For a while I had a mason jar of wild water ferment with barley seeds. In the past, I have used it  to bake some great breads, but of late wasn’t paying attention to it. The result? It sort of died off. So I took about a hundred grams of this ferment, added cut-up figs, coconut sugar and then topped it off with water.

Two days later, as a friend suggested, I could have started making moonshine from the liquid. If only I knew how! Instead, I put it to work on the dough. It sucked up flour like a charm, transforming into a “sponge.” I gave the formula another twist: typical sixty-forty wheat and rye, turned into a spelt and wheat loaf, with nice results.