Sharry Miller

Sourdough Musings

Since yesterday's Scottish Buttermilk Bread didn't meet our bread needs for the week, and since I haven't used my sourdough sponge (starter) in a month, I decided to make some sourdough bread today. Actually, I made that decision late last night and added two cups of white flour and two cups of water to the cup of sponge I had in the refrigerator. It needed to sit on the counter overnight to get well activated... Read more →

Scottish Buttermilk Bread

My adventures with Bernard Clayton's New Complete Book of Breads continued yesterday with the making of Scottish Buttermilk Bread. With this loaf I was forced to acknowledge that if I'm going to work my way through all of the recipes in the book, I'm going to make loaves that don't suit my needs, that is, aren't standard loaves of bread appropriate for toast, sandwiches, etc. Clayton describes Scottish Buttermilk Bread as being "closely akin to... Read more →

Bread of Five Risings

I checked the clock and added time carefully before I tackled the next recipe in Bernard Clayton's New Complete Book of Breads. It was nearly 4:30 when I started, and since the recipe said the dough required five risings, I wasn't sure it would be done in time for dinner. It took my fingers and toes to calculate, but I decided all would be well if we didn't eat early. I was wrong. We finished... Read more →

Baking Bread

As I type, a bowl of warm bread dough is rising in my oven. It is a miracle. Every loaf of bread is a miracle. A few years ago, I purchased Bernard Clayton's New Complete Book of Breads,revised and expanded, mind you. It has sat on my cookbook shelf, like most of my cookbooks, completely ignored. Occasionally I'd glance at it and think that I should methodically for my way through all of its 748... Read more →

Driving Denali

It was like a minor miracle: the first time we applied for a permit to drive our own vehicle into Denali National Park, we got one. I have a friend who's been applying for 20 years and never gotten one. Normally, the only way to get back into the park is on one of the official National Park Service tour buses, but then you're subject to where they stop and for how long. In their... Read more →

Ice Tunnel Adventure

"Yeah...when's the last time you did anything outside of your comfort zone?" I had to actively keep my mouth from falling open when I heard my daughter's sarcastic voice say this to me. Me. Have I failed to live my philosophy of "if it makes me nervous I should probably do it"? I don't think so, but perhaps. Of course, she could just have been a teenager trying to show off in front of her... Read more →

Freedom with Fear

As our group of 11 women walked down the Wagon Trail in Valdez, someone commented on the number of bear scat piles we'd seen. I hadn't thought it was that many, six or so in two miles, but I suppose if you're not used to them, that's a lot. Another asked if we should be worried. I replied, "None of them were steaming, were they?" Later that evening, at the final dinner for this Adventures... Read more →

Gold Mint Trail Backpacking

When I was 13, I got a beautiful book that still inspires me, even though I haven't seen it in years. It was coffee table sized and replete with gorgeous photos. The chapters alternated technical information about camping and backpacking with essays about specific hiking areas across the U.S. I could spend hours reading, planning, and dreaming. Alas, I never brought those dreams to fruition. I have always loved the idea of backpacking, have always... Read more →

Paddling Robe Lake

Wow, it has been forever and a day since I wrote anything here. I am sorry. Mostly for myself. I always took such pleasure in sharing a bit of my life here, and I've missed doing so this summer. And what a wonderful summer it's been. I've had many great little adventures while getting out and about in Valdez. As usual, I had grand plans for traveling around south-central Alaska to go backpacking and biking,... Read more →

Cordova's Heney Ridge Trail

I'm interrupting my incredibly slow sharing of my trip to Nicaragua to tell you about the amazing hike I went on today. I'm in Cordova, Alaska, for work for a week, and had today off. Miraculously, it wasn't raining when I woke up, so I carried on with my plans to go for a good long hike. I was going to go even if it was raining, but it's much more pleasant when it's not.... Read more →