Pandemic Sourdough

When Covid 19 became part of the norm of 2020, and self isolation for the protection of ourselves, of the vulnerable, and the health care system, was something we were all subject to, many of us took up strange hobbies to occupy our minds and make use of the time we had at home.

Some learned to sew or knit. Others dabbled in writing or in reading those books that had been sitting on the shelf for months or years. Maybe a guitar was picked up and YouTube lessons streamed while strumming made their way into your daily habit. For me, as with many, my outlet was sourdough. That sweet and sour, soft bread born from a living bacterial culture occupied my nights and my days. Dreaming hours were privy to sourdough woes just as often as waking hours. I worried about the type of flour I used to feed it, whether the recipe I had was the best, whether it’s supposed to be sticky, or perhaps that it was too dry. I wondered if I should clean the container each time I fed it or if I should continue to let it stew in it’s own growth. This goopy substance was an entirely central focus in my life.

As restrictions lifted and we gingerly entered the world once more, some may have abandoned their creative endeavors, but to those of us who didn’t, do you feel as if your life has altered so completely that now, to abandon the sourdough, or the guitar, or the knitting, would be to leave a part of you behind? I do. As a result, my life is now dictated by the sourdough living in my fridge.

Every four to five days, a reminder pops up on my smart phone. Ding. Feed your sourdough today! The message reads. With bittersweet obedience I go to the fridge, open the door, and take out the jar hosting the nebulous entity.

I always try to schedule a feeding on Saturday or Sunday. Otherwise, if it falls mid-week, I can’t take it out of the fridge and feed it until the afternoon, as I am not at home. If I do this, then the leftover bits need to become bread, or pizza, or something other than what it is, resulting in a very late night as that extra glob of culture turns into something else, resulting in midnight pizza, or 3 am bread. You might say that I could wait. I could feed the sourdough and leave the leftovers in the fridge until a more convenient time came along to make something out of it. This is absolutely true, but then you see, there would be two jars of growing sour culture in my fridge. A desire to control anything, resists this logic. So, I try to make the fourth or fifth day of its growing cycle land on a weekend, then spend nearly the entire day constantly returning to the bread or pizza dough I am creating, nursing it to becoming what it will be in the end.

It may sound ridiculous to some that my life revolves around a growing sourdough culture. Perhaps it is ridiculous. Or perhaps the caring for something, occupying my mind, and creating something that can be eaten in the end, is one element that is keeping all the seams of my life stitched together; however haphazardly. I live alone, and my cat often refuses to acknowledge my presence. Hence, to relieve the pressure he has in keeping me company, the sourdough must step in.

If you’ve got a sourdough calling out to you from within your fridge, or perhaps are finding that you need an extra something to grow, care for, and occupy your mind, consider this recipe for beautiful ciabatta bread!

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120 g sourdough

10g salt

400g warm water

500g flour

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Take the sourdough out of the fridge and measure out 120g into a medium sized bowl. 

Add the water and let sit for 20-30 minutes. 

Add the flour and the salt. Mix. 

Cover with a damp cloth and let sit in a dark, warm place, for 1 hour. 

Fold the dough from the outside to the inside four times, rotating the bowl  90 degrees each time to fold in a new side each time. 

Flip  over the the newly folded dough so the top is now on the bottom. 

If the dough is starting to stick to the bowl, add olive oil.

Repeat every hour for the next 6 hours.

Preheat the oven to 500degrees C

Place the dough on a well floured surface. Coat all sides with flour, and divide into three equal parts. 

Place onto a pan and bake in the oven for 18-22 minutes or until lightly golden brown.

Remove, rest, and serve with butter, jam, or your favorite topping!

Enjoy!