Simply Sourdough & Bare Living
My perfectly imperfect life - I mean loaf!
Who’s still riding the quarantine Sourdough Bread train with me?!
Regardless of whether you started during the first wave of this “Simpler Time” (much nicer sounding than pandemic) or have been a bread maker for much longer, you know and share my excitement when you crack the lid of that Dutch oven to reveal your beautifully risen loaf that you’ve nurtured for over 18 hours. It’s a simple joy, one of which makes the foundation for my version of Bare Living.
Simple Joys
It has become second nature to me and the feeling is akin to the joy that comes after a long run or completing that blanket you’ve worked on for months. It’s a feeling of gratitude for your accomplishments and dedication that can’t be bought or acquired in any other way. I yearn for this feeling everyday. There are many ways I achieve it and I am finally at a place where I feel fulfilled and happy from these simple joys.
I started my Sourdough Endeavour with a hand-me-down Dutch Oven which has taken up cupboard/shelf/floor space for over 4 years before finally finding its purpose in my life. No fancy banneton baskets, scrapers or razor blades - just me, a Dutch oven, flour, water, salt, and starter. And I must say my bread is flippin’ amazing and has been requested many times by others!
Trust Your Gut
I have been wanting to expand my sourdough experience and add in the banneton baskets since the beginning of my sourdough journey but I was late to the game and everywhere was sold out other than Amazon, which I’m trying to avoid more than any virus! So when I stumbled across them at Gourmet Warehouse yesterday I was thrilled! I grabbed one of each, an oblong oval and a circle, and then added the cotton liners and the scraper and was all set until I stopped and realized that I just loaded $150 worth of goods into my basket (on top of the other $150 of amazing yummy things from Gourmet Warehouse!).
I stopped because my intuition told me to stop. Right there in the jam packed store I had a Bare Living revelation. I realized that the only reason I had been yearning for the baskets is because external influences have told me that they will make my bread better and more beautiful. I wanted them so I could share more beautiful bread photos on social media and wow everyone with the gorgeousness. I have absolutely no idea if it makes bread actually taste better.
The Root Of Bare Living
We are all so used to external forces aiding in our “growth,” and I would never put someone down for trying something new, but does my experiment need to cost $150? Do I need to buy these baskets new? Or could I simply ask a friend to borrow theirs and try it out? We often forget about community and how sharing our possessions (and, to a much deeper degree, our time and experience) brings us closer together. It creates moments of connection and builds trust in our relationships.
Bare Living doesn’t mean going through life living with only the bare essentials and going without. It means you are ready to make conscious decisions for you and your family and find joy and happiness without all the external things. If we are constantly searching for that one thing that will bring joy and until then can’t find happiness, than what’s the point?
You’ve landed here to fight that counterproductive way of thinking! Living Bare will help you find happiness in the simplest things and provide space for what truly gives you joy.
So, what is your simple joy? Give that your time and space and see where this journey will take you!