Sense-ational Sourdough

May 22, 2020

Sense-ational Sourdough

Sourdough making is all about using your senses. In a world where there is so much (physical) disconnect right now, connecting with all the senses in the process of making beautiful loaves of sourdough is quite therapeutic. It's all about being in the moment and sensing what your dough needs; through touch, smell, feel and taste. It's about being in touch, literally and figuratively, with your dough.

I have found this particularly helpful not only with getting through some tough days, but in learning to connect fully with the process of bread making to create even better loaves. It's about slowing down, feeling, and connecting through the power of the senses.

When I'm getting ready for another round of bread making, I'll remove my starter 'Ruby' from the fridge, pop off the lid, and take in a good whiff. Sour, sweet, fruity, and tangy are the first things to hit my senses. Microbial magic in a jar. I'll then start the process of mixing flours and water to create the leaven which will act as my (wild) yeast for the breads. The bubbly, lively bowl of leaven is an exciting visual for ever sourdough baker. It indicates that it's time to get your hands busy and get mixing. The most exciting part for me is just that - mixing. Adding the flour, water and leaven into a large bowl and getting right in there with my two mixing machines. The sticky, gooey, and soft dough squishing between my fingers while watching and feeling the ingredients come together to form the first stage of dough. Even after mixing hundreds of bowls of dough by hand, I never tire of the sensations and feelings I get when it all comes together. My thoughts wonder from time to time, as they often will when you do something over and over again, but then the feel of the dough on my hands always brings me back to the present moment - exactly where I need to be. Then there's the addition of salt and water, and the dough begins to change texture as you feel the mixture of slurry and dough come together once again. And after a time, you see bubbles form over your dough, and you know that the bread is starting to come alive! Then the stretching and folding, dividing of dough, and the shaping - feeling the texture of the dough change with each step. Pause. Connection is also about understanding when the time is right to let the dough rest, and when it needs to be left to work its magic for a little while longer. You'll know, once you truly connect to your sourdough with all your senses, what it needs. Some days it needs more, and some days it needs less.
xoHeather

Losing yourself in the moment:

"Baking sourdough is an organoleptic experience: It involves the use of all your senses. The simple process of mixing flour and water, the act of getting your hands into the dough and the chance to be in the moment as you bake all have positive impacts, both physically and mentally. It's about connection: to be a good baker and make the most beautiful sourdough, you need to lose yourself. To use your senses, your hands, your heart, and your mind. You need to create and connect to the dough: the smell of it, the texture and tension - even the sound is sensuous. We are told that mediation and mindfulness are effective ways to reduce stress, yet so many of us resist enforced mindfulness practices. Sourdough, when made well, is about being in the moment. Good bakers connect to the dough. Creating bread is a gentle, yet powerful, form of mindfulness." Venessa Kimbell