Rachel Pardoe (BScN 2012) has become a sourdough sensation.
The Bloomberg Nursing alum and community health nurse has, over the past few years, amassed over a million followers on her social platforms, where she shares content that reflects both her passion for baking and her unique voice — part nurse, part baker — as a member of the sourdough community.
Her artfully crafted loaves, and accessible approach to baking with sourdough started to become so popular that she was given the chance to create her very first cookbook. Sourdough Everything – has been published by DK and serves as a guide that bridges the gap between foundational sourdough baking, unique sourdough recipes, and the intricacies of decorative bread.
“It is surreal to see how this passion project that started during the pandemic, has morphed into a business and essentially a full-time job,” says Pardoe, “I’m so grateful for the opportunity to share my love of baking with the world.”
Sourdough Everything
Much of Pardoe’s content encourages beginner bakers to use visual cues to determine the readiness of key components involved in sourdough baking, like the finnicky starter, instead of focusing solely on dough temperature. This approach she says, makes it less intimidating for people to get started.
“Focusing on all the things that can go wrong with your sourdough can take away all the joy of baking, so I really wanted this book to be about helping people fall in love with the art of baking, and be excited to just create,” says Pardoe.
Pardoe’s recipes range from the very complex — like the croissants she recalls spending hours making, or her panettone, which she says took nearly 6 days to finish, to the more classic sourdough loaves.
She also has a chapter focused on discard recipes, which take the leftover portion of sourdough starter, and are used for recipes like brownies, pancakes or pasta.
“It’s why the book is called Sourdough Everything, I wanted people to see all of the possibilities that come from baking with sourdough.”
A creative outlet in an uncertain world
Pardoe has been baking since she was child, but it was in 2020 when the world had shut down, that she began to bake in earnest. Working as a community health nurse in the Ottawa region, while being a mum to a three-year-old, and pregnant with her daughter, Pardoe remembers feeling incredibly overwhelmed. Baking with sourdough became a form of therapy and the creative outlet that she needed.
“I couldn’t just focus on my job because there was too much change, uncertainty and fear. Instead of doom scrolling I started to look at content from other sourdough bakers, and I fell in love with decorative scoring, it married my love for baking and creativity,” says Pardoe.
Growing a brand
As her following grew, and brands started to approach her about partnerships, she tried to strike a balance between her nursing role, family, and her new passion. It was hard at first, she says, and it seemed like her house was falling to pieces because she spent all her spare time baking, trying new recipes, editing and uploading content. But soon, as a business it began to pay off.
While Pardoe has stepped back from a full-time role, she still works on a casual basis in community health and finds ways to bring her background as a health professional and advocate to her growing community online. Empathy and understanding she says, are a big part of nursing, as is a desire to create a safe and welcoming space for everyone.
“I try to be a bit of an activist and speak up for people who may not have a voice,” says Pardoe. “Nursing has always helped me embrace that side of myself, and it will always be a part of my life.”