One afternoon, I drove two lanes down to pick a small Ziploc bag with a gooey ball of dough and attached printed instructions on how to refresh this sourdough starter. These small balls of dough were picked up by many baking enthusiasts in the neighborhood who after adding flour, water, salt, rest, raise and activation, transformed it into crusty, fresh, edible art, called Bread.
That small ball of dough or leaven was how a whole lot of neighbors are all baking fresh loaves of sourdough bread at home. It all started because one of our neighbors, Silvia Zolfanelli, a passionate baker in her generous act of spreading love, started giving out small sourdough starters which connected groups in these stressful times with bread therapy.
We all have been in our homes under shelter-in-place in Austin since few weeks except for the rare grocery trips. Physically distancing yet staying socially connected online. We now work from home or do online studies. We have moved from socializing and breaking bread together to an online level of interaction. Have adopted Zoom besides conference work calls for virtual happy hours; favor video calls using Facetime, Facebook or WhatsApp with extended family and friends; and even working out, doing group yoga, cooking lessons in virtual groups. Supporting each other and being there for each other in these tough times while doing our part in flattening the curve.
Stuck inside for days together with no visible and clear plans for days ahead, people are getting into new activities and bread baking seems most popular. Research shows bread recipes are highly googled, bread pictures are most shared on Instagram and Facebook, and #bread is trending on Twitter! Besides the scarcity of toilet paper in grocery stores, yeast is now a rare commodity with this growing trend of baking bread.
Baking Bread is a therapeutic and meditative experience. It forces you to slow down and go step by step mindfully to create a simple loaf of bread. The act of waiting for the dough to rise develops patience, the act of kneading your fingers through dough calms you down, and the systematic steps helps you focus on the process itself taking your mind away from the stress and anxiety we are going through, fearful of the Corona virus.
It is also a very wholesome process, the kneading lightens your mood and works like therapy, the bread is nourishing, and the wonderful aromas of fresh baked bread permeates our homes and heals our souls.
I love baking and make leavened and unleavened breads at home. My favorite is the Naan-E –Barbari, which I make quite often besides making garlic Naans, Challah and Focaccia. Leavened bread is made with a leavening agent like yeast, but certain breads can be baked with other alternatives. The Sourdough bread can be made with just a sourdough starter. The starter can be made at home in a laborious process but for a new baker, a readymade starter makes bread baking easy.
Going back to the inspiring story of how our zealous neighbor’s small act of generosity triggered a whole lot of neighbors baking bread together. When Silvia started sharing small balls of sour dough starter every couple of days to about 10 neighbors, I too joined the interested list. Since I had never made sourdough bread at home, I was excited to be the 42th neighbor on the list, picking one of the Ziploc bags of sourdough starter with instructions. Yes, as The Hitchhiker Guide to Galaxy, I may now have the answer to life, universe and everything….. But this simple act of our neighbor, who I got connected through a neighborhood Facebook group, and never yet met, was helping many go through bread therapy! Besides giving printed step by step instructions to refresh the starter, she made videos for the group to learn the refreshing process, followed by how to videos for making bread and pizza. Not to forget the most important help of practically handholding neighbors in their baking process through private messaging. When my sourdough bread didn’t come out perfect the first time, Sylvia sent a message back with a pep talk saying the dough may not have been strong, or the rising temperature may not have been right and several other variables, encouraging me by saying it’s a learning curve and that the bread will come out better next time!
Silvia, our Italian neighbor with her baking skillset, in her small way was a hero in the neighborhood. Building a culinary bridge among families of various cultures living in the neighborhood. In this time of isolation, friends and neighbors may not be breaking bread together, but they were all baking bread together!
Our neighborhood has many heroes in the forefront, and our special thanks to all doctors, nurses and health care workers risking their lives to care for others during this difficult time of the virus. Besides them our caring neighborhood has many other heroes. Either stitching masks for healthcare workers, giving out free seed packets to start spring gardening, making playclay for bored kids, dropping groceries to the elderly or those too unwell to go to stores, sending appreciative meals to those who work in harm’s way, or volunteering other such services for each other. A Facebook Covid support group, started by another good neighbor keeps the neighborhood connected in a form of group therapy. This group over the weeks had discussions about which grocery store had restocked toilet paper and Clorox wipes or which store ran out of eggs and milk for the day or which restaurant is doing free delivery of takeout or which neighbors are stitching and donating facemasks. Now the conversations also include comparative bread stories with pictures of their sourdough. I am lucky to live in this neighborhood with such supportive neighbors calling and checking on each other, doing facetime calls and zoom parties making sure all is well. It feels as if we are all united fighting this scary invisible virus.
God keep us in good health, safe and strong. Amen.
Sylvia’s Recipe for refreshing Sourdough Starter/Leaven:
To refresh:
Mix 1 dose of sourdough with 1 dose of all-purpose flour and ½ dose of warm water. Mix it and set it in a tall mason jar at room temperature to rise. Do this every couple of days to keep the starter strong.
Sylvia’s Recipe for Sourdough Bread:
Ingredients
- 1lb –Bread flour
- 1.5 tsp –Salt
- 5 oz, Sourdough Starter dough
- 10fl oz. lukewarm water
Method:
- Measure and mix bread flour and salt. Mix the starter in warm water to a clumpy consistency. Add all ingredients in kitchen aid and stir for five minutes.
- Set aside the mixed ball of dough in a large bowl to rest and rise with a cling film for four to five hours in the oven with light on.
- After its risen, fold the dough into threes, turn it on the side and make another three folds, do this four to five times and let it rest for thirty mins to an hour. After this shape this into a round loaf.
- Cut a cross on the dough and set it in a Dutch oven or cast iron pan or pizza stone and bake in oven at 375 degrees till bread is baked.
Happy Baking!
Recipe link of the Naan –E- Barbari which I often make from the book: Hot Bread Kitchen