I make my own alcohol.
Yep, you heard me correctly. Right here in my own home I have my own alcohol
fermenting as we speak. Now, I know what question you’re just dying for me to
answer—what kind of alcohol in particular are you making, Ethan? Well I’m glad
you asked! It’s actually ethanol, to be exact. Alright, now before you flat out
throw away this piece or start dialing 9-1-1, let me add a little bit of
context; I am a bread maker. I craft and bake my own bread right here in my
house with nothing more than flour, water, and little bit of salt. In fact, the
alcohol that I produce is one of the byproducts of my quest to master one of
the most complex, distinct, and delicious breads there is: sourdough.
Sourdough bread is like
no other bread. Most conventional bread products on the market are produced by
packaged dry yeast activated with a simple splash of water. But sourdough isn’t
so simple; it requires an active colony of yeast that acts like a live creature
demanding to be fed with additional water and flour on a scheduled basis. What
gives sourdough that unique pungent flavor is actually the acetic and lactic
acid produced as a side product of the yeast fermenting, as well as
ethanol. The alcohol separates and rises into its own broad liquid layer that
bread makers refer to as “hooch”. My professional opinion is to not drink the
hooch.
Sourdough making is such
an engaging and awesome process to be a part of. While it is pretty time
consuming (the stretching, folding, autolysis, gluten forming, fermenting, and
shaping takes a whole twenty four hours to complete), it is so rewarding. There
is nothing like the aroma of a fresh loaf baking in the oven, and certainly
nothing like that texture of a crackly crust contrasted by an airy and open
crumb. That distinctive sour note you taste when you take a bite of sourdough
bread is such an awesome experience. Every bite is complex and invigorating,
bringing life to any sandwich, piece of toast, or slice of bread and butter.
The steps to making that
perfect sourdough can just be as fun as actually eating it. Wild yeasts in the
air are unique to every region of the world, so every sourdough starter has its
own distinct flavor and smell. Experimenting to find that perfect ratio between
white and whole wheat flour creates its own unique taste, texture, and aroma
within each loaf. And of course, mixing additional ingredients into the dough
such as raisins, herbs, or everything bagel seasoning (my personal favorite)
yields bread that is not only customizable but reflective of your own preferred
tastes.
My relationship with
bread doesn’t end with sourdough, however. I also have created challah breads,
bread bowls, baguettes, naan, pita, and of course your normal loaf of crusty
bread. And while these processes don’t require me to break the law, I still
find enjoyment in creating an edible product with just several ingredients.
Every single type of bread is similar to every other type, going back to the
three main ingredients: flour, salt, water. Every single type of bread made on
this earth has some combination of these three ingredients, yet there are so
many other factors that come into play that create thousands upon thousands of
different end products. No two loaves of the same bread are ever the same, and
that’s what makes baking so awesome. Every time I pull out a stand mixer or a
banneton, I’m overwhelmed by the endless possibilities. More so, I am
captivated by the little things--the texture of whole grain flour, the smell of
yeast and water mixing together, and the smoothness of a tight ball of dough
doubling in size.
So yes, I break the law.
And to be honest, I love doing it. Being a baker has become a part of who I am,
a representation of what I believe in. Some people think it’s weird for a
teenage boy to wear a chef’s jacket and know how to ferment yeast. To them I
say, “Don’t be so sour.”
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