In the age of coronavirus, cooking and baking have become therapeutic coping mechanisms. In a 2018 review, Health Education & Behaviour found that cooking seems to decrease anxiety and increase psychological well-being. The immersive and heightened sensory engagement experience of baking is a mindful practice that can help soothe and maintain anxiety levels. It’s likely why you’ve spent more time in the kitchen these months, and why you may have seen others in the community do the same.
If you’ve graduated from the banana bread and cheesecake bakes, and want to task yourself with something a little more challenging, we recommend making your own sourdough starter and bread. It might take more time and dedication, but with the combination of social distancing and working from home, there’s probably no better time than now to give it a try.
To help make this process easier, we asked Karen of @bespokebreadsg, a home baker specialising in baking fusion sourdough bread that celebrates Asian flavours, and Cynthia of @cyndiamondcooks, a self-taught home baker that started her sourdough baking journey two years ago, to answer the most commonly asked questions about making your own sourdough starter.
