Sunday’s We Bake Bread with Sarah who lives in Chicago
Sarah Mispagel Lustbader of Sarahlustbagel on Instagram is a former Michelin star pastry chef turned loaf lifer who lives in Chicago.
Check out her Instagram HERE
How did your love for baking start?
My love of baking started pretty young, maybe when I was in 1st grade? My uncle Brian was an amazing cook. I have very fond memories of going to see him with my family. He would have music on loud, singing along, cooking with what felt like a ton of things going at once. Everything he made was incredible, and it clearly brought him such joy to be able to cook for his family. I told my parents I wanted to be a chef, but every time I went into the kitchen to make something, I veered towards the pastry side. I eventually went to Culinary school when I was 20, and completed a course in baking and pastry. I worked bakery jobs for a few years, and my first love was bread. I eventually transitioned into restaurant pastry kitchens when I moved to Chicago in 2010. I most recently won the executive pastry chef for Sepia restaurant (one Michelin star), and its sister restaurant Proxi (Michelin bib gourmand). I was with them for 3 years and then left my employment with them to work in a bakery, Lost Larson, to dive back into my passion for bread making. I was with them for three months before the pandemic hit, and have been out of work since. I've been doing my best to continue baking bread and learning with my husband, who is also a bread lover, during this time.
What emotions provoke you when you bake?
A sense of calm. I am a very routine driven person. I like to start and end every day the same if I can. I like that there is a routine and a pretty clear set of guidelines to follow for the bread baking process. I always get excited, though when I bake, and I can peek into the oven through the glass and see an ear forming on my loaf and see it getting a really good rise.
What are your favorite things to bake?
I bake exclusively with sourdough starters when I'm making bread, so even a simple country oaf has a great flavor depth. My current favorite breads are honey oat for peanut butter toast or a great veggie sandwich. But I think everyone knows that pickled jalapeños and cheddar cheese makes what might be the best bread of all time.
What's been inspiring you lately?
Lately, I've been thinking of different flavor combinations for bread, and how they would lend themselves into being incredible sandwiches. Earlier this year, my husband and I made bread filled with caramelized onions and gruyere, which we then made into roast beef sandwiches. So things like that.
Advice for someone who would like to get into bread baking?
Be patient, and follow the recipe! All of it! Talk to someone you think has a good handle on the basics of bread baking, and ask for a recipe they like and trust. And follow every step exactly. Like in a science experiment, you need to have a control group. If you go rogue, you won't know if something did or didn't work because it was a mistake in the recipe, your understanding of it, or something you decided to do that was not written in the steps.
What does bread symbolize to you?
I love bread because, at its core, its a simple, honest, comforting food. It takes skill and attention to detail to make it properly, but its made from ingredients everyone has access to. Every culture has a relationship with bread and their unique recipes.
What is the most challenging part of baking bread?
Being patient to wait until its 100% cool to cut into it.
What's the most important thing to you when baking?
When I bake for the sake of recipe testing, of course, I want every loaf to be perfect, but if it isn't, I'm happy as long as I learned something from the bake. It's satisfying when you get something right the first time, but that doesn't happen a lot. So as long as I can use it as a tool to decide what would create a better product next time, I'm happy.
What are some things you've learned about bread?
It can be a lot more forgiving than you would think. I've made some bread that I've baked thinking that it would most certainly be garbage, and it turned out great! If you've come that far, it's always worth trying to bake it. Unless you forgot the salt, then its disgusting and trash.
How do you like to eat your bread?
Toasted with peanut butter and hot honey on top or in sandwich form, my husband makes an amazing sandwich, and when I'm feeling low, he makes me "emotional support grilled cheese," they always make me feel better.
