While watching the Blue Zone documentary, I got inspired for baking my own Ikaria sourdough. Then I watched Saana Vaara, a Finland girl baking her own sourdough in a cozy room during the polar night, a frozen dark world outside, warm and cozy inside. I decided to learn how to bake my own sourdough.
I learned you have to create your own sourdough starter, the natural yeast, which takes a week. It’s something new, for me. I got a jar and following the online instructions, fed my starter proportionally, then watched it grow. Mama got tickled that everyday I always carry my starter jar everywhere in the house, chasing warm spots or warm heat vents.
Every morning, I got my inspiration to pull myself out of bed: to check if my starter rose. Funny, but that thought always got me out of bed immediately.
Finally I got my starter ready for making sourdough. I got creative, put all the nutrient-dense flours I can think of to mix in, rye, whole wheat… Thinking of my own longevity recipe, I was thrilled.
It didn’t turn out so good, the dough was too sticky, I barely can lift it off the board, let alone the portion I lost on the board and my hands…. I barely can transfer it to the oven. Lesson learned…portions matter!
The second loaf was much better. I used more traditional flour, and it worked. My dough can easily move on the board, jiggling like a ball, the best scene of the day.
I am also learning to use a Dutch Oven, that is a new concept for me. I love that nice heavy equipment, feels solid and old, like the old way of living, can carry on through time, before and after me.
I love using my bread lame to make a little drawing on top of the bread, like a signature. My personal touch, from my kitchen to my heart.
I fell in love with making sourdough now, and make it almost every week. It gives me hope, something looking forward to: simply by watching and waiting for my starter to grow; stretching my dough until it’s strong and elastic; to hand drawing the image that sings to my heart.
Aha! The longevity code not only lies in the sourdough itself, but also in the process of making it with heart and hands, honest and pure.