The algorithm has caught up to me and I along with the rest of the Facebook Moms are drinking the Sourdough Bread Baking kool-aid.
Sourdough bread is nothing new to the “What’s Trending” reports. Bread baking has been around since the early days of 1500 BC. I am thankful for the bread gods and goddesses who risked their time (and probably lives) experimenting with wild yeast.
As much as I joke about the algorithm and everyone baking bread these days, I am encouraged to hear more people are learning the skill of bread making.
My desire to learn about bread began just over a year ago and I set out eagerly determined. I even shared an article about it here on the Local Pulse (there is a recipe included). Oddly enough, the theme of “daily bread” has traversed with me through the months since then, though the baking part has not.
Overtime, I noted that eating bread was causing bloating and discomfort in my belly almost immediately after I would consume pasta and/or bread. Having English roots, bread and butter has always been a go to snack for me. This new found discomfort was a major red flag and something that needed lawsuit action quickly!
The approach of baking my own bread was a last resort effort to try a cleaner set of ingredients, with no success. So I gave up. I didn’t feel like it was for me and I’ve limited my gluten consumption almost entirely.
Flash forward to just a few weeks ago and I was reintroduced to the idea of baking my own bread. This time, a friend shared with me the story of her sourdough starter, how long it had been around, and what she was doing to keep it fed.
A science experiment, ey? Count me in.
My friend met me with a recycled spaghetti sauce jar of sourdough starter in the pier parking lot. After the handoff, I looked both ways before diving right into the YouTube rabbit hole of sourdough bread baking.
To my surprise, it didn’t take very long to find my match for which recipe I would go with. Link here for your reference! After watching this video about 100 times, I’d taken enough notes and baked many loaves of tasty bread to conclude this may actually be a sustainable success!
What I’m Learning:
- The fermenting process of sourdough creates a gluten that is more naturally digestible for our bodies. I have no discomfort in my tummy after eating. *I am no medical expert, merely going off my experience and backing up with limited research.
- Bread slows time down. The process is not quick. I have a bread bag I take to work with me if I know I won’t be home during a stage of the proofing process.
- Bread connects you with others. I’ve shared a few loaves with friends and family so far. Each time, I find much joy in the smile on their face from a gift that was simple and fulfilling to make.
Bread making is not for everyone, and I am feeling the challenges of the discipline it actually takes. However, I do think there is great value in learning something new and building a more sustainable skillset.
The journey with sourdough is leading me back to a more natural way of living and simple way of thinking. It helps settle the noise and calms my nervous system down. My daughter is catching on to baking with me, giving us a new opportunity to spend quality time and experiment with recipes.
If you are interested in beginning your sourdough making journey or a long time baker, I’d love to connect and share fails, successes, and starter stories! Feel free to send me an email (find it below). Heck, maybe we will even discover a whole sourdough community here in Pensacola. Does it exist? You tell me!
Cheers to more sourdough loaves and bread baking history.
Email: makenna@localpulse.com to join in the sourdough bread baking community!
