My Sourdough Journey: From Passion to Purpose with First Rise Bakery

I've always loved to bake. There's something magical about transforming simple ingredients into something warm, comforting, and delicious. For years, I dreamed of trying my hand at sourdough, but life kept getting in the way. Finally, I took the plunge and bought my first loaf from a local bakery. To my surprise, my firstborn, Asha, absolutely loved it—and of course, the rest of us did too. That simple moment sparked a passion that would change our lives in ways I never imagined.

As I dove into making sourdough bread at home, I became fascinated by the science behind it all—the yeast, the rise, the crust, and even the tunneling that can happen if things go awry. What amazed me most was how deceptively simple it is to make sourdough, yet how many things can go wrong. At its worst, a mishandled starter could harbor harmful bacteria like pink Serratia, which we'll dive into in a future post. But when done right, it's pure alchemy.

I was equally captivated by the history of sourdough. This ancient bread has been around for thousands of years, with humans relying on wild yeast and bacteria to leaven dough long before commercial yeast existed. People have gone to extraordinary lengths to preserve their starters, passing them down as ancestral heirlooms across hundreds of generations. It's a living piece of history in every loaf.

Most people know about the health benefits of sourdough bread, like its potential to improve gut health through natural fermentation. But here are some lesser-known facts that blew my mind:

• Sourdough is one of the oldest forms of leavened bread, with evidence dating back to around 3700 BCE in Switzerland and ancient Egypt.

• During the California Gold Rush, miners carried dehydrated sourdough starters in their pockets and even slept with them to keep the cultures warm and alive in freezing conditions.

• The long fermentation process can break down phytic acid in grains, making minerals like iron and zinc more bioavailable for your body to absorb.

• For some people with non-celiac gluten sensitivity, sourdough's bacteria and acids can partially break down gluten proteins, making it easier to digest than regular bread.

• Starters can be dehydrated into a powder that lasts indefinitely, allowing cultures to be preserved and revived years later.

As I experimented with more sourdough baked goods, my family couldn't get enough. As I experimented with more sourdough baked goods, my family couldn't get enough. Our little clan was growing—Asha, our angel baby, was soon joined by Avi, another angel, of course (lol). And now, we're a team of 5 with Anaya joining the clan recently. But Asha had some gut health issues we didn't fully understand at the time. Fast forward a year, and we received the heartbreaking diagnosis: Asha has Rett Syndrome. Among the many complications this brings, poor gut health is a big one. It's all internal—one minute your child is laughing and enjoying life, the next they're screaming in pain, and you feel helpless not knowing why.

We were overjoyed that Asha loved sourdough. It became our go-to for everything we baked. We'd do taste tests with her, and if she approved, we'd declare it "kid approved." Remarkably, it seemed to help her gut quite a bit, easing some of those invisible struggles.

I've read about master sourdough bakers who rise at 3 a.m. to bake fresh loaves for their customers' breakfasts. I was nowhere near that level. Though our family is up early—usually 5 a.m., sometimes 3 a.m.—it's not for bread-making. It's to check on Asha during a laughing episode or to comfort her if she's crying. Those bakers dedicate their entire lives to perfecting the process. It's science, pure and simple. I can say that now: sourdough making is a science. But of course, who made that science of bread making? As the Bible reminds us in John 6:31-35: "Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.’ ‘Sir,’ they said, ‘always give us this bread.’ Then Jesus declared, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.’"

We were content in our small world, feeding our family with homemade sourdough. Then came Asha's diagnosis—it shattered our hearts and our plans vanished into thin air. We'd never know why it happened to us or to any of the families out there facing similar battles.

But in the midst of all that pain, God was working on a plan far bigger than we ever imagined. As Matthew 7:24-27 teaches us: “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” Trust in Jesus and build your house on a rock.

That truth gave us unwavering inspiration—not just to serve ourselves, but to serve others. It sparked the birth of First Rise Bakery. Since that day, our whole family has poured our efforts into making it a success. What started as a personal passion has become a way to share the joy, health, and comfort of sourdough with our community, all while honoring the bigger purpose God has for us.

If you're inspired to start your own sourdough journey, remember: it's about more than bread. It's about patience, science, history, and the unexpected ways life rises to meet you. Thanks for reading my first blog—stay tuned for more stories, recipes, and tips from First Rise Bakery!