Good morning, reader. Today I think of you — the singular, summertime you — reading and then heading into the kitchen or perhaps to the breakfast table to enjoy what someone else has cooked. It is of course true that cooking is not a solitary act. And twice this summer readers have referred to “angels” who helped them in the kitchen. These are the real-life variety who come alongside to help when hands are weak or mobility is compromised, and for those people we can, individually and communally, be most grateful.
Let’s keep being, if not angelic, open-handed in the food department. To that end, today’s requests. Yeast of the Ridge has two questions, one small and one large.
“Where can I purchase sourdough starter locally?”
And secondly, “I am trying to cut sugar in baked goods. I never know how much sugar I can cut from a recipe, without sacrificing taste. Could anyone give me a formula for this, perhaps a percentage of sugar to flour? I would also love to get specific recipes for lower-sugar baked goods.”
In a kitchen conversation Ms. Ridge pulled from her pantry a container marked “Sugars Real and Faux” and began to wonder which sugar substitutes are legit, so we will add that request to the ones above. “There was a jar of Splenda, one of Swerve, one of erythritol and a brown-sugar substitute dedicated to baking. I’m out of stevia and agave syrup; should I get more? What am I missing?”