The Forgotten Sourdough

Akira loved to bake bread. He kept a jar of sourdough starter in his kitchen. It was a mix of flour and water that lived and grew. He fed it every day. He was proud of it.

Akira suka membuat roti. Ia menyimpan sebuah toples biang roti sourdough di dapurnya. Isinya campuran tepung dan air yang hidup dan berkembang. Ia memberinya makan setiap hari. Ia bangga akan biang rotinya.

Then he went on a trip for two weeks. He forgot the jar. It stayed at the back of the fridge.

Lalu ia pergi bepergian selama dua minggu. Ia lupa pada toples itu. Toples itu tertinggal di bagian belakang kulkas.

When Akira came home, he opened the jar. The starter was grey. A dark liquid sat on top, and it smelled sharp and sour.

Ketika Akira pulang, ia membuka toples itu. Biang rotinya berwarna abu-abu. Cairan gelap menggenang di atasnya, dan baunya tajam dan asam.

"It is dead," he said. He felt very sad.

"Sudah mati," katanya. Ia merasa sangat sedih.

He called his friend, a baker. "Don't throw it away," she said. "Come to my shop."

Ia menelepon temannya, seorang pembuat roti. "Jangan dibuang," katanya. "Datanglah ke tokoku."

At the shop, she showed him what to do. "First, pour off the dark liquid," she said. "Take two spoons of starter. Put them in a clean jar. Add flour and warm water. Do this twice a day for three days."

Di toko itu, temannya menunjukkan apa yang harus dilakukan. "Pertama, buang cairan gelapnya," katanya. "Ambil dua sendok biang. Taruh di toples yang bersih. Tambahkan tepung dan air hangat. Lakukan ini dua kali sehari selama tiga hari."

On the first day, nothing happened. On the second day, Akira saw a few small bubbles. On the third day, the jar was full of bubbles. It smelled sweet, like fruit.

Pada hari pertama, tidak terjadi apa-apa. Pada hari kedua, Akira melihat beberapa gelembung kecil. Pada hari ketiga, toples itu penuh gelembung. Baunya manis, seperti buah.

On Saturday, he made a loaf. The crust was brown and crunchy, and the inside was soft. He ate three pieces with butter.

Pada hari Sabtu, ia membuat sebuah roti. Kulitnya cokelat dan renyah, dan bagian dalamnya lembut. Ia makan tiga potong dengan mentega.

Then he took a pen and wrote "STARTER!" on a note. He stuck it on the door of his suitcase.

Lalu ia mengambil pulpen dan menulis "BIANG ROTI!" di sebuah catatan. Ia menempelkannya di pintu kopernya.