Funny to think that back in October 2020 I had no idea what kind of sourdough journey awaited me. I was not one that jumped on the sourdough bandwagon during the pandemic. I was too busy saving our marketing company from the demise of a volatile market of essential and non-essential businesses. In October 2020, I was in the garden managing my stress and worry by getting my hands dirty, planting and harvesting tomatoes, beets, carrots, and luffas! My husband and I were navigating remote learning with our boys, all while having client zoom meetings that the kids would inevitably feel to be the perfect time to make a ton of noise or get into an argument!
In October 2020, I was comforted by the small but mighty routine of picking up my weekly sourdough loaf from a nearby neighbor who dedicated herself to providing our small community with hearty, gut-healthy organic sourdough bread. She educated us all while on her own learning journey and we all enjoyed taking the ride with her. This baker’s name is Emily and she touched many of our lives during a very tough time in history.
When she announced that she was packing her bakery and her family up to travel the country to look for their off-grid homestead, I’m sure I wasn’t the only customer completely devastated! Where were we going to get our bread? How were we going to survive without her caring hands mixing and shaping up our weekly dose of security and comfort? I remember so vividly, going to her house for a garage sale she was having to help downsize their life and she had asked if I had ever considered baking for the community. She knew I liked to bake. She knew I liked to can up jams and jellies. What she didn’t know is that many people from my inner circle had always been urging me to sell my baked goods. I would always brush it off… why do that? My hobby would turn into a job and then what’s the fun in that?
Anyway, after that day at the garage sale, a little seed was planted and it started to grow and grow. I started to research, I started to ask questions. Could I do this? Should I do this? Funny thing is, I still hadn’t baked a loaf of sourdough bread in my life! So on March 26th, 2021, on my 39th birthday, I baked my two first loaves of sourdough bread! Of course, I used the wrong flour and they were super dense because I used 100% whole wheat flour! LOL! I was so disappointed that I gave them to the chickens to eat! Little did I know, they were fabulous loaves for being 100% whole wheat! Whole wheat loaves are supposed to be dense!
From that day forward, I was hooked. I know the other sourdough bakers out there, reading this, can absolutely relate. Once you bake your first loaf you just want to keep baking! There is a science to sourdough that no recipe can teach you, only practice and more practice. I love getting my hands in the dough and providing that joy and connection to the community that only bread seems to do.
Now, here we are in October 2022 and I have been baking away almost every single week. I have met lovely neighbors. I have gotten to share the experience with my husband and kids. With lots of help, I have launched our brand new gorgeous website. And I have so many big plans to roll out at the beginning of next year, including a bread subscription program! I have joyfully carried on Emily’s valiant mission of providing REAL Sourdough Bread to the community with loving and caring energy. One loaf at a time, Pastelito Sourdough Bakery, makes a positive difference in the health and well-being of our loyal customers.