The Sourdough Bread Craze (And How I Appreciated the Slow-Down)
The Sourdough Bread Craze (and How I Appreciated the Slow-Down)
Making sourdough bread has always been one of those things I thought I’d likely never do. I love watching baking shows with my daughter and usually feel inspired to get in the kitchen and create something yummy, but somehow never could seem to find the time to make it happen. Sourdough bread is labor intensive and not to mention the amount of attention it requires, so it never made the cut on our baking adventures. Being a busy working mom, this just didn’t fit with my lifestyle.
Several weeks ago, I found myself with nothing but time at home (just as you did I’m sure) and no bread on the store shelves. It was during those first few weeks that I started thinking about making my own bread. I have always loved baking and thought this would be a fun new hobby to take on during our days of quarantine. Unfortunately, there was no yeast on the shelves of the grocery store either.
At this point I started looking into how to make my own sourdough starter. I thought surely it couldn’t be that hard if all those folks on social media are doing it! I noticed more and more that people were making their own sourdough bread and posting their gorgeous bakes online. I was totally influenced and wanted to join them! I don’t want to think of how many YouTube videos and Instagram TV videos I watched. I became totally obsessed...and empowered to try it!
I messaged a sweet friend of mine who makes sourdough, and even teaches classes on the subject, in hopes that she would have some beginner’s tips for me. Not only did she share lots of great tips, she also shared her own starter with me! It was only a few hours later she delivered the starter to my house (from a social distance) with clear instructions on how to feed it and a simple beginner’s recipe for making bread. In many ways the term feed freaks me out a bit. I mean, that indicates that it’s alive--and there’s a good chance that I might kill it. On the other hand, it felt like a precious gift. She was sharing something with me that had been in her kitchen for years...and that she had shared with countless others before me. I’m a huge advocate for building community and I started to see how the process of making sourdough was another avenue for bringing people together, even in a worldwide pandemic.
I basically ran straight to the kitchen to get to work. I grabbed all of the supplies and fed my new baby. I was on cloud nine and knew it was going to be so perfect! I’ll spare you the details but that first loaf was actually NOT perfect. It was flat and not toasty brown like I imagined it would be. It didn’t look anything like all those photos I had seen online. My family was kind and ate it anyway saying how great it tasted and when you popped it in the toaster it was just right. In all honesty, it gave me good reason to give up. But before being completely defeated, my sweet friend endured many text messages from me and coached me on what I could improve. So I tried again.
The second bake was definitely better, and the third even better than that. Sometimes it’s hard to keep going when learning something new. I think I’m often the person with the mindset of “if it doesn’t turn out perfectly the first time I just write it off and decide it’s not worth my time.” I’m learning that true artisans take the time to hone their craft and no one is a success overnight, or at least not me.
Now that I’m several weeks into the process, I am loving it so much. It’s gotten to the point that I can now make bread without having to look at the recipe at all and that feels like such a feat! It really makes the whole process even more enjoyable. I have not only been able to feed my family, I’ve also been able to share with neighbors and friends. I have even shared my starter with a few people that wanted to make bread themselves.
Pre-quarantine I was so intimidated by the idea of making something as difficult as sourdough bread. Now that I’ve done it, I can see that it helped me pass time at home and keep my mind and hands busy all while blessing my family and friends. I hope when I look back at this time of sheltering at home I see that we didn’t waste our time, but used it to learn new things and strengthen relationships, even from a distance.
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Dawn Trest, Storyteller
Author’s Bio:
Dawn Trest is a creative soul that lives in Laurel Mississippi with her husband Michael, and two kids Anne and Liam. She is an extroverted enneagram two, who loves meeting new people—in person and through social media! She has been a lifestyle blogger for over 10 years, and enjoys writing about family adventures, travel, food, and casual mom style on her blog and Instagram.
With a background in education and teaching for ten years, she shifted gears in 2016 and became the executive director of The Young Women’s Christian Organization. This is a local non-profit that focuses on building community and creating opportunities for educational growth in areas of art, music, and yoga to name a few. Dawn is passionate about helping connect people and helping them find true community. Her work at the YWCO affords many opportunities to be creative in planning events and organizing programs with a board of directors and volunteers.
In her free time you may find her camping with her family, taking a weekend road trip, or cooking a delicious meal for friends.
