- May 5, 2026
-
-
Loading
Loading
For Riverwalk Ridge’s Linda Hawkins, baking homemade sourdough is a challenge that has kept her up into the early morning hours.
She said her Italian heritage has led her to cook to her heart’s desire, and she often experiments by adding "a little bit of this and a little bit of that."
For sourdough — which is normally a three-day process — it is different. Measuring is of great importance.
“You need to have patience, and accept that it's not going to be perfect,” Hawkins said. “If you think you're going to make it look like something that comes out of the bakery, that every loaf is going to be the same, it's not going to be. Every loaf is different, and you've got to be willing to have a good time while you're doing it.”
Hawkins is just one member of the Sourdough Society of Lakewood Ranch that is led by Country Club East’s David Wiegand, who has been making sourdough since the COVID-19 lockdown. He said he loves the artistry that is associated with it and he is always trying to create the perfect loaf.
He is passionate because he has been able to create something beautiful and delicious that he can share with his friends and neighbors.
The purpose of the club is to share recipes, tips and trips with those who are passionate about making sourdough bread.
Wiegand said regular bread is generally made with flour, water, salt and yeast (instant rise or active dry). For sourdough, wild yeast and bacteria from the air is used, which is why it is a much longer process.
Del Webb’s Camille Piccininni said she had some hurdles to jump when she began making sourdough. She would buy starters at farmers markets and she would “kill it” (destroying the beneficial yeast and bacteria) every time.
She said she needed professional help, so she took a class. When she baked her first successful loaf, she almost cried because she couldn’t believe it.
Piccininni has now been making sourdough consistently for the past 2 1/2 years. She joined the Sourdough Society of Lakewood Ranch to further her knowledge on the art of sourdough.
“My goal is to meet like-minded people and share any tips and tricks that we have,” Piccininni said. “I always feel like there's so much learning to be done.”
A member of Grace Community Church, Piccininni said she has spread word about the club and nine women have expressed interest in joining..
After just her first meeting with the club, she was sent several recipes by fellow club member Erica Calka, for not only bread, but for granola, muffins, cookies, and more.
Calka, who lives in Shoreview, enjoys the whole process of making sourdough and finds it to be meditative. She has been making sourdough a year after doing research on the health benefits of that type of bread. She said it has helped with her digestion and has saved her money since she is not buying it at the grocery store.
She uses the “discard” or leftover parts of the starter to make all sorts of other foods including cookie dough, banana bread, cinnamon rolls, coffee cake and pizza dough. She hopes to one day make a business out of it.
“If somebody doesn't want the bread, they could use a sourdough starter and make other things that they would enjoy eating, but still get the benefits,” Calka said.
Piccininni uses her discard to feed her fruit trees.
Country Club East’s Bob Berman said he has made two loaves of sourdough that turned out well. He said although he began baking bread in the 1990s, he is a beginner when it comes to sourdough.
Berman said the biggest downside of baking sourdough are that it is time consuming and the loaves are too big for one person. He said he is learning the correct way to make the bread and he will share those big loaves with others.
“I have read a lot about it, and I am watching a lot of videos,” Berman said. “I just need to do it more often.”
Wiegand said the goal of the new club is to meet on a monthly basis. As of now, meetings are located at the Lakewood Ranch Community Activities' office at 5391 Lakewood Ranch Blvd. N., Suite 101.
“Because all of our members are fairly experienced, no cooking demos are needed,” Wiegand said. “If our membership increases to include a sufficient number of newbies, we will find an oven-equipped location where I will conduct an intensive two-day training session to properly educate our new members.”
