If you’re ready to start sourdough, check out Chaya Suri Leitner’s method. She makes it so easy. Yes, it’s on your mind for a day, but anyone can pull it off. Really!!

Isuccumbed. I fell for the trend, hook, line, and sinker. Like thousands of other people in quarantine, I started my own sourdough starter (thanks to Chaya Suri Leitner, of Spice and Zest, and her amazing courses), and I’ve been making a few loaves a week ever since.

My joining the bandwagon had nothing to do with trendiness (unfortunate coincidence), it was just timing. I was primarily excited about the health benefits, secondly motivated by the fantastic flavor, and ultimately challenged by the creative and scientific process.

Many times over the past few months, I found myself questioning why in the world I’d thought a new “pet” was a good idea with everyone at home. When I really considered it, though, that was actually why I was able to pull it off: I was in the kitchen anyway, so babysitting the starter was just one more thing to check off. (For the record, I’ve accumulated lots of pets that require TLC these days: vegetable plants, an above-ground pool, and my trusty Roomba.)

What I came to love about the sourdough process is how it engaged my kids — from naming it, to making it, to eating it. It felt like a healthy meeting point between my job and my family, and one the kids were proud of. My goal, as always, is not to put deeply golden loaves on a pedestal, with pictures of the perfect crumb and hydration level (industry jargon, you know), but to appreciate the process of getting there. Projects are a good way to spend your time during the Nine Days: keeping things low key, on the quieter side, and building bonds while you’re at it.

Chanie Nayman

Food Editor, Family Table