Many of us are discovering a love of bread-making. This return to baking bread took off five years ago when we started spending more time at home. That’s also when ingredients such as yeast became scarce.
That created a movement toward traditional methods of bread-making, including unleavened varieties such as flatbreads and fermented sourdoughs.
Traditional sourdough is made with just flour, water, and salt, avoiding the preservatives and additives often found in commercial bread. Its tangy, complex flavour and chewy texture appeal to many.
What’s also appealing about making bread at home is the significant cost savings. If you make it yourself, you’re looking at about $1 per loaf compared to commercially made and sold bread. If you want to enjoy this artisanal bread but don’t have the time or interest in making it at home, you will pay for the time, craftsmanship, and sometimes premium ingredients that go into artisan breads. These loaves can range from around $4 to $8 or more per loaf, depending on your location and the bakery’s pricing.
Making sourdough at home requires patience and time. It begins with making your own sourdough starter. Like a baby, it needs a lot of love, with daily feedings and a warm, cozy home to grow in.
Many people who embark on this culinary adventure name their starter. That’s because it’s a living thing. You and your starter will form a relationship as you care for it. If done right, a sourdough starter can live for centuries—provided you and generations of bakers in your family keep it going.
Currently, I am in the process of making my first sourdough starter. I have named it Mildred. No offence to anyone with this name; however, if my Mildred were a person, she would be demanding and fussy—always leaving me wondering whether she will live up to her end of the bargain.
I have become obsessed with checking on her well-being several times a day. She has everything she needs to thrive, and yet, six days into our relationship, I am left guessing whether she will bloom into the starter of my dreams. Every day, I watch and wait for her to double in size. That’s the sign she is ready to do her part by providing me with the right stuff to make my first-ever loaf of delicious homemade sourdough bread.
Like some people, Mildred might be a late bloomer. Most sourdough starters take five to seven days to develop; however, others can be slow-growing and not reach maturity for a couple of weeks.
I have never been patient. As I write this, I stare across the kitchen to where Mildred resides, looking through the glass container she lives in. I get up and walk across the room, lifting the lid off the container. There are bubbles on her surface. That’s a good sign!
When my kids were little, my husband marked their heights on a wall in the garage to see how much they had grown from one year to the next. I have done the same with Mildred. With a Sharpie marker, I have drawn a line on the glass container at her highest point. I am hoping she will double in size any day now. Then, and only then, will she be ready to leave home and get to work. Wish Mildred and me lots of luck—I think we’re going to knead it!
Laverne Stewart has spent her entire career as a writer, journalist, and communications professional.She’s won multiple literary and journalism awards for her work. After a year in radio, she made the move to TV news, spending 11 years with CTV in Halifax, Saint John, and Fredericton. Stewart has also worked in government communications, most recently in the Office of the Premier. Stewart is a published author and now works on feature stories from her community and beyond. Her life is full and happy thanks to the people who are in it. She is married to her husband Robert. She is mother to Mary Louise and Nicolas. Also included in her family is Sally, a Labrador retriever, and three cats; Dusty, Joe, and Clancy. She can be reached at lavernestewart24@outlook.com.
