Sourdough passion - Late to the party but still excited to be here. It seems that the simple things of life take on more value as life goes on.

Crusty white and wholemeal loaf with bagel topping.

My journey into the world of sourdough bread-making is a relatively new adventure (about a year now). The many who utilised lock-downs during the Covid era for learning the craft, are streaks ahead in practice and proficiency, so I am doing a catch-up. As happens, I was oblivious to the exciting hobbies that people were taking up to keep themselves busy. As a health-care worker I kept working through that time. So, actually my late-to-the-start exploration of sourdough-making has been made a little easier by those who have gone before me. I am grateful, particularly for the work of Maurizio Leo who shares his wealth of experience on his website, The Perfect Loaf.

I'm still blown away by the simple but amazing process of converting three ingredients into delicious and healthy food. How amazing is it? Being able to take flour, water, and salt, and turn it into a golden crusty sourdough loaf is almost as miraculous as Jesus turning water into wine (John 2:1-12), well not exactly the same, but you get my point. The transformation of a goopy mass of flour and water into a living bubbly dough that is able to be shaped and baked, is mind-boggling. I love it!

My initial foray into this craft was a blunder of mistakes, from which I learned a great deal about what not to do. In fact, I killed the first starter given to me by a colleague and friend. Thankfully, her offerings of sourdough given to staff in the lunchroom were inspirational and just served to increase my determination to pursue the goal of an edible loaf as a baseline, despite the stumbling start.

Not quite a perfect loaf but certainly edible.

I have moved on over the last year from those initial missteps, to a quiet rhythm of baking enough bread for our household and the occasional extra for giving to family and friends. I'm currently experimenting with well known recipes that use the leftover starter, aka discard, in making sourdough crackers (see photo below), and I'm thinking of ways to substitute discard into favourite recipes of my own. To top it off, there is also an added health benefit I had not been aware of previously - it aids digestion and is more sustaining. I can actually look at it, and eat it, without it triggering gut pain. That's a huge win in my mind. Pure bliss would be having a light meal of my favourite sourdough loaf, with warmed herbed-olive-oil, dukkah, and a glass of red wine overlooking one of our many spectacular beaches here in Queensland.

The thing I have to solve now, is the mystery of a freezer full of loaves that are two slices short of a loaf. Somehow the end crusts keep disappearing before they are bagged. Hmm, I wonder?...

Sourdough discard Crackers with Bagel Topping

Recipe: Sourdough discard Crackers with Bagel Topping

Ingredients:

400g sourdough discard

20g melted butter

20g olive oil

Salt

Pepper

Italian Herbs (to your taste)

Garlic powder (to your taste)

Bagel Seasoning (optional)

Method:

1. Mix the discard, butter, oil, and seasonings in a bowl.

2. Spread over baking trays lined with baking paper.

3. Sprinkle the Bagel topping or your choice across the spread dough.

4. Cook for 10 mins in preheated oven (160 deg C)

5. Take out and score the dough lightly (don't cut through) using a pizza cutter.

6. Bake for a further 30 - 50 minutes until lightly golden brown.

7. Allow to cool before storing in airtight container.

Hints:

• Spray a little oil under the baking paper to hold it in place as you spread the batter.

• Use a silicon spatula to spread the batter as it can be very tacky and frustrating to spread.

• Try to have the edges at least as thick (if not a little thicker) as the inner to avoid them burning, as it cooks from the outside edges first.