“Why do you do it?”, my friend Ellen asked me.
She’d popped in to pick up a couple of loaves (one for her and one for our neighbour Lou across the road) when the doorbell rang and Will arrived to pick up the third loaf of the four I’d just baked.
I thought for a minute, then I explained.
Four one-kilo loaves of freshly baked, slow proved sourdough bread cost me $2.36 in flour (59c each). It used to be less, but I’ve recently upgraded the bakers’ flour I’m using. I’d had to bake anyway as we’d run out of bread, but we rarely eat more than a loaf a day and it always feels wasteful to run our big oven just to bake a single.
Mixing up four kilos of sourdough by hand isn’t much harder than making a one-kilo batch. Our high hydration overnight technique (my current go-to formula) involves just minutes of hands-on time, so the only tricky bit is finding a container large enough to hold the dough as it proves on the bench…
And then…I get to have cups of tea with the neighbours when they pop over to pick up loaves. They send me photos of their kids scoffing Vegemite toast and the lunches they take to work the following day, often with suggestions and feedback. It helps to fortify the powerful bonds we already share as a community. Best of all, every bake saves four families a trip to the shops to buy an $8 artisan sourdough loaf.
If I’m honest though, my neighbours are doing me a favour, because they give me an excuse to bake in bulk. Over the past ten years, sourdough baking has become a huge passion – I adore the feel of the spongy dough, and messing about with different shapes and slashes, and the oooh moment when I lift the roaster lids to see how much the loaves have risen. It may be one of the oldest and most prosaic forms of cooking, but it has never lost its magic on me – every single loaf feels like a gift and even after all this time, I still find myself marveling at the alchemy of it. It saves us heaps of money (even with all the loaves that go out the door) and it keeps everyone I love fed. That’s a pretty addictive combination!
Duck fat and smoked paprika twists for our neighbour Mark, who very kindly mows our front lawn!
If you’ve never baked bread before, I’d encourage you to give it a go. Our basic yeasted tutorial or, if you have access to some starter, the basic sourdough tutorial and the overnight sourdough tutorial, are all good places to start. And if you’re already an enthusiastic baker, I’d love to know who you share your loaves (or other baked goods) with! ♥
Sorry folks, I don’t have any more dried Priscilla starter at the moment. I’ll let you know when I have more to share!
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 
Your bread is gorgeous. I need to start feeding the neighbourhood but I have such a tiny oven. :)
Hi Celia, You were kind enough to send me some starter more than a year ago, which I have not used!! This post has inspired me to start. Would that starter still be okay to revive? I think your neighbours are very lucky to have such a generous person living on their doorstep!
Lily, if it’s been kept in the fridge, it should be fine! If not, try it anyway!
You have such a kind heart, Celia. Your loaves are so beautiful and they feed you and your friends on several levels. What a lovely community/family you have built with your bread. x
I have some starter in my fridge. But I wasn’t thrilled with the last bread recipe i used. I think I’ll poke around your site ☺
I will always be grateful for the starter you sent me. I love making bread, it’s a puzzle, magic and a comforting practice. I was showing my niece how to feed the starter and start a loaf. Muwah! Maz
It looks so good
I’m adding my name to the list of those so grateful to you for my original starter, and the now two years or so of sourdough baking! I don’t make as many loaves a week as you do, Celia, but a week doesn’t go by without at least two loaves, and often more. It is such a wholesome sensory delight. You have inspired so many, and I hope others decide to jump in! :-)
Wonderful timing .. I’m a Diabetic in a country town where the bread is full of sugar and God knows what else .. The Supermarket stuff is just as terrifying and the Bakers Delight is pure Stodge … So I’ve been researching the Sour Dough varieties with extra seeds and grain as an experiment .. I owned the Bread Alone book but foolishly loaned it to one of my ‘ friends ‘ who no longer can find it … mmmmm !!!
I’ll check out your links and see if you can transform my health and love of good bread and hopefully soon I will look as good as one of your beautifully crafted loaves of Sour Dough … I just ADORE the look and smell of good Sour Dough !!
