The Sourdough Chroni(what!)cle, continued

Well, my sourdough is getting better and better. Last night's bread was easily the best yet. I think the problem was that I was keeping the starter in the fridge.

I thought I was protecting it, but I was keeping it from growing up. Isn't that just like a parent? I wanted it to stay young forever. I would check on it while it was sleeping, all dark and cool in the fridge. Well, I've been leaving it out the past few days, on top of the fridge, and I have to say I'm more than a little proud of its growth. Spread your wings, my pet, and fly.
This world is yours.

Anyway, I didn't have my camera last night, so the only picture I have is this I took when I brought it in to share with co-workers this morning.

I don't know if it's visible, but the bread is much more airy, lighter, the crust is less tough-- There are several things I did differently last night to achieve this, but I'm going to credit the starter.

On a bittersweet note, the slate tile I took home to be my bread-baking stone couldn't hold up to the repeated 400-degree heating & cooling cycles. It split last night like Aslan's Stone Table, right down the middle.

I guess that signifies the end of the old me and my re-birth as a bona fide bread baker.

And, it signifies that I have to get a new stone. First stop: Overstock.com!

Update: They didn't have anything.