Normal Sourdough

Hi! My name is Martin; I've been bumming around Normaltown since 2002. I fell in love with baking bread at my first real job with the original Atlanta Bread Company when I was in High School. My job was to come in weekend mornings and bake the breads that a team had prepared the night before. I was amazed at the process and quickly fell in love. Of all the breads we made, the basic sourdough blew my young mind because of its simplicity. The ingredients are just flour, water, and salt. The technique of building the starter (or levain) and combining these basic ingredients of seemingly ground up plants, water, and rocks to create an amazingly light, flavorful, and beautiful loaf was, and still is absolutely mesmerizing. Eventually I left ABC after they sold and franchised. I came to UGA for school in the late 90's, studied a bunch of stuff I've long since forgotten, then life took me in many different directions both away from and back home to the restaurant and service industry. Early in the pandemic times, I was gifted a sourdough starter from a dear friend (love and miss ya, Andee) and the passion from 25 years earlier was immediately reignited. Since then, I've been baking loaves for friends, family, and neighbors every week; after some strong convincing from those I love, I decided to offer these same loaves for sale to the public. Making this bread has blessed me with a sense of simplicity, nourishment, and creativity. I know that in each loaf of this bread you'll find those same blessings. In Gratitude, Martin