The Life-changing Magic of Sourdough Breadmaking

I’m standing in my sister’s kitchen, discussing her bread dough, which sits warmly nestled in a stainless steel bowl. It’s in what’s known as the bulk fermentation stage, which means it will sit there for two to four hours.

She excitedly shows me her new bread-making accouterment: sourdough starter, new bench scraper, lame, artisanal flours, bannetons, work notes, and a prepped and sanitized work area. She’s like a new mom about to give birth. It’s her first loaf.

There are plenty of sourdough bread-making enthusiasts in the world, and I’m one of them. I’ve been lovingly producing weekly loaves for about a decade, and it’s the only bread I’ll eat. Once you try it, commercial bread will fall so short it won’t even be an acceptable backup.

Baking and eating sourdough bread can magically transform your life in unexpected ways, and there are several reasons why.

Your bread will be the best damn bread you’ve ever had, and you’ll realize this is how bread is supposed to taste.

First off, it’s far more nutritious than anything you’ll buy. The commercial bread you buy from a big-box grocer isn’t the same bread people ate generations ago. Our modern grain is grown quickly and cheaply in depleted soil. Most flour is overprocessed, the quality is poor, and commercial…