The "Simon" Sourdough

Bread is one of the few constants in the food world. Recipes and methods for baking bread haven’t changed much over the centuries. When you think about it, it really is amazing that people all over the world still make bread using the same processes and recipes as their ancestors. With this sense of history in mind, food designer Marije Vogelzang approached her latest project, which involves a sourdough, named Simon. The project, which is a collaboration between Marije and The Museum of Dordecht in The Netherlands, is held at the former house of banker and collector Simon van Gijn. In the kitchen of this historic home, Maije has created a sourdough that permanently lives inside the museum. Because a sourdough culture will remain active, as long as it’s given flour and water regularly, Simon’s yeast will continue to develop, feeding off the molecules of the house as it grows.

From Marije: Simon is site specific and can only be made in the museum. In this way I sort of "catch" the atmosphere of the collector's house. Once a week the sourdough is baked as a cake in a special copper baking pan I designed for it. When Simon is being baked the smell will spread through the premises making the house, which is a silent witness of the past filled with lifeless artifacts, come to life again.

The Simon sourdough currently resides in the kitchen of the Van Gijn house, where it will remain, as a living organism. Visitors will be given an opportunity to take a piece of the Simon starter home with them. By using this starter to produce their own bread, they will be, in a sense, creating Simon’s offspring.

**The recipe of the final cake is based on a recipe used by the mother of Simon van Gijn (c. 1850). --Erin

The Mixing Bowl: Dutch Almond Cake by Alja and Her Mom

Today my friend Alja is kind enough to be sharing her mother's delicious recipe for almond cake. Alja and her family moved from The Netherlands to the States when she was five and although she's been living in the U.S. for many years now, deep down, she'll always been a Dutch girl at heart. Every now and again she'll bring a special Dutch treat into the office, like these bread sprinkles or the almond cake, and I get super excited! What's really great about this cake is that it looks so unassuming, but, man, is it packed with a lot of yummy almond flavor. So humble and simple, sort of like modern Dutch architecture. :-) Thanks, Alja!

You can find the complete recipe after the jump.

Would You Like Some Bread with Your Sprinkles?

A coworker of mine, who was born in the Netherlands, told me that she puts these chocolate sprinkles on bread and claims that it's a really great treat. To which I replied: Sprinkles on bread? Okay, if you say so.

Wanna try them for yourself? You know you do! Visit The Little Dutch Girl for more info.