Okay, so we know when the pandemic started, everyone started making sourdough bread. I may have been late to the game and started my own sourdough starter a year later… what’s the opposite of a trendsetter? A trend snoozer?

Anyways, as a (mostly) gluten-free individual, I gave myself the extra challenge of making sourdough using gluten-free flour blends. Let me tell you, I did not follow all the rules that you are supposed to follow when it comes to creating a sourdough starter and it turned out awesome. I made some gorgeous loaves, and a ton of English muffins, and hoarded a bunch of discard; it was going great. Until it didn’t and the hooch went sour (bah-dum-tiss).

I decided to take some time off and here we are a year and some change later and Braddeaus “Brad” III is maturing quite nicely. (We won’t talk about Brad II).

So what makes sourdough fun and exciting, even though it’s like a third pet that you have to feed and take care of? You are literally taking wild yeast that hangs out in the air and making delicious bread (and other baked yummies) out of it! I mean it brings the whole science and biology thing to a whole other level. Not only do you get tasty and tangy bread, but it’s even healthier for you than normal bread.

Okay, let’s break it down – or at least let’s break down the WebMD page on the benefits of sourdough. Sourdough is full of nutrients that are needed to live a healthy life. This includes folate, potassium, and magnesium. Folate (or folic acid, vitamin B9) is important for red blood cell formation and healthy cell growth and function. Potassium, an essential mineral, is needed by everything in your body and works as an electrolyte. Magnesium is also super important in helping enzymes that are needed for regulating biochemical reactions (muscle and nerve functions, blood sugar control, energy production, and so on.) Some studies on sourdough say it acts like a prebiotic – meaning it helps feed the good bacteria in your gut. These bacteria live in your gut and they are what help you digest your food and make you feel good (look up “Gut as a Second Brain” if you don’t believe me). While I could go on and on about the many more benefits of sourdough bread, I will end it there.

So now the question is, did I convince you to make your own sourdough starter yet? Or will you just sit and wait while I’ll feed you the crumbs of my labor (I know I gave a chuckle at that.) While Brad III isn’t quite mature enough yet for an elaborate bread loaf, I have started gathering my recipes for using up my discard. I’m thinking English muffins first – I know of a great breakfast sandwich that uses them – followed by some crispy crackers for snack (anyone a dip fan out there?) Then for dessert, I can’t decide if I want cookies or brownies; I guess there’s always tomorrow’s discard to use.

I (just) love it when a plan comes together.