Thanks
I’ll let you know how I go
Len
I am another recipient of your sourdough starter. Every time I use it I think of you, which means you are in my thoughts at least three times a week! Bless you for your generosity and kindness in sending me a daughter of Priscilla. I still have a long way to go before I reach your standard of perfection but I have come to the conclusion that bread making is like golf, some days are successful but others less so! Love your blog and hope you keep it going for a very long time
My sentiments as well
How much to buy some of Priscilla’s genes ??
Thanks
Len
I’ll email you, Len…
I understand your feelings so well as it’s exactly how I feel about baking sourdough too. I find it the most restful time, making the bread and rolls. I’ve just been diagnosed as diabetic too rarebirds and I was told true sourdough is good for me.
What a rewarding way to show your care.
Just curious – exactly how big is the container you use for that much dough?
Pete just figured it out for me, it’s 10 litres.
Thanks.
Wow!
You are so right – baking bread is such a rewarding activity. Even more is sourdough, with the spongy feeling through the fingers when kneading it. I bake every week, for me and my husband a small loaf is enough for the whole week (home made bread doesn’t get dry as fast as the shop one) and it is my favourite thing to bring to dinners/barbecues…people don’t expect it and they are always so amazed and grateful. Well done for sharing the love with the neighbourhood!
Just too wonderful to be able to share with friends and neighbours. Lovely!
Have a glorious weekend Celia.
:-) Mandy xo
I send out soup and cakes. As for bread, I only make it once a week- two loaves- and these seem to do us for the week.
You are such an amazingly generous person Celia. I know that it costs you little, but there is quite a bit of work involved……or discipline.
What a Gorgeous Soul she is .. I feel so much more INSPIRED because of St Celia
Bless her
I love that you, too, even after all this time baking sourdough, still feel a sense of excitement when you lift the lid on the roaster and you, too, still love the handling of the dough – the lovely plumptiousness of it and the wonder of the alchemy. As for the building of the community you live in, there can’t really be a price on that can there. Sharing bread is symbolic of so much that is good.
Homemade and home grown food for me is the best form of rebellion and antodote to the Bigs that would rule our lives. As you so beautifully show it is good for community, it’s certainly better for our health physically, and mentally baking is a fine form of therapy. I was such a slow starter… I thought I had not enough time nor space. Now I have more space but my time has filled up with new activities, and I still managed to bake a huge sourdough fruit loaf, and a garlic foccacia in the midst of a very busy day. I commented to the G.O… two years ago I never imagined I could do it. You continue to inspire and inform me, and It’s thanks to your encouragement that I do so much of what I do ♡
I love seeing your beautiful loaves Celia. Up until a year or so ago I too was making lovely sourdough, latterly with some of Priscalla’s offspring but as I informed you last year I lost my lovely husband and also lost my reason to bake bread. I do miss my sourdough though, other bread is not nearly so good or enjoyable, and would love to start making sourdough again. Perhaps I can offer you something in return for a little of your starter if you have some to spare,let me know what I can send you,you are a star bread maker in my opinion!
Jeannette, I would LOVE to send you more starter! Are you still at the same address as last time? I still have your original email, so if so, I’ll put some in the post to you straight away! x
My address is still the same but I would like to send you something as you such a kind person, i will go through your blogs and see if I can get an idea of what would please you.Do I have your address?
I’ll send it to you as well, but you really don’t have to! xx
Celia, I am very pleased to tell you I received my new package of starter this morning and look forward to starting on some ‘new’ bread very soon. Jeannette xxx
Jeannette, I’m so happy to hear it arrived already!! I’ll try emailing you again!
Good morning from Alberta Canada Celia love your blog would you have a basic yeast recipe not the sourdough that makes more the one loaf of bread. Thanks Sharron
Sharron, our basic yeasted dough tutorial can be easily scaled up!
https://figjamandlimecordial.com/bread/bread-101-a-basic-bread-tutorial/
There is an American book on vegetarianism and yoga called Laurals Kitchen, I have had it years, if you get a chance it is worth reading. In the front is the story of there journey to vegetarian food and Laural bakes bread one day a week for her friends. I have tried sourdough but the man in my life is not keen so I went back to yeast bread. Have you tried Kefir and Yogurt they give me a sense of satisfaction as well.
