Make That Bread!

One thing that this pandemic has really highlighted for me is simply the reminder that every single human being on this earth is living, breathing, eating, talking, questioning just like me. We are all connected truly and it saddens me to feel like it is becoming the "new trend" to be kind to your neighbors and loved ones, spend more time at home with your loved ones, and be more in tune with what you personally need. We need to recognize that within ourselves and our communities and celebrate that. Why would we go back to the society where no one is paying attention to their surroundings but are obsessed with their social media and being the best? I find it horrifying to see that this "new society" is trendy and over powering social media with tips on how to spark creativity and what to do when you are bored. Why do we hate being bored so much? That is where true creativity and innovation is born.

Bread is one of many versatile foods and is one of the most consumed foods in the world. Its possibilities are truly endless which is baffling. It would take me a long time to come up with a list if I were to sit down and think about all the different combinations that use bread. If you are looking for something to do during this quarantine, make an attempt! How many different ways have you eaten or seen bread be presented? Clam chowder bread bowls bring back thoughts of ski days. Sandwiches bring back so many memories. Stuffing and croutons and bread crumbs oh my! Way too many ideas to even think about.

About 2 years ago when I was living in my first apartment, I had my own sourdough starter. A friend helped me get it started and is really a true inspiration when it comes to cooking and baking bread in general. This friend of mine taught me how to make my first sourdough. When I think back to the day I went over to her house I was so excited but also scared. I knew bread was something that could easily be made with yeast, flour and water but I had no concept of what I was getting myself into. It was so well presented to me and well thought out that it didn't seem like it took very long. Boy was I wrong!

This was the time where I first had my own kitchen to explore. I was doing so much! I learned so much during that first year of living on my own. I don't know what came over me but my obsession with cooking and not just any cooking but truly cooking things from scratch. I was experimenting with all sorts of things like canning peaches, making bread, pancakes, roasting things, new soups, you name it! As long as it was food I wanted to try and cook it.

It has taken me 2 sourdough starters and way too many hours to finally feel like I have gotten into a groove with it. Of course the most important thing in this whole process is the live sourdough starter and learning how to watch and feed it. My new starter and I have been through a whole journey so far and is still pretty young, she's about 6 weeks old at this point and doing great! I have been feeding her every day in the mornings between 10 and noon. We still have a lot of expanding to do (bread joke!) but I am determined to keep this one healthy for longer than I kept my first one. I made the mistake of putting my first one in the fridge too soon so he ended up being more of a liquid than anything.

Currently during quarantine I have so far made over a dozen loaves of bread (6 in one day!) and I have relearned how important bread making is to me. Making bread is just another excuse for me to be in the kitchen on a daily basis. It takes me 3 days from start to finish to create masterpieces like these! Technically I could do it in 2 days but this schedule takes a few hours in the fridge in order to give myself more freedom in my daily schedule. I love working on a cooking project but just like everything else, it can get exhausting if it is the only thing you spend your energy on.

For me as a Native woman cooking serves a purpose. It brings me closer to the food that I am having the privilege to experience eating, the source of the ingredients and the land in which the ingredients come from. I try to get the best, locally sourced ingredients even if that means spending an extra dollar or two. It supports farmers who share a similar set of morals and want to create good, real, authentic food. Buying and supporting local is not something that I am doing because it is "trendy" but something that I believe in with my entire being.

One of the ways that I feel I can honor the earth that we live on is by using pure ingredients to make pure food. The Slow Food Movement (I will write a separate post on this topic) is something that I am whole heartedly in. It makes me slow down and appreciate all that the land has provided for us. If something is created my mixing chemicals and is not something that can be naturally sourced, it is not helping me connect to my inner self if I consume these things. It may taste good but my body will pay for it later in some way. I have gotten a lot better as I have grown out of my teens and really come to understand how important this movement is to me. I know I could do better but I realize that the space I am in currently holds just as much power as the space I am imagining for myself in the future. I am just along for the journey.