their families during this difficult time. #BostonStrong!

Hello, friends! This month has been a flurry of wedding planning (venues locked down), some long work days (many of which end only so I can catch the last shuttle to the T), and enjoying the first signs of spring (60s are a step in the right direction).

I've also taken some time to dabble in a corner of the culinary arena I've always wanted to try: bread making. I've made previous attempts with mixed results (including my successful Hunger Games homage, a fairly dense challah braid for a ladies' brunch, and a dreadfully failed ciabatta loaf). One of my coworkers happens to make his own sourdough bread, from which he makes pretty impressive sandwiches, and he generously brought me a bit of his starter.

For those of you (like me) unfamiliar with sourdough bread, it's very hands-off, with basically no kneading but a long rise time (initially 12-15 hr.). The recipe begins with starter -- a goopy glob of flour, water, and natural yeast harvested from the air. (As Jason described it, "You basically let flour and water rot on your counter for a while." Not trusting my judgment of what's desirable rot vs. actual rot, I opted to take some starter rather than make my own.) Feed it a steady diet of flour and water, and it'll live and age happily as you use/replenish it. If you don't feed it, the yeast will eventually starve and ferment. Not sure if your starter is dead? "If it smells as though you'd go blind if you ate it, it's probably dead," was the advice I got.

The first loaf was okay - it was quite dense, but it tasted good and had a nice velvety texture. We served it with some Quibebe (spicy butternut squash soup -- recipe to come).

  

Encouraged by the first attempt, I bought a scale for more accurate measurement. By the next week, my starter looked a little anemic, but I tried again. This time the loaf rose even less and was even denser. I started leaving my starter out on the counter, and it appeared to perk up a bit. But the third loaf was even more sad.

I often observe that people who are afraid to cook lose all common sense in the kitchen -- because they think they're bad at it, they follow every instruction to the letter and don't trust any of their own instincts. I think I'm this way with bread -- I asked so many questions and pored over the recipe so many times that I'm sure I missed some pretty obvious signs about what I'm doing wrong. That said, any advice out there on bread baking?