Sharing Sourdough and a Recipe!

KELLI NAPOTNIK

This year, my daughter and I started baking sourdough bread together. After researching the numerous benefits of eating sourdough, I thought baking bread would be a great project for us to work on together. We enjoy each other's company and I was thrilled to see my daughter delight in making bread from scratch. My daughter's eagerness filled me with joy knowing this newfound skill would be useful in life and possibly even transform into a career. We made our own starter from scratch using flour and water. Although it took us a while to get anything that resembled a bubbly culture, with persistence our starter took off! Once we figured out how to successfully make the bread, we started perfecting our simple (yet elegant) recipe.

My daughter and I love blessing our family and neighbors with fresh sourdough loaves and we hoped for even more opportunities to use our new skill. When our small town announced they were building a pavilion and hosting a weekly farmer's market, I took a leap of faith and signed up to be a vendor! We attended our first market this past weekend and sold out of every single item we baked using our simple sourdough starter! I am reminded that the most simple recipes are often everyone's favorite and that nothing compares to fresh baked bread! I never imagined that baking with my daughter in our kitchen would result in us being able to share our love for baked goods with our community as well.

One of the favorite items we sold at the farmer's market was a zucchini bread using sourdough discard (this is the portion of starter you don't need to keep after feeding your sourdough starter each week). I like zucchini because it adds moisture to the bread without affecting the flavor. It's also in season until the end of August!

I also have a delicious traditional zucchini bread recipe that doesn't require a sourdough starter that I have used for years. Zucchini bread goes great with your morning coffee and is a delicious way to start the day. The recipe makes enough for two loaves, so there's one to share with family or friends.

TRADITIONAL ZUCCHINI BREAD

INGREDIENTS

Grated zucchini, 2-3 cups (press excess moisture out using a colander)
3/4 cup of sugar
3-4 beaten eggs (use 4 if eggs are small, 3 if they are large)
1 cup of oil (I use coconut oil)
3 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups of flour
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp clove
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup raisins
1 cup chopped walnuts

DIRECTIONS

Beat the eggs, oil, sugar, and vanilla, then set aside. Mix in the grated zucchini.
Mix the dry ingredients. Add the raisins and nuts. Once mixed, add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix thoroughly.
Pour into 2 greased and floured 9x5 loaf pans.
Bake at 350 degrees for 55-60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean!

We loved meeting people in our community and sharing our baked goods with fellow bread lovers. Through this post, I've loved sharing part of that experience with you! I hope I've inspired you to try something new and to bless others by sharing what you've learned. Have you tried any new recipes or cooking adventures lately?

*Me and the kids at our "sold out" table!

#1: Check out this Cinnamon Roll gift tag idea! It's so cute, and you only need to print and attach the tag to your store-bought or homemade cinnamon rolls. It makes for the perfect addition to an easy dessert or breakfast.

Don't have Instagram? Click here for the free printable gift tags!

#2: See how Nadia uses parchment paper, gift tags, and flowers to package up sourdough bread to take!

#3: How cute are these back to school treats?! An easy snack for the kiddos or a great teacher gift!

#4: Learn how to link a Go Fund Me directly from your meal schedule note section!

#5: If you're looking for great gluten-free meal options, check the dishes we're pinning on our Pinterest page!

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