Bread and the Senses

Baking sourdough bread is addictive. At least I find it so. I often wonder, why? On the surface it can be seen as a repetitive process that could be undertaken by a machine.

However, this only applies if you see the end result as a loaf to eat. If the whole process is seen as a highly interactive, personal process where one learns something with every bake, with a result that is delicious and nutritious, it demands more thought. Why does making bread appeal and why do I find it deeply satisfying? 

Perhaps it has to do with the fact that it involves all senses.

Touch. Whether it is the texture of the flour, the process of stretching and folding the dough or the shaping of the final loaf. It is learning to feel what is happening with the ingredients as the natural yeasts do their work which is so reassuring.

Smell. The sour, slightly alcoholic leaven that you have tended for years fills you with confidence as you begin to bake. A home filled with the aroma of baking bread makes me truly happy. A smell that has been in homes for millennia connects you and grounds you. Even walking past a bakery is a joyful experience.

Sight. Baking bread is about watching for clues. The plot line is consistent, you mix, let rise, shape, prove and bake. What is not clear is when you need to act. Watching carefully is vital.

Sound. The sweetest sound you will ever hear in making bread is that sound you hear when you knock on the bottom of a loaf just out of the oven. If it sounds like the loaf is hollow then you know your work is done.

Taste. Perhaps this is the sense we might feel is the most important, it presents a challenge as to when we can sample the loaf to see how well we have done. Having felt, smelt, watched and listened to the loaf on its journey, we can feel pretty confident that it will have an excellent taste but we must wait until it cools enough to be able to deliver the texture and taste we had hoped to achieve.  

Making a humble sourdough loaf can be a joy if you bring all your senses into play and do so consciously until it becomes second nature. At this point there are hundreds of different recipes to try and to master. Your work has only just begun. You can choose the flour, water and salt but it is alive then there is the yeast - it’s alive and it has a mind of its own.