Pumpkin seed and parmesan bread stick

Parmesan Bread Stick

Like any hobby , commitment is the dividing line between enjoying a fun filled activity and one that thrives only on need and duty.

This is how I feel towards my starter dough - duty and the commitment to maintain a relationship. Sometimes it becomes a love-hate relationship - I loathe the tub of living yeast gaining a foothold in my life and in the tight real estate of my fridge. I fret relentlessly over when was the last time I fed it.

However, on its part, it has been dutiful, like a good servant, having  spawned loaves of sourdough, pretzels and even pizza bases.

Whenever I was tempted to stop our relationship, I remembered the effort and time spent  creating the creature to what it is today - a reliable animal that does its job just the way I like it. And it made peace by producing the most incredible aroma, even from the tiniest bread stick . At this point, all debts are forgotten.

My starter dough is nearing the end of its feeding spell. The telltale signs of  hooch calls for another feed of fresh bread flour and water. And with part of the refreshed starter, I threw in  parmesan and pumpkin seeds for good measure, unkink the pretzel and voila! Out comes 7 bread sticks, all ready for breakfast !

The base recipe is taken from my pretzel post, with  seeds and cheese added during the kneading process. The amount of  frills is up to you but experience has shown that this little bit of dough can hold only this much seeds and cheese.

Pretzel or bread stick, it is only a point of view.