Baking bread
In 2019, a French man called Loic, gave me a gift - a fermented mix of flour & water, also known as a sourdough starter! Loic and I were living in a coliving in Spain, and one day he baked bread and enthusiastically shared his creation with rest of the colivers. As someone who loves bread I took an interest - afterall, I wasn't going to miss out on trying some freshly baked bread. I asked some questions, & before I knew it, I was accepting Loic's offer to teach me the ropes. For anyone familiar with sourdough baking, by its very nature, it is not a quick process - with a fair few steps over the course of the day. I'll be honest - although I liked the idea of baking bread myself, I'd always thought it was probably a bit of a faff and not something I'd stick with, but Loic's enthusiasm for sharing his knowledge was infectious. By the end of the day I was left with my own starter, some written instructions and a excel spreadhseet for working out my recipe - and Loic's email address for 'bread support'.
So, the baton was passed to me, and I set to work to make my very first loaf - and the result was captured on film (see below)...I was hooked.
So, since then I have continued to bake bread. Sadly the sourdough starter Loic gifted me passed away, so I started again. The starter was named 'Enrique' and he has been travelling with me for 4 years now.
Although I bake for myself once a week when I am at home. The joy of baking comes to life when I have people to share it with. Wherever I go, I find someone who is interested to learn more. And I, like Loic, enthusiastically share my knowledge with someone new. Enrique has even birthed a lot more 'starter babies' dotted around Europe now, and although some of my apprentices have probably moved on from their baking days, I know some continue to bake and also share their knowledge - and bread with others. And of course, not everyone needs to wants to learn to bake either. Baking bread for others to enjoy is my way to connect with people and give something to the community.
So Loic gave me something very special that day in Spain in 2019. A skill I could share with others and the ability to make something so simple but appreciated by anyone I give it to.
You can see a few more highlights of my sourdough bread baking journey here >
