Sourdough Oat Bread

The Aroma of Home: My Sourdough Journey

As a busy businesswoman, my days are often a whirlwind of meetings, deadlines, and travel. Finding moments of peace and grounding can be a challenge, but I've discovered a surprising source of solace in the heart of my home – my kitchen. More specifically, my sourdough starter, a bubbling, living entity that has become my culinary companion.

It all started during the lockdown. Stuck at home, I craved a project, a connection to something tangible and real. Bread making, particularly sourdough, seemed to fit the bill. It required patience, nurturing, and a willingness to learn from both successes and failures – qualities that resonated deeply with my professional life. I began with a simple starter, flour and water mixed together and left to ferment. Watching it come alive, bubbling and growing, was mesmerizing. It felt like magic, a small ecosystem thriving right on my countertop. My first loaves were dense, sometimes too sour, sometimes flat, but each attempt was a learning experience.

Slowly, I began to understand the nuances of sourdough. The importance of temperature, the feel of the dough, the subtle shifts in aroma that signaled its readiness. It became a meditative practice, a way to disconnect from the digital world and reconnect with a more primal rhythm. The process of kneading, folding, and shaping the dough became a form of stress relief, a physical manifestation of the mental decluttering I so desperately needed.

Now, years later, my sourdough starter is a treasured member of my household. I've named her "Bubbles," and she travels with me whenever I can. Tucked safely in a jar in my carry-on, she's a reminder of home, of the simple pleasures that ground me amidst the chaos. The aroma of freshly baked sourdough bread filling my apartment is more than just a delicious smell; it's a symbol of resilience, of the power of slowing down, and of the deep satisfaction that comes from creating something beautiful and nourishing with my own two hands.

My journey with sourdough has also become a conversation starter, a way to connect with people from all walks of life. Whether it's sharing a loaf with a colleague, swapping tips with fellow bakers online, or simply enjoying a warm slice with my family, sourdough has created a sense of community, a shared passion that transcends the boundaries of my busy professional life. It’s a reminder that even in the midst of deadlines and demands, there's always time for the simple joys, the quiet moments of connection, and the comforting aroma of home-baked bread. And it all starts with a simple mixture of flour and water, a little patience, and a whole lot of love.

Step-by-step

• For the sponge:
• The night before, mix the first 4 ingredients in the order given. It will look like oatmeal. Cover the bowl plastic wrap works best and put the sponge away in a warm place overnight.
• Next morning, the sponge should be light and bubbly. Beat in the salt, sugar, soda, and oil.
• Start adding flour, by handfuls or generous sprinkles, turning the mass over and over with your hands or a wooden spoon. Keep adding flour and mixing it in till you obtain a cohesive dough, a little sticky.
• Stretch and fold, adding smaller sprinklings of flour, till the dough is smooth. That should be about 10 stretches and folds. Smooth a thin layer of flour over the dough ball, cover it again, and put it away another 2 hours, or until the dough is light again.
• Working gently, cut the dough into two. Stretch and fold each half, shaping the loaf you want.
• Allow the dough to rise another half-hour to an hour, or until the it’s light and a few blisters are visible under the skin surface of it. Start preheating the oven. Prehead oven to 485 F, but lower the temp to 370 F after the loaves are put in the oven.
• Decorate the surface of the loaves by giving them an egg-wash, pressing flakes of oats on top.
• Bake for 1 hour or until a golden-brown.