A journey that began in Bollywood, and found its meaning with sourdough in Goa
Eddie Seth doesn't use chemical additives and doesn’t have an electric mixers; he kneads all the dough by hand himself.
By Vikram Doctor, ET Bureau | Updated:
Agencies
Goa is known for its traditional breads like the fluffy pao, flat poee and the ring-shaped kankon. So, it seems slightly perverse to go there and fall for chewy, hearty sourdough loaves. Sourdough refers to bread raised not by commercial yeast — or toddy, as Goan breads used to be, but rarely are now — but with a starter made by fermenting flour, water and other substances to capture natural yeasts and lactobacillus cultures, which helps give the loaves their complex taste.
The sourdough I fell for is made by Eddie Seth and Valentina Guarneri of Flour Power Bakeria in Anjuna. Eddie varies what goes into the starters: At the moment he says he’s using pomegranate, but he’s also used kombucha, wild berries and other fruits found in the market.
They get good wheat from Madhya Pradesh, but have also used millet, corn, rye and black rice. Eddie has a home mill which grinds whatever grains he finds. He doesn’t use the chemical additives most bakeries do and doesn’t have their electric mixers either; he kneads all the dough by hand himself.
This can’t be mass production; they make about 60 loaves a week. They also use the sourdough for the pizzas they make at their small outlet five days a week. The pizzas are ultra-simple, with just enough topping to complement the gloriously deep and slightly charred taste of the naan-like base.
Eddie came to bread through Bollywood. His family was involved with the industry but moved to Canada when he was young. Like many NRI kids, Eddie decided to come back to India to try making it as an actor. He did his time as a struggler in Mumbai and was finally launched in 2011 with a film titled 'A Strange Love Story'. His career didn’t take off, but he has no regrets. “I learned a lot about working hard and keeping going,” he says.
And now this passion is taking him back to Canada. They have got an offer to work with a large bakery in Vancouver and Eddie is excited at the possibilities: “I’ll be able to work with new ingredients and all the great fruit you find there.” It is not how he imagined going back home, but he knows it could never have happened without the experience of working in India.
As soon as they can sell the bakery, they’ll be off, which is extremely sad for everyone who has become addicted to their bread. But it is testimony to the strange magic of sourdough. With just flour, water, salt and yeasts from the air, you can make great bread and turn an aspiring Bollywood hero into a baker.
The sourdough I fell for is made by Eddie Seth and Valentina Guarneri of Flour Power Bakeria in Anjuna. Eddie varies what goes into the starters: At the moment he says he’s using pomegranate, but he’s also used kombucha, wild berries and other fruits found in the market.
They get good wheat from Madhya Pradesh, but have also used millet, corn, rye and black rice. Eddie has a home mill which grinds whatever grains he finds. He doesn’t use the chemical additives most bakeries do and doesn’t have their electric mixers either; he kneads all the dough by hand himself.
This can’t be mass production; they make about 60 loaves a week. They also use the sourdough for the pizzas they make at their small outlet five days a week. The pizzas are ultra-simple, with just enough topping to complement the gloriously deep and slightly charred taste of the naan-like base.
Eddie came to bread through Bollywood. His family was involved with the industry but moved to Canada when he was young. Like many NRI kids, Eddie decided to come back to India to try making it as an actor. He did his time as a struggler in Mumbai and was finally launched in 2011 with a film titled 'A Strange Love Story'. His career didn’t take off, but he has no regrets. “I learned a lot about working hard and keeping going,” he says.
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He also met Valentina in Mumbai and they moved to Goa. On a whim, they attended the celebrated sourdough making course offered by Sujit Sumitran, a self-taught Goa-based home baker. Eddie became fascinated by the complexities of sourdough, even though it uses the most basic ingredients. He started making bread, and eventually started the bakery, where Valentina also makes wonderful pies.And now this passion is taking him back to Canada. They have got an offer to work with a large bakery in Vancouver and Eddie is excited at the possibilities: “I’ll be able to work with new ingredients and all the great fruit you find there.” It is not how he imagined going back home, but he knows it could never have happened without the experience of working in India.
As soon as they can sell the bakery, they’ll be off, which is extremely sad for everyone who has become addicted to their bread. But it is testimony to the strange magic of sourdough. With just flour, water, salt and yeasts from the air, you can make great bread and turn an aspiring Bollywood hero into a baker.
Did you go all the way to Rome dreaming of taking that perfect selfie at the fountain of Trevi, only to find that the whole world seemed to have the same idea? You are not the only one mobbed by fellow tourists. Even residents in tourist destinations have been complaining that a spurt in arrivals has started destroying their beloved cities, giving rise to the term "overtourism".
Indian cities Nainital, Shimla, Ooty and Goa, among others, have also complained of overtourism.
Here is how some cities are tackling 'overtourism', and a few alternative destinations you might want to consider:
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