Well, I haven’t posted for a few days as I have been hanging my head in shame after failing at my sourdough starter and bread. Not sure what went wrong, but if I set out what I did below then maybe one of my kind readers will be about to spot the problem.

I fed the starter just like normal on day 4 and on day 5 I woke up to a bubbly frothy starter. SUCCESS – or so I thought!

I searched for a sourdough bread recipe and found one that uses a sponge mixture to make the dough.

It said to pour the starter into a large glass bowl and add some warm water and flour.

I followed the instructions to the letter and gave it a good mix…

Then I left it to ‘proof’ in the airing cupboard until it get frothy on top.

Well after 10 hours it was still not frothy but sure smelt sour. I decided I couldn’t wait any longer and gave the recipe a go.

I used:

• 2 Cups of sponge (proofed starter)
• 3 Cups of flour
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 4 teaspoons of sugar
• 2 teaspoons of salt

I then left it for an hour to rise – which it didn’t and the ‘punched it down’ even though it didn’t need it as it had not risen. Then I made it into a loaf and placed it on a baking tray and scored the top with a knife.

To cut a long story short – here is the brick that I ended up with.

So what went wrong? I have started again and am determined not to give up! Any advice would be appreciated.

Related posts:

1. Sourdough Starter Day 3
2. Sourdough Starter Day 1
3. Sourdough Starter Day 2

Just a quick post today to update you with the progress of my sourdough starter, which has started to get a bit of a nasty odour. If this is your first visit here you may find it helpful to read my post Sourdough Starter Day 1.

Here is what my sourdough starter looked like today before I fed it.

And again today I just fed it with:

• ½ Cup Water
• ½ Cup Flour

Then I gave it a good mix before placing it back in the cupboard until tomorrow.

Really quite concerned over if I will need a bigger jar… It’s a hungry little bugger…Any ideas?

Related posts:

1. Sourdough Starter Day 2
2. Sourdough Starter Day 4, 5 and FAILURE!
3. Sourdough Starter Day 1

Well, I couldn’t wait 24 hours as patience is not a virtue of mine. And plus my sourdough starter looks like it was ready for its first feed.

As you can see there has been a light brown liquid appear on top of the mixture. I did some research on this and it turns out that it is called ‘hooch’. Its basically alcohol, but I wouldn’t fancy drinking it. Apparently, the arrival of the hooch is an indicator that my sourdough starter needs feeding.

Preparing to feed my sourdough starter…

Feeding looks simple. All you need is:

• ½ Cup flour
• ½ Cup water

I added them to the starter and mixed…

Then I put in the cupboard until its next feed tomorrow. I hope though that it doesn’t get too hungry, as I may need a bigger jar!

Check out Day 3

Related posts:

1. Sourdough Starter Day 3
2. Sourdough Starter Day 1
3. Sourdough Starter Day 4, 5 and FAILURE!

Nothing like a homemade loaf

I was reading the latest copy of The Green Parent this afternoon and was inspired by their article this month on making a sourdough starter to use instead of shop brought yeast for making bread.

I was determined that this was not to be one of those things that I would love to do, but never actually get around to doing. So I took action!

I decided that in order to keep me motivated I would issue myself with a challenge. I will make a blog post each day from the birth (today) of my sourdough starter to my first loaf of bread (hopefully in a week). This way hopefully my readers will be inspired by this approach too.

I will set out step by step what I am doing each and every day so that you can join in and make sourdough yourself. But be aware that this is my first time doing this. It is more of a journey of discovery rather than me giving instructions on something that I am an expert on. There is a chance that it won’t work…

Day 1 of EcoBlokes sourdough starter…

What you will need…

• 1 Clean wide mouthed jar with lid.
• 1 Cup of unbleached white flour.
• 1 Cup of water

Next…

In the jar, mix the flower and water together.

I wasn’t sure if I had to mix these together as it never mentioned it in the article that I read. I just used my common sense (hopefully anyway!).

Next…

Put it in the cupboard to activate for around 24 hours.

