Bread Experiments: Turmeric Sourdough with Wild

Garlic and Onion Seeds

Something I love about baking bread is the progressive sharing of knowledge that’s
required to make a successful loaf. We all start somewhere, and I can name some
key people who’ve been pivotal to my bread baking journey. Some of these people
are famous personalities (Jim Lahey, Dan Lepard) but most of these people are
friends and virtual baker buddies I’ve gotten to know through my blog and lately
through Instagram. And so it happened I got to chatting with Chivas Brothers
engineer Graeme Taylor about sourdough, through which he introduced me to
Glasgow-based Vicky Manning aka @thelittleforagerskitchen and her turmeric
sourdough bread. I rushed home to feed my starter intent on having a go that
evening. 
Guys, this bread is a Game Changer. The colour, aroma, and aesthetic appeal of
this loaf is off the charts. And if you’re up on your Ayurvedic medicine, you might get
pretty stoked about the idea of BREAD as a delivery device for the botanical beast
that is turmeric.
So what’s the deal with turmeric anyway? From a recent “Scam or Not” read in
the New York Times:

Turmeric is hailed for helping a host of conditions: high cholesterol, hay fever,
depression, gingivitis, premenstrual syndrome and even hangovers. In
Ayurvedic medicine, it is believed to act as an antiviral, antibacterial and
antiparasitic, and has long been used to help with diabetes, pain, rheumatism,
osteoarthritis, memory and skin conditions like eczema … Some research
indicates that both turmeric and curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric
supplements, have anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antibacterial, antiviral and
antiparasitic activity. But this has mostly been demonstrated in laboratory
studies, and, in many cases, the benefits of preclinical research isn’t observed
in clinical trials…
So, maybe it works? But who knows? We do know it’s safe to consume up to 2
grams of turmeric daily. So whether it’s a miracle drug or not, you’re safe with your
turmeric lattes and Indian thalis. And this bread!