Fungi and focaccia: Pay some mind to the yeast behind the rise

Corin Hadley, SciTech Editor talks to Sarah Haynes, Third Year, Chemist/Baker/Mycophile

You spend your weekends in fungal forests and your mornings with your hands in a sourdough starter. What’s so special about fungi?

They’re the underdog – rarely given any cred but everywhere, propping up the entire natural world. I suppose it fits, most of a fungus is underground. It’s only the fruit you can see on the surface. I’ve been noticing that all the video games I’ve been playing feature mushrooms. I guess the world just wouldn’t feel the same without them. I also like the cultural things. Like they’re mysterious. Is this one going to kill me instantly or is it one of the most important drugs ever? I guess I also like finding them because they’re rare. When you find a good one in a forest it’s like finding treasure.

Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. So, what made you actually start your bread-making yeast colony?

I mainly just wanted sourdough focaccia but am not going to spend £6 on a loaf. Having a starter and making your own bread lets you exchange money for time and care. As a student that seems like a good deal. I think what really made me start was just realising that I could. Knowing I could know it. Making sourdough seems so mysterious and difficult, but I just realised I could put some flour in a bowl and feed her every day and then I’d have a starter. I think I also think it’s a bit of a status symbol to be able to make a great loaf. Maybe only to other people who make sourdough, but I wanted the cred.

No, for sure! The times I’ve tried I didn’t get much more than a hard, sour pancake. I noticed you personified ‘her’. Do you feel like your starter brings more than bread into your life?

Yes definitely. I think I’ve gotten quite attached. She was sick the other week, but I gave her some more attention, warmth and food and she recovered. I’m always so happy when I come down in the morning and see her bubbling away. They’re bubbles of joy.

The responsibility over a living thing makes you feel like you’ve done something meaningful every day. It’s so lovely to see how a starter responds to your efforts. I think the bread I make often feels like a team effort between me and the microbes in my starter.