GOSHEN COUNTY – The bubbling, fermenting mixture sits patiently in Kylee Brothwell’s kitchen, waiting for its next feeding. Her sourdough starter, inherited from her mother-in-law who received it from her own mother, represents generations of culinary tradition stretching back thousands of years.

Ancient Egyptians are typically credited with creating the first sourdough starter, and now this ancient bread-making technique is experiencing a remarkable renaissance in modern American kitchens.

“I know a lot of people who are getting back into the sourdough process as it does not have preservatives and you know all the ingredients being put into the bread,” Brothwell said. “A starter can live for years and years and years as long as you treat it like your child and feed it every so often.”

Brothwell’s journey into sourdough baking began just over a year ago with encouragement from her husband, but her passion now extends far beyond a simple hobby. She offers customers everything from plain bread to sweet and savory varieties, along with bagels, sweet rolls, cookies, scones and muffins.

The resurgence of sourdough baking represents more than just a food trend. Home bakers are rediscovering a process dating all the way back to Ancient Egypt making it one of the oldest forms of leavened bread. This ancient technique predates commercial yeast by millennia and offers numerous health benefits modern consumers increasingly seek.

From Egypt to Oregon Trail

The first evidence of sourdough dates back to the Ancient Egyptian Empire. Ancient Egypt, often considered the cradle of leavened bread, played a central role in the development of breadmaking. By 6,000 BC, Egyptian civilizations had already mastered the craft of baking.

The bread-making technique spread across civilizations. From Egypt, sourdough bread-making spread north to ancient Greece, where it was first baked at home by women and later, in bakeries. The Romans learned the art of bread baking from the Greeks, making improvements in kneading and baking.

In America, sourdough became integral to westward expansion. 

“This is something brought along the Oregon Trail,” Brothwell noted, referencing how pioneers relied on sourdough starters as reliable leavening agents when commercial yeast was unavailable.

The fermentation process creates distinct flavors and textures through naturally occurring wild yeasts and bacteria. These microorganisms feed on the carbohydrates in the flour and produce lactic acid and acetic acid, which give sourdough bread its distinct sour flavor.

Health benefits drive modern appeal

Beyond nostalgia, scientific research reveals significant health advantages driving sourdough’s popularity. The fermentation process for sourdough bread can lead to an increased number of prebiotic- and probiotic-like properties, which help improve gut health.

Sourdough bread may be easier to digest than white bread for some people. According to some studies, sourdough bread acts as a prebiotic, supporting beneficial gut bacteria growth.

The fermentation process also affects blood sugar response. Your insulin levels will not spike as high after eating a slice of sourdough bread as they would after eating white bread.

Consumption of sourdough bread allows better food digestion, promotes better nutritional uptake of minerals and vitamins and also improves gut health through the presence of beneficial bacteria.

Sourdough bread provides vitamins and minerals, including vitamin B, iron and calcium, and is a great source of antioxidants and prebiotics.

Complex process requires patience

For Brothwell, sourdough baking is far from quick or simple. She describes the intricate multi-day process beginning with starter maintenance.

“Sourdough is a very intricate process, spanning over a couple days. Twelve hours sometimes more depending on the weather you have to ‘feed’ the starter. After the starter is nice and bubbly and has doubled then you are at a green light to use it,” she explained.

The actual bread-making requires careful timing and technique. 

“On day two, you start mixing your doughs, I do mine all by hand. You let the dough sit for 30 minutes to an hour then you perform a series of four sets of stretch and folds over a two-hour period. This allows the gluten development which is what makes your bread rise,” she elaborated. 

The proofing stage demands experience and intuition. 

“This is the tricky part knowing when your dough is perfectly proofed. Sometimes it takes eight plus hours other times it only takes four hours. There are a lot of factors playing into the perfectly proofed dough,” Brothwell explained.

After shaping, bakers can either bake immediately or cold ferment the dough in refrigerators for 12 to 72 hours, allowing greater flavor development and scheduling flexibility.

“Once ready to bake you will preheat a Dutch oven and score your bread and hope for the perfect ear and perfect rise,” Brothwell said.

Brothwell explained an “ear” in sourdough terms is “just a flap of the bread where you score it.” The scoring process involves making strategic cuts in the dough’s surface before baking, allowing the bread to expand in controlled ways during the baking process rather than bursting randomly.

Individual techniques, universal appeal

Despite sourdough’s ancient origins, modern bakers develop personal approaches to the process. 

“Sourdough can be so fun but it is not a perfect science. Everyone has their own ways to do everything within the process. Some people follow recipes to exact grams others go by texture of the dough. I personally am in between. I definitely follow a recipe but I also know when my dough needs a little something extra,” Brothwell said.

Her favorite product to make demonstrates sourdough’s versatility. 

“I think I enjoy making bagels the most. They are very hands on and time consuming but they are a very rewarding product,” she explained.

Living starters require ongoing care, developing relationships between bakers and their fermentation cultures. 

“They get hungry and can even start to get acidic and smell like nail polish remover when super hungry. The sourdough starter is an amazing thing to look at once you deep dive into it,” Brothwell said. 

Many bakers develop emotional connections to their starters, often naming them and treating them as family members. “My starter does not have a name but she really does need one,” she laughed.

Learning through trial and error

Brothwell’s experience reflects many home bakers discovering sourdough’s complexities. “I have been baking all my life but I just started this sourdough journey about a year and a half ago and it has definitely been a learning process and I am not an expert as I am still learning and making mistakes.”

Her business, The Grain Jar Bakery, grew organically from family encouragement. 

“This journey began with a little nudge from my wonderful and supportive husband. He was truly the one who told me I need to put myself out there. Around Christmas time of last year, I posted a Christmas preorder with lots of goodies and it took off from there,” she said.

The bakery’s name carries personal significance. 

“My grandpa was a wheat farmer and he passed away in 2023 so I did it in somewhat of a way to honor him,” Brothwell explained.

Currently operating from her home kitchen, Brothwell connects with customers through social media rather than farmers markets. 

“As of right now, I do not go to farmers markets but people can get a hold of me on Facebook or my personal number,” she said. 

Customers can reach her at (307) 321-3889.

Ancient tradition, modern movement

The sourdough revival represents broader trends toward traditional food preparation methods, ingredient transparency and artisanal craftsmanship. Home bakers seek connections to historical practices while pursuing healthier alternatives to commercial bread products.

Sourdough’s complexity appeals to those wanting hands-on involvement in food preparation, contrasting with convenience-focused modern cooking. The process demands patience, attention and skill development over time.

“A lot of people start them from scratch but I got mine from my mother-in-law who got hers from her mom so I would definitely say mine is older,” Brothwell said, emphasizing how sourdough traditions pass through generations.

The resurgence bridges ancient wisdom with contemporary health consciousness, proving some traditions endure because they work. As more people discover sourdough’s benefits and challenges, this ancient art continues rising in modern kitchens, one carefully tended starter at a time.

For bakers like Brothwell, sourdough represents more than bread – it connects them to thousands of years of human culinary evolution while providing healthy, preservative-free alternatives for today’s families. The ancient Egyptian innovation continues feeding people, one bubble at a time.