Engineer turned baker is queen of sourdough bread

Former mechanical engineer Chuah Chiew See is now a home-based baker.

PUCHONG: It’s hard to imagine leaving the comforts and security of a professional career to become a homemaker.

Yet Chuah Chiew See, 44, took that leap of faith when she traded her mechanical engineering tools some 10 years ago for the kitchen utensils she would need as a home-based baker.

Looking back at her life-changing decision, she has little if no regrets she says, as she removes a hot loaf of freshly baked sourdough bread from the oven.

A Penangite, she worked for 10 years as an engineer in Selangor shortly after her graduation. Besides the obvious perks, it was a job that suited her talents and her love for mathematics.

“Being a mechanical engineer and being a female mechanical engineer, I did gain some respect and recognition in my career,” she told FMT.

Sourdough bread is a good alternative for diabetics and people with low gluten tolerance.

However, her work necessitated frequent travel. And she quit her job after realising that leaving her family behind for long stretches of time was a sacrifice she wasn’t willing to make.

Still, there were immense adjustments to get used to. “The moment I switched to be a stay-at-home mum, the work function, the lifestyle, the daily routine; everything was totally different.”

But her husband was supportive of her decision, and she did love having the time to care for her three children.

Sourdough bread is best eaten fresh and can be slathered with a variety of spreads.

Then, her interest in baking caught on.

It all began with a visit to a King’s Confectionery outlet in Tesco Puchong, where through a large display window, she could see the pastry chefs inside deftly decorating cakes.

She was hooked. So she started baking for her children; granting their every request for theme cakes and different flavours. She used the recipes she found on YouTube and cookbooks at first.

Social media is still a source of inspiration for her and she regularly combines a myriad of ideas to produce something all her own.

After mastering cakes, she learnt how to bake biscuits and breads, one of which is sourdough bread.

“It’s all trial and error,” said Chuah, emphasising that it is natural for a baker to make mistakes. “You must take it as a hobby. You must love it.”

Baking her own pastries fresh and free of additives means she knows what her family is eating and that they do not have to rely on commercially-produced bread any longer.

Chuah cuts through the crusty top layer of a loaf of sourdough loaf with a bread knife.

The real joy of baking, she said, was the thrill of experimenting in the kitchen and getting fabulous results.

“Sometimes you think you’re hitting the right peak and sometimes, you fall from your peak.”

Clearly, it can get downright frustrating trying to figure out why some recipes turn out great while others are disasters.

“When you know how and why you fail, you can pick up from there and improve. When you don’t know why you fail, that’s the most difficult part,” Chuah said.

For now, her favourite is sourdough bread, a type of bread unlike the usual white or brown bread most enjoy.

“The main difference is that sourdough bread is leavened by natural yeast, which we call the starter. The lactic acid released in the process of fermentation delivers a lower Glycemic Index compared to other breads.”

Because of this, sourdough bread can be enjoyed by diabetics as it increases blood sugar levels gradually, not drastically.

Besides its distinctive taste, sourdough bread comes with unusually large air pockets.

Sourdough bread is also suitable for those with gluten intolerance.

As the name suggests, this bread has a distinctive sourish taste. There are also large holes within the loaf unlike the kind you see in white bread.

Chuah says the somewhat crusty exterior and chewy inside might taste a little unusual to some, but that over time, it’s a taste and texture that will grow on you.

“Yeasted bread tends to be stickier and thus, sticks to the teeth. Sourdough doesn’t stick to the teeth that much. And the texture is different. It is also crusty outside and soft inside.”

Sourdough bread can be enjoyed with butter and jam, or a mix of olive oil and balsamic vinegar, as well as an avocado spread.

Chuah does not sell her bread, but gifts it to family and friends.

Ever the busy bee, Chuah has also recently published a book, “Autumn Baking: Natural Yeast” that features all her recipes.

Baking has also led her to pick up other skills such as photography which she uses to populate her enterprise’s Instagram page, and those of her self-published cookbook.

For those considering a career transition like her, she said, “You need to be prepared in many ways: financially, physically, and mentally.

“You need to be really sure that you can live with a single income, that you do have the energy to deal with 24/7 house chores.”

When asked for the most important quality a baker ought to have, she said simply, “Perseverance. You have to hold steady and despite many, many failures, you will strike it one day.”

“Autumn Baking: Natural Yeast” is available in MPH bookstores and through online retailers. - FMT