If thou tastest a crust of bread, thou tastest all the stars and all the heavens. – Robert Browning
There’s few who would disagree with those lines from the poet Browning; we’re not talking about mass-produced white sandwich bread, but the golden brown, crusty goodness of a fresh loaf of homemade sourdough. Add some butter to a slice? Absolute magic.
Bread is one of the foundational building blocks of modern nutrition. It has sustained us through the centuries and ties us back to ancestors thousands of years ago, diligently milling the flour and kneading the dough and crouching by a fire – all to feed themselves and their families. The sharing of bread is an enduring picture of hospitality, beginning with early religious references of the “breaking of bread.”
In the continuing public emphasis on getting away from mass-produced food and preservatives and getting “back to basics,” more people than ever before are making their own bread. This trend skyrocketed during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020-2021 when folks were housebound and searching for hobbies. And now, as recession indicators start to loom on the horizon, self-sufficiency and stretching the dollar are becoming important once again. We will likely start to see even more home baking.
We’re going to focus on a simple recipe below, but for those interested in taking the journey with sourdough bread, you can create your own sourdough starter. It requires consistent maintenance, but if you take care of it, it’s the “gift that keeps on giving.”
If you’re looking for something a little less intensive, we’ll direct you to “The Easiest Loaf of Bread You’ll Ever Bake” – recipe courtesy of King Arthur Baking Co. Their team does an excellent job of explaining the process.
It is worth adding a note here that there are lots of baking methods. This recipe from King Arthur uses a baking sheet. However, some choose to bake with a Dutch oven or a “bread machine” (bread maker). Each method produces different crust textures. It’s best to experiment and see which you prefer baking with.
Additional reading for your bread-baking journey:
Sourdough Bread Recipe (Food Network)
16 Butters Worthy of Your Homemade Bread (Taste of Home)
