A Gift of Love

Unsure of what to do with the extra time suddenly forced upon her, LeeAnn Turner, a pharmaceutical rep, began the pandemic shut down with a stem to stern, top to bottom, cleaning of her house. With the dust removed from the last baseboard and the final smudge wiped from the last window, she set about trying to decide which new hobby she would take up. She gave serious consideration to learning the guitar but settled on another idea she’d been mulling for a while.  

LeeAnn doesn’t do anything half-heartedly, and she jumped into the intimidating and often frustrating world of sourdough bread baking with both feet. She quickly realized sourdough is a world unto itself with its own lexicon and traditions, like naming your starter. More on that later.  

Photo courtesy of Joey Turner

Sourdough baking can be exceedingly difficult. LeeAnn came up against all the challenges that cause many a sourdough neophyte to throw in the apron. Just getting everything to come together to create the starter can stymie the most experienced bakers. “It was super frustrating at first,” says LeeAnn. “I just told myself, I am not going to allow flour and water to get the best of me. I am kind of a perfectionist, so I had to give myself some grace and permission to make mistakes. I just stuck with it.” 

That perseverance paid off. LeeAnn progressed quickly and soon began experimenting with different sourdough flavors. Among some of her more successful combinations are jalapeño cheddar, pecan praline, apple cobbler, and pumpkin spice caramel. Her most popular flavor, blueberry white chocolate, can be had as a French toast special at her family’s Near Southside staple BREWED.  

One of the main problems LeeAnn had in the beginning was what to do with all the bread she was baking. At first, she and her family simply consumed it, but LeeAnn realized she was “going to need my pants to fit again at some point, so I began giving it away.” 

LeeAnn and her husband Joey began putting together some care package gift baskets for their neighbors to let them know  that “we’re all in this together and we will get through it together, and it grew from there. If I saw somebody post on Facebook that they were having a hard time, I would take them some bread and try to brighten their day.”  

Thus, Honeybee Bread FW was born. 

Photo courtesy of Joey Turner

Then the world got worse. After the killing of George Floyd when it seemed like the world was on fire and our collective anger out of control, LeeAnn kicked her bread production into high gear. “I have several friends that are people of color, and my heart was breaking for them. And for my law enforcement friends. My bread isn’t going to solve anyone’s problems, but it can show that I love you.  If it can take your mind off the stress and if it can inspire others to take what they have and use that to give away to be an encouragement, then I have accomplished something. At this point, I’ve given away over 200 loaves of bread. It’s been such an unexpected joy for me. Whenever we do something kind for someone else, we are the real the beneficiaries. It really is better to give than receive.” 

Now LeeAnn is spreading the love. She recently hosted her first sourdough class in her home to teach people the intricacies of sourdough so they too can give their friends and family members a little lift when they need it. She plans to host future classes as well and will post dates and times on her Facebook page.  

The tips she gives to first-time sourdough bakers are simple yet essential: “First, understand you will make mistakes. It’s ok. Give yourself the grace through the process. Treat your starter like a pet. Feed it every day. Mine’s name is Audrey after the plant who constantly needed feeding in Little Shop of Horrors.”  

It is said that time is the most precious thing we have because it is the one thing we can never get back. When someone gifts you something they’ve made by hand, they are gifting you their time. They are saying, “I value you. I care for you.” 

Photo courtesy of Joey Turner

This is a good time to follow LeeAnn Turner’s stellar example of caring for our friends and neighbors. If you don’t want to bake bread, do what you can where you are. There is no better way to say “I love you” than by giving someone your time.