Welcome to my inquiry project which is about exploring various digital technologies to assist with the baking process. Throughout my baking journey I am interested in, and will be focusing on using sourdough starter in each recipe I choose to make. In January of 2025, I made it my New Year’s resolution to create a sourdough starter and learn how to bake sourdough bread. I have had relatively good success. My overarching goal now, is to explore more recipes that involve sourdough starter and use technology as an aide to assist me on my baking journey.
I have become comfortable with bread making, and would love to explore more about the world of baking in other ways. Above are pictures of my first ever loaf of sourdough on the left, and the other is one of my latest loaf of sourdough that I gifted to a friend.
How can Baking connect to Elementary/Middle Education?
I think there are many ways that baking in general can be connected into the elementary and middle school curriculum. Baking with sourdough could involve many different subjects such as mathematics education (e.g., fractions, percentages, ratios, measurement, etc.), science education (e.g.,mass, change in matter, bacteria, temperature, etc.), social studies education (e.g.,history of sourdough, exploring recipes from different cultures, etc.), english language arts education (e.g., reading, writing, comprehension, etc.) and applied design, skills and technology education (i.e., recipe creation, recipe experimentation, general cooking skills, etc.).
Many of these subjects and specific skills cross paths of various grade levels. I think that baking can be a fun and exciting way to engage the class with a hands-on lesson that they will remember for years to come. I know this because I still have fond memories of baking in elementary school as a class or in small groups. I remember learning
What is Sourdough Starter?
To make a sourdough starter you only need two ingredients, preferably a glass or ceramic jar, time and patience. To the left of the screen is my sourdough starter at it’s peak time to use.
A common question that many people have is: How is sourdough starter different from store-bought yeast? Well, the YouTube Short by @betterbakerclub below explains that sourdough starter has good bacteria, which helps to create the sour flavour and inhibit any bad bacteria from growing. Also, the TikTok by @wheatculture is very informative and answers the question of “what is a sourdough starter?” if you want to learn more.
I am excited to learn more about sourdough and baking through this inquiry project journey, by discovering new recipes, and ways to incorporate digital technology into the process. I am looking forward to my next post where I will be baking short bread cookies using sourdough starter.
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