This is how it all starts -- Potato Sourdough Day 1

Thanks to Bradford's mom i'm trying out a sourdough recipe. (Thanks Mrs. Church!) My motivation comes from all the envious days at lunch when I saw Bradford eating that delicious smelling bread. Hopefully those days are over!

Potato Sourdough Starter Ingredients

• ½ to ¾ cup sugar (I did a half cup and scooped back for a dab more)
• 3 tablespoons instant potato flakes
• 1 package active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm/hot water (120 to 130 degrees) (I didn't know what this meant, so I just ran the hot water from the tap for a little bit and figured that should be a good enough temperature)

1) I started out with a regular jar that used to hold HOT salsa in it. Hopefully this doesn't confuse anyone too much.

2) I threw the sugar, potato flakes and yeast into the jar

 3) Poured in a cup of water (remember just hot from the tap, you could still touch it)

4) Now this is where my steps become a little shady. To be honest with you, I mixed with a metal spoon. I know we're not supposed to! After saying "OH CRAP" I began mixing with a wooden spoon as depicted here. I may be rolling dice on this move, but we'll see how it plays out.

5) This is what the final product looks like mixed. Afterwards I secured the lid and walked away. 

6) After about 30 minutes and with talking to my boyfriend (who by the way deals a lot with yeast since he brews beer), I decided to loosen the seal on the cap because of the CO2 buildup. I didn't want to risk glass exploding. In addition, as you can see here, there contents started to separate into two forms. 

6) I just stirred it again finally with a wooden spoon this time. I named my starter "Patty" because shes made from potatoes and I thought that made sense. Fitting right? Am I right?!. Hang in there Patty, i'm here for you.