Tony Zentgraf
Miwa Russell owner of Southern Oregon Sourdough has mastered her recipe!
I had heard of a delicious sourdough bread that was in the Rogue Valley but it seemed to be elusive. Then the local newspaper ran a story on Miwa Russell and her company, Southern Oregon Sourdough. Miwa has an interesting history and journey from growing up in Japan to an airline pilot and sourdough bread baker. Watch the Exploring the Source with Southern Oregon Sourdough interview with Miwa!
Jump to Video Interview
Dream of Becoming an Airline Pilot
Growing up in Japan, Miwa had a dream of traveling the world. To make that dream a reality she knew that becoming a commercial pilot would make that dream a reality.
In the 1990s, there were not opportunities for a woman to become an airline pilot in Japan. Her grandfather, knowing her dream, found information about female airline pilots in the United States. He told her that there were 2130 female commercial pilots in the U.S. and if she wanted to become an airline pilot, she needed to go the the states.
As Miwa tells in the interview, she did not speak English but could read and write. At that time Japanese schools taught how to read and write but not how to speak English. Now the schools in Japan teach how to speak as well.
Wisdom from her Grandfather
Miwa began learning how to speak English, she describes the difficulties she had learning how to speak. Her grandfather told her, “If you want to achieve your dream of flying, learning English is just one step in the process of becoming a pilot”
These are words that we all should have in the back of our mind when we are striving to become better in anything! Just because you have a struggle or obstacle, overcome it and move on to the next step in your journey. Miwa’s grandfather gave her a great lesson.
Starting her Journey in Seattle
Miwa would come to Seattle and begin her journey of becoming an airline pilot. She achieved that dream over 25 years ago. She has worked in the airline industry and as a private jet pilot. When she met her husband, also an airline pilot, they settled in the Rogue Valley.
Becoming a Mother
When she became a mother, things changed. Balancing two pilots and two children became a juggling act. At that point, they decided they needed to make a change. Miwa decided to stay home to raise her children. As she discusses, becoming a mother changed her mindset of being a career driven woman.
Upon staying home she enjoyed expanding her baking skills with tarts, cakes and other pastries. It wasn’t until they began looking for a style of bread they enjoyed. Previously living in Seattle and traveling the world had given them a standard of what excellent bread should be.
Challenge Accepted
She began baking sourdough when her husband said, “You are a good baker, you could bake bread couldn’t you?” Miwa said, “Yea no problem.” As she explains, she failed at making bread for 6-8 months. Not as easy as she thought.
Through trial and error and using starters from other regions of the U.S., she decided to make her own starters. That was a huge turning point for her. Her sourdough bread recipes began to take shape. She has developed recipes that are packed with flavor and rival any sourdough bread you would find on the west coast.
Ingredients that Make the Difference
Miwa uses organic flours in her bread baking. The high quality of the ingredients she sources make a huge difference in flavor. In the interview she explains that the flavors of dry flours, bleached, unbleached, whole grain and organic whole grain taste so different.
In the interview she discusses how her travels have shaped her thinking on what she sees as the most important part in all of bread baking. I don’t want to spoil it for you. Check out the video to see for yourself.
Science Behind the Sourdough Starter
Because Miwa decided to make her own Sourdough Starters, she was able to cultivate these living beings from the local environment. Using a starter that was from San Francisco presented a challenge. The environment they have consists of a lot of fog and the temperature is more consistent year round.
Here in the Rogue Valley, we have more of a Mediterranean climate. Cooler in the morning and evening and can be up to 100° midday. Not to mention the ingredients of making the starter could have varied from one person to another. Trying to revive and use someone else’s starter proved to be a challenge for Miwa.
As she explains, her starters now are strong and she has been keeping them going for 8 years. The key has been feeding them twice a day and learning to monitor them for any fluctuation in their ability to produce great bread.
Plus, by developing her starters, she doesn’t need to use yeast in her bread. The sourdough bread acts as a natural yeast!
Sourdough Pie Crust?
Yes you read that right! Miwa uses her starters in pies for the holidays. She bakes over 100 pies every year to sell to her friends and loyal customers. She has customers who also look for unique baked goods that she has sold from time to time, like her Mini Sourdough Lemon Loaf.
Learn to Make Sourdough
Miwa also hosts baking classes, if you are in Southern Oregon, head over to SouthernOregonSourdough.store to get more info on her baking classes. She gives hands on instruction of her method for you to produce some amazing bread yourself.
I can’t wait to get in on one of her classes. Although I have worked in the culinary industry for decades, bread baking is one area that I have little experience. I can bake bread but generally have not worked in restaurants where there was much need. But Pastries, Desserts and other baking, no problem.
I want to thank Miwa for showing me behind the scenes in the Exploring the Source with Southern Oregon Sourdough interview. Look for her amazing bread or if you aren’t in the area, buy her sourdough starter on the website!
Where to Find Southern Oregon Sourdough?
Rusted Gate Farm – 5700 Upton Rd, Central Point, OR 97502 – Farm Store (541) 630-3418
Order from Miwa direct – [email protected] or Visit SouthernOregonSourdough.store for more info.
Look for her pop-up locations and new locations to buy her breads!
Exploring the Source with Southern Oregon Sourdough
