Easy Cheddar Sourdough Bread

Last week at Walter Reed. I packed the duffel in ten minutes because everything I own fits in a duffel — clothes, meds, the cast iron skillet, Vasquez's albondigas recipe on a napkin, the phone. That's a life. That's the whole inventory. I've seen guys leave here with boxes, with families loading cars in the parking lot, with stuff. I have a bag and a skillet and a napkin and a leg that works and a head that doesn't. Travel light.

The goodbye rounds were short because I made them short. Nurse Webb shook my hand and said, "Stay vertical, Gallagher." Dr. Hannigan gave me a referral packet for the psychologist at Fort Carson — papers in a manila envelope, like my brain is a file being transferred between offices. It is. That's exactly what it is. Rivera — and this might be the most emotional moment of Rivera's career — said, "Don't skip your exercises." I said I wouldn't. He pointed at me. That was the goodbye. I'll take it.

I walked the courtyard one last time Tuesday night. Late, after lights-out, when the only people awake are the ones who can't sleep, which in this place is most of us. The dogwood tree had dropped its blooms — white petals all over the ground like someone had scattered paper. I stood there and thought about eleven weeks. Eleven weeks in this building. I came in on a stretcher and I'm walking out with a duffel and if that's not progress then the word doesn't mean anything.

Mom sent one more package before the transfer — biscuit mix. Not store-bought. Her mix, pre-measured, in a Ziploc bag with instructions written in her handwriting on an index card. Flour, baking powder, salt, lard — all measured and mixed, all I'd need is buttermilk and an oven. She wrote at the bottom: "For when you have a kitchen." Not if. When. Colleen Gallagher doesn't deal in ifs. Everything is when. When you come home. When you have a kitchen. When you're better. I put the bag in the duffel next to the skillet. Biscuit mix and cast iron. The essentials.

Friday I fly to Colorado Springs. I've never been to Colorado. Dad said it's pretty. Dad's been to Colorado twice in his life and both times were to buy cattle, so his assessment of "pretty" means he glanced out the truck window between transactions. But he's probably right. Mountains are mountains. Sky is sky. I just need it to be closer to home. It is. Eleven hours. Almost there.

Mom’s biscuit mix is still in the duffel — waiting for Colorado, waiting for a real oven and a counter to work on. Until I get there, this Easy Cheddar Sourdough Bread is the recipe I’m keeping in my back pocket: the same spirit as that Ziploc bag with handwritten instructions, the same idea that flour and heat and a little patience can make a place feel like somewhere you belong. You don’t need a full kitchen or a lot of stuff. You need a skillet, some basics, and the understanding that “when” is already on its way.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 45 min | Total Time: 1 hr | Servings: 10 slices

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sourdough starter (active, fed)
1/2 cup buttermilk, room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (divided)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (plus more for pan)
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (optional)

Instructions

Preheat and prep. Preheat your oven to 375°F. Grease a 9x5 loaf pan or a 10-inch cast iron skillet generously with butter and set aside.
Mix dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and garlic powder (if using). Stir in 3/4 cup of the shredded cheddar, reserving the rest for the top.
Combine wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, stir together the sourdough starter, buttermilk, melted butter, and honey until well combined.
Bring together. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold gently with a spatula until just combined — do not overmix. The dough will be thick and a little shaggy. That’s right.
Transfer and top. Scrape the dough into your prepared pan, smoothing the top with the spatula. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup cheddar evenly over the surface.
Bake. Bake at 375°F for 40–45 minutes, until the top is deep golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If the top browns too quickly, tent loosely with foil after 30 minutes.
Rest and slice. Let the bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack. Slice when just warm enough to hold together. Serve with butter.

Nutrition (per serving)

Easy Cheddar Sourdough Bread — Mom’s Biscuit Mix and the Kitchen That’s Coming