So, there we have it, day 1 of making a sourdough starter. Remember to check back on day 2 to see what has happened…

If you can add anything to this post for day 1, please post below. Guidance, criticism and encouragement are all more than welcome

Check out Day 2

Related posts:

1. Sourdough Starter Day 4, 5 and FAILURE!
2. Sourdough Starter Day 3
3. Sourdough Starter Day 2

Does your bum look big? Take the stairs!

Lifts (elevators for our friends across the pond) use an enormous amount of energy to help you do a job that your legs and stairs were designed for.

Next time you are in a situation where you may use a lift, why not take the stairs – just once? Who knows you might like it.

But it takes longer! – Maybe, but how much of your time do you actually spend waiting for the lift to come to your floor? Stairs are usually much faster.

You will also start to burn off those excess Christmas calories…

And remember: using stairs alongside a healthy balanced diet will help with all those saggy and bulgy bits… It will also massively reduce your carbon footprint…

Do you take the stairs or use the lift?

Related posts:

1. Handy tips for saving energy when cooking
2. New Years Resolution Three: Cut Those Car Miles
3. New Years Resolution One: Cut Down on Unnecessary Electricity

OxonCarts delivering a bride the green way!

You are getting married, but you want your big day to be special for the environment as well as for you and your partner.

Here are two suggestions that I have to make your special day just that little bit more special.

• Hire a rickshaw to take you from your home to the church or registry office. This is a fun way of getting to your venue with the least impact on the environment.

Here in Oxford OxonCarts offer this service. A few other cities around the UK have this on offer, so I suggest hitting Google to see if there is one in your local area.

• Get your guests to plant trees to create a small wooded area that will grow and mature in memory of your special day and your marriage. It will come to be a place that you and your partner visit as you grow old together. I suggest contacting your local council and ask if they have a piece of land that you can do this on. Maybe somewhere secluded? The best person to speak with would be the officer that deals with the environment.

I hope that you find these two suggestions helpful. If you have anymore eco-wedding day tips then please post them below.

Related posts:

1. Handy tips for saving energy when cooking
2. Soapods Soap Nuts
3. Tips for a Green Christmas and Boxing Day! Over to You!

Time you gave your fridge some TLC?

It may seem a little daft, but getting the hoover out and giving your fridge coils the once over won’t just save you energy but money too!

The black pipe work on the rear of your fridge (the coils) is used to regulate the fridges temperature. When these get dusty, the fridge has to work that little bit harder to cool your food. When it does this it uses more energy and also could reduce the life of the appliance.

So, make commitment today to find 5 minutes to pull the fridge out and hoover those coils!

Got any fridge related energy saving tips? Then post them below…

Related posts:

1. Snow as Energy? Is Snow Power the Next Big Thing?

How you thought of going solar?

Most of us when we think of solar power we think of electricity, but what about solar hot water? And what if you could bypass all the expensive equipment and make your own?

What are the benefits of Solar Hot Water?

• You can heat your water all year round. However you may need to give it a boost in your boiler during winter months to bring it up to your desired temperature. This is better than heating it from cold.
• Power from the sun is free. So once you have paid for the materials to build your solar hot water system, you’ll be saving money!
• You’ll reduce your carbon footprint. Solar power is 100% green and 100% renewable!

There are two options to consider when you want a solar hot water system. Firstly you can make your own, which is reasonably simple or secondly you could buy a full system and have it installed.

How to make a solar hot water system…

Hear is a video of one way that you can make a solar hot water system.

I haven’t attempted to make one of these yet, but if you have then please share your views.

Check out the Energy Saving Trust for more info…

No related posts.

What an eco way to socialize! Just a shame that ecobloke is an ecodude and not an ecodudette or I would join in!

Here is a video about Stitch ‘n’ Bitch.

Check out the Stitch ‘n’ Bitch site to find your local group…

Have you tried stitching and bitching?

No related posts.

A small town in Japan is doing just that and not just in the winter…

Check out this CNN report.

Could you make a Snow Powered Fridge to use for the next few weeks so that your regular fridge can be switched off? Just image the energy saving you would make while making use of all that free energy. Now thats low-carbon living…

I am going to try to give it a go and see what I come up with…

Related posts:

1. When Was The Last Time That You Hoovered The Fridge?
2. Is the snow showing up your eco credentials?
3. Handy tips for saving energy when cooking