We’ve been making yoghurt longer than we have bread! :) Our eldest son has now taken that over. Keffir unfortunately makes me feel ill.
https://figjamandlimecordial.com/2010/07/10/homemade-greek-yoghurt/
As you know, I make sourdough loaves regularly, I bake a loaf for Ben literally every other day. There’s never any waste, they’re eaten with relish, and I thoroughly enjoy making each one – success!
You’re baking the prettiest loaves ever these days!!
Thank you – I’m slash happy!
Why do I do it? My answer is ‘I like to play with my food’ haha And I get enjoyment out of parsing it out to the neighborhood also. They in turn keep me in fresh vggies/eggs etc. No better way to have a community of like minded people. Thank you Celia!
I’ll be forever grateful to have become part of your bread sharing community. Thank you for this gorgeous post. I’ve just been baking because I had to, but I love sharing the doughy love. So you’ve reminded me to bake extra and enjoy cups of tea with friends. Such a simple but wonderful thing. Thank you.
Hi celia I love reading your blog . I have been inspired by you to make yoghurt and buy a romertopf. I think I might be ready to try making sourdough! Your bread looks so delicous. I already make pizza dough on Friday nights for my husband and 3 sons which saves us a fortune with 2 of them being starving teenagers. So if you have any spare starter I would also be very grateful.
Hi Katie, I’ve sent you an email…
You always inspire me and keep me baking Celia!
I don’t bake bread so much any more, but I have a friend whose husband does and he’s generous enough to share.
Hi Celia, thanks to you I have tried making sourdough but my starter (homemade) does not have the vigour of Pricilla, it does not grow to double the size. Could I please beg you to send me some starter. I am more than happy to pay you for your trouble.
Hi Karen, I’ve sent you an email.
Love your blog, would love to purchase some of Priscilla too…possible?
Thanks
I’m sorry Sue, I’ve just given away my last packet. I’ll let you know when I make more.
Thanks!
We always enjoy reading your blog, Celia. My question is , considering that you bake the loaves in a largish enamel roaster, how do you manage fitting them into your oven?
Thanks for reading Denise! I have the 30cm Falcon roasters and my friend Clare taught me that I can JUST squeeze three across in our big 90cm Smeg oven! :) A 4 kilo batch of dough is usually two sequential bakes resulting in four to six loaves.
I too thoroughly enjoy baking with Priscilla’s offspring! Lately I find myself more rushed and making deformed loaves but they still taste fantastic. It’s time to slow down and get back to the love of it. I also need to play around a little since the boys tend to complain about the crunchy crust, frankly that’s my favorite part. They have a Pullman yeast bread recipe they love but I would rather do that one less often and switch the sourdough a little to suit their tastes. Time to play with Julia again and see what we come up with.
Hello Celia
Now that my husband is at home, he is keen to find a source of a sour dough mother. May I please go on your list of wannabes for the next generation of Priscilla? We recently bought a beautiful coiled bread setting basket so we can make it extra pretty but we haven’t yet located any sourdough cooks among our circle to get hold of a starter.
Love your blog and wisdom,
Kate
Another grateful sourdough user here! I love passing on a newly baked, still warm loaf to a friend. I haven’t worked out how much my loaves cost but they are repaid with fabulous smiles 😃. Thank you Celia
Celia I have been making my own bread for a while, using inspiration from Rhonda Hetzel and old river cottage episodes. I love reading your blog and get so inspired by you, but I seem to be very nervous about sourdough… is it easier, harder or pretty much the same? I’m not sure why I’m nervous, perhaps my first step should just be venturing into making my own starter? Or is it best to get starter from someone first?? I read and read and read about sourdough, hubby and kids keep asking (nagging) me to give it a go…sigh, maybe I just need a dose of Celia inspiration and encouragement 😊
PS I am now off to the kitchen to make your poppy seed crackers, they are on high rotation in my kitchen!
Why wouldn’t you do it! I love that you do so, Celia. If only bread didn’t disagree me with me so much… working with sour dough is a most pleasurable experience, not to mention how good the resulting bread can be xx
Celia I’m on a pension so limited funds but love sourdough. I buy the best and Bugger it but would love to bake my own. I think I have the skills but my oven is bit dicey. Is a really hot true to temperature oven vital to baking bread.
Me again – also how can I access a good mother