The great pandemic bake-off: the sourdough edition

By: Brittany Ekelund

In the decades to come, I wonder what we will look back on. What sounds and smells will bring back memories of what has been a truly wild year? For me, sourdough is at the top of the list.

While some might think the great sourdough craze of 2020 is old news, I disagree. Nights are getting longer, and winter threatens to separate us, as outside events don’t seem as appealing in 30 below. If we’re going to be stuck inside, we might as well be stuck inside with fresh bread.

Baking benefits our mental health, which may be why so many people took it up when the pandemic hit last spring. The star of the show? Sourdough.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rs8x3BB2xSQ&feature=youtu.be

Eggs, milk, and yeast were all in short supply during the pandemic, but sourdough needs none of these. At over 5,000 years old, it’s the oldest leavened bread known. We can only guess exactly how sourdough came about, but like many great things (penicillin, potato chips, and the pacemaker), it was probably borne of a happy accident. Someone likely left a simple dough of flour and water out overnight. What happened next was magic.

PRO TIP:  Bakeries order staples like yeast and flour in bulk, so if you forget to stock up before food shortages hit, reach out to your local bakery and see if they’ll sell you what you need.

You see, wild yeast lives all around us. People used to think that yeast in the air made each sourdough starter unique, but a recent study found that it’s more from the flour and the baker’s hands (or a beard, like this extra-specialty beer made in Oregon). The wild yeast, and bacterial cultures, come alive as the dough ferments, pumping it full of carbon dioxide. The tanginess comes from the same bacteria that give yogurt and cheese their zip.

“I love how simple it is, but then how really complex it is at the same time,” says Shelbe Chalifoux from District Café in downtown Edmonton, who loves sourdough. I mean, she really loves it – enough to have a sourdough tattoo on her left arm.

“Flour, water and salt. That’s all you really need for bread.”

And she’s right. If you feed and care for it carefully, you can have a sourdough starter that lasts a lifetime. And don’t throw away the leftovers -they’re liquid gold. There’s so much more to do with it than bake bread – like the cinnamon buns Chalifoux whipped up when yeast had long disappeared from shelves. (Jump to Recipe).

Our next sourdough aficionado is Chef Kunal Sawhney, who the Globe and Mail recently named one of the next top five chefs in Canada. His pandemic project, a perogy company, is now supplying several downtown eateries, including the Cask and Barrel, The Rocky Mountain Icehouse and River City Revival. At home during the lockdowns, he perfected his sourdough starter pizza crust.

“I think the reason that people are so interested in sourdough is because, for most of them, it is their first attempt at any type of fermentation,” says Sawhney. “It can be fascinating to take a simple ingredient, add a culture, give it time, and receive so much more in return.”

Sawhney says that sourdough is perfect for dough because it gives the crust the strength to keep all those toppings from toppling into your lap, and it’s just more delicious too (Jump to Recipe).

Now, these recipes aren’t exactly a cake walk, but they’ll be a breeze for those who perfected their loaves during the first wave. And don’t worry if you’re new to the game. There are plenty of other – easier – ways to use your starter. Sourdough pancakes are a personal favourite, but there are also biscuits, beer batter, or banana bread.

Regardless of your skill level, you’re bound to have the time to step it up a notch, as Edmonton’s active cases continue to break records. Shutdowns are almost inescapable at this point, so do yourself a favour and make yourself a sourdough starter so that when the cookie inevitably crumbles, you’ll be ready to compete in the next edition of the great pandemic bake off.

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