Like all 30s women, I seem to have entered that very specific era of life where suddenly I want to make sourdough bread.
Some people start running marathons. Some take up knitting. Some develop a suspiciously intense relationship with pottery. And then there are the people who start making sourdough bread like it’s a full-time job and their entire personality folded into one.
Naturally, I looked around and thought, yes. I too shall become a bread woman.
So I got one of my 30-something girlfriends to bring me some of her sourdough starter. Her starter was called Sandy. Very established. Very mature. A woman of the world. And from Sandy, I created my own little sourdough baby: Pearl.
Pearl now lives in my kitchen and gets fed more consistently than I do. I tend to her, I check on her, I stare at her bubbles like a proud mother even though, if we’re being honest, I have absolutely no idea what I’m doing.
Have I made bread with Pearl? Yes.
Did it go well? No.
I made one loaf and it failed so spectacularly I’d prefer not to reopen the case. The dream of becoming an effortless, linen-apron-wearing sourdough goddess was, for now, postponed.
But what I did have was a whole lot of sourdough discard.
And me being me, I hate waste. Cannot stand it. If something can be turned into something delicious, I’m going to give it a red-hot crack. So instead of throwing it out, I decided to make something far more forgiving, far less emotionally taxing, and honestly... much more my speed.
Chai granola.
Or as I like to call it, Chai-nola.
And it slaps.
Crunchy, golden, spiced, and absolutely elite scattered over yoghurt, eaten by the handful, or picked at straight from the tray while pretending you’re “just letting it cool.” The sourdough discard gives it a lovely little depth, and the chai brings all the warm, cosy, spicy goodness you’d expect from us.
It’s wholesome enough to make you feel like you’ve got your life together, but still delicious enough that you don’t feel like you’re chewing on a bowl of birdseed and regret.
Which, let’s be honest, is the dream.
So if you too have entered your wholesome 30's era, or you’ve got sourdough discard hanging around and no emotional energy left to attempt another loaf, this one’s for you.
Pearl may not have made me a bread queen just yet, but she has helped me make a bloody good Chai-nola.
And frankly, I’ll take that.
If you make it, please tag us on socials so we can see your handiwork and reshare it. Every post, like, comment, and share helps our little family-run business grow, and we’re always so grateful for the support.
Now go forth, be wholesome, and make yourself a batch of Chai-nola.
