Lauren Lejeune

Most people I know start their New Year’s off with a goal, better known as a “New Year’s Resolution.” Something they want to work towards for the next 365 days, or longer if you’re dedicated. I, personally, have horrible decision-making skills, and decided to have more than just one goal for 2024. 

This year, I want to maximize my time. One thing I would definitely say I enjoy is my personal time, when nothing is happening and there’s nowhere I necessarily have to be. But during some inner reflection, I will admit, sometimes that free time is used to lounge around a little too long. Everybody needs rest, there’s days for that, but one thing I love to do is learn. I do not like to be stagnant and I’m especially appreciative of my job, as there is always something new to learn! But for my personal life, 2024 is the year to ramp it up.

I couldn’t decide on one thing, so every month, I have decided that I will dedicate time to learn a new skill. It’s a good way to keep myself on track with my plans, especially if I broadcast it to a large audience such as this, I can’t back out that way!  So, 12 months, 12 skills, one year. And so far, we’re off to a great start. 

For the month of January, I decided I wanted to start making sourdough. I’ve recently been looking to make some healthier switches in my life and I think your diet is a great place to start. But I do love bread of all shapes and sizes and was not interested in parting with it. Thankfully, there’s some healthier options out there that are actually good for your gut! I watched some videos and consulted with some senior sourdough makers I know and turns out, there is a whole lot more to it than I thought. Kneading techniques, flour to water ratios, window pane test — the list goes on and my brain was a jumble. 

It wasn’t something I wanted to majorly stress over and I still wanted it to be fun. So I decided to just go with the simplest route and pray that it worked. I killed my sourdough starter three times, accidentally of course, before I had some real consistency. I hadn’t quite understood the sourdough craze that’s beginning to tighten its grip on the female population, but now I’m starting to see the allure. It was cool to see something I had cultivated and did my best to keep alive finally taking shape. Promise was on the horizon, and I was ready to meet it. 

That is, until I watched a video of a gal who made one loaf of bread over a span of two days. And I’m not talking about getting your dough ready the night before and cooking the next day, I’m talking about two full business days. It didn’t seem right, or sustainable. I knew it wasn’t something I would be super interested in continuing. Thankfully, I have friends who have traveled the homemade food road for some time and I was reassured that it was most definitely possible to make sourdough in a much smaller time frame. 

So today, as I write this, my sourdough is rising in a bowl in my microwave and I have never been more giddy about a baked good in my life. Tomorrow I will be able to see my first loaf through and if all goes well I can most definitely see myself taking up baking regularly. Next on the agenda for February: wine making.