Breadmaking Kneads the Soul
Bread has been an integral part of human history and religions, representing life, sustenance and love for each other. No wonder we love the stuff — eating it and making it. Several bread makers on the Space Coast reveal how the craft itself removes them from the stress of the moment and transports them to an idyllic state of being where the hassles of daily life no longer matter.
Bread feeds us while also touching a deep spiritual current within our souls, a fact many religions readily grasped. A wafer of bread represents Christ’s body to Catholics during Communion. Jesus Christ told followers he was the Bread of Life, the source of sustenance come thick or thin, and when he multiplied food to feed a crowd, he could have gone for lobster or filet mignon, but instead chose bread as the perfect symbol for sharing.
In Jewish culture, lovely challah bread is treasured on the Shabbat. In Islam, bread is considered a blessing from Allah. For the non-religious, the name doubles as slang for cash.
This gift from God has many fans that not only enjoy its taste but treasure the process of baking it. Everything Brevard publisher Tracy Stroderd is one of them. She started making sourdough seriously after a friend “gifted” her the starter.
“It’s very relaxing and for me, fulfills a creative process,” she said. “It also puts you in control of your own food. It’s very rewarding.”
Upon researching the subject, Stroderd found sourdough to be healthy.
“It benefits gut health and has a lower glycemic index,” said the Palm Bay resident, who contends with Type 1 diabetes. “The first time I tried it, I was amazed how it didn’t elevate my blood sugar ridiculously.”
Stroderd does admit sourdough can be demanding, but when you love something so much, creating it becomes a labor of love. The care and feeding of sourdough bread starter at 12-hour intervals for several days doesn’t bother Stroderd. It results in bread she loves to share with her bible study group and other friends. She has since been asked to teach the subject to adoring fans of her sourdough and offered her first classes.
Rockledge author and motivational speaker Karen Whiting was 2 years old when she first started baking. Bread has been a part of her life since, and her devotional cookbook, “The Gift of Bread: Recipes for the Heart and the Table” combines recipes with heartwarming stories about bread and how to draw closer to the Bread of Life, Jesus.
Bread plays an integral part in Whiting’s life. She bakes it for visiting grandchildren or for friends and neighbors who could use a lift. When her husband was away with the Coast Guard, her care packages would include bread. She would bake bread for Bible studies at the Naval Academy. She bakes bread during the holidays. In fact, it’s a rare week when Whiting has not made bread, because baking bread touches her deeply.
“When I am baking bread, I am thinking of all the people the bread is for,” she said.
At Florida Academy of Baking in Satellite, classes on making bread are literally the baking school’s bread and butter.
“The process of kneading dough can be very therapeutic, particularly after a stressful day,” said owner Angela Ferrara-McEllin. “Once you’re bitten by the homemade bread bug, you’ll be looking for excuses to make your own fresh bread at home. Bread classes are among our most requested, particularly sourdough. We’ve filled six full-day Sourdough 101 classes since the beginning of the year.”
Ah, yes, sourdough, that siren of the bread world. Joy Turingan lost her heart to this seductive bread when she visited an uncle in San Francisco.
“I still remember the wonderful smell of fresh sourdough at Fisherman’s Wharf,” said Turingan, an adjunct professor of biology and physical sciences at Florida Tech.
Her love went dormant as the routine of life interrupted its flow, but on a visit to her daughter in Lakeland, she rediscovered sourdough at Born & Bread Breadhouse. Without a qualm, Turingan asked the owner for some of her sourdough starter. It may seem surprising that the owner would reveal her secret starter, but bread folks are happy to share, and so she happily shipped some starter Turingan’s way.
From that starter, plus a whole lot of trial and error and YouTube videos, Turingan has nurtured a bready side business, Tangy Crust (tangycrust.com). She did her round of farmers’ markets, but now focuses on orders for “porch pickups” at her Lake Washington home and furnishing a few retail outlets with her sourdough.
She also teaches private lessons for groups like book clubs and has been invited to teach the art of sourdough at Florida Baking Academy. And the starter that started it all has been shared with many, too.
Turingan can be both analytical, as well as poetic when it comes to sourdough.
“I have the advantage (with sourdough) because, as a science teacher, I know how the ingredients behave chemically and how fermentation works,” she said, also adding that “the dough speaks to me like a living thing, because it is a living thing.”
Learning curve
Upcoming bread classes at Florida Academy of Baking:
- Sourdough 101: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, May 18, and again Thursday, May 23
- French baguettes and bruschetta: 6-8:30 p.m., Tuesday, May 14
- Laminated dough (croissants): two-part class from 6-8:45 p.m., Friday, May 24, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, May 25
Prices for classes typically allow for a Dynamic Duo of two friends or family members sharing the same station at no extra cost. For more information, see fabbaker.com or call 321-622-6185.
Weekly Orders
Order fresh sourdough bread from Tangy Crust:
tangycrust.com
Instagram: @tangycrust
Facebook: /tangycrustartisanbread
Get the Book
“The Gift of Bread: Recipes for the Heart and the Table” by Karen Whiting is available at karenwhiting.com, at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other book outlets.
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