I’ve been fascinated by the sourdough bread process for a hot minute. My mind was overtaken by the intricate crusts I saw on Pinterest to the entrancing videos of bubbling starters on TikTok. I got a sourdough starter for Christmas last month and I’ve had loads of fun experimenting with recipes. I’ve learned a lot about sourdough, but I’ve also learned a bit about life along with it. Here are three life lessons that sourdough taught me.
Patience is a virtue
I am not a very patient person. I put my life into fast-forward when I decided to graduate college a year early, so it is incredibly difficult for me when I’m forced to slow down. I feel like I’m doing something wrong when I’m not the first person to finish an assignment or get to an event. Sourdough is no exception.
I had made a few loaves of bread before, but nothing as intensive as sourdough. Making dill bread or even plain white bread only took a few hours. A single loaf of sourdough took me an entire day! I had to feed my starter the night before I wanted to bake, let the dough bulk rise for eight hours (yes, you read that right. Eight. Hours). Bake for an hour, and cool for an hour. In total, it took me a full 24 hours to get a loaf of sourdough. However, the end result was so delicious that I didn’t care how long it took; the reward was worth the wait.
Consistency is key
Sourdough starters are high maintenance. If you keep it on the counter (which I do), they need to be fed daily with filtered water and unbleached bread flour in approximately a 1:2 ratio. Before feeding, you have to discard all but approximately 50 mL of the starter to make sure the sourdough starter does not take over your house. Keeping a consistent feeding schedule will make sure that your starter is happy; there should be bubbles and consistent growth. It’s similar to how keeping a consistent schedule of exercise and eating well makes our bodies happy.
Give yourself grace
I had an off week and forgot to feed my starter long enough that it grew pink mold. (For beginners, pink mold on a sourdough starter is a sign of bacterial contamination, which means that there is no saving the starter.) It was horrendous. I had to trash the starter, and it just about ruined my day. However, I remembered two very important things: first off, I can always make a new starter, and second, needing to start over does not erase my past successes. I thought to myself, “So what if I need a new starter? This is my very first time working with sourdough. I’m going to make mistakes.”
I realized then that baking bread is an apt metaphor for life. Good things make you wait, consistency makes your body happy, and even the best of us make mistakes. I need to give myself time to bloom. Life is not a race. On top of exercise, I need to feed my body well and on a consistent schedule. The more fuel I have and use, the better I feel. I need to embrace my imperfections. I will never be flawless, but I am human. Maybe that’s better.