With everyone staying at home, cooking, chances are your feeds are full of people making bread. After professional basketball, hockey and baseball seasons were put on pause, it seems like everyone has instead tuned into videos about creating the perfect sourdough bread and sourdough starter, in what appears to be the internet's new favorite sport. And with many grocery stores' bread aisles barren, it's a great time to learn to create this staple yourself.

While bread can seem like it requires a culinary degree to master, with all the extra time we have in our homes, even a beginner can have a successful foray into breadmaking. Better yet, sourdough is typically vegan, with traditional recipes containing just three ingredients: flour, water and salt. In a time of social distancing, these loaves make great gifts for friends and family and can take the place of a hug and serve as an edible act of kindness.

At a time where everyone is looking to boost their immune systems, sourdough bread can be an easy way to sneak in some fermented goodness which has naturally occurring lactobacilli-- a bacteria that has been shown to promote gut health and protect against infections. Due to its fermented properties, sourdough bread also keeps longer than a normal loaf-- nearly three months in the freezer!

Here are a few resources for you if you want to hop on the latest trend: Becoming a sourdough star.

1. Connie's RAWsome Kitchen, Vegan Sourdough Starter and Bread

In this video, Connie's RAWsome Kitchen breaks down how to perfect your sourdough starter, which is a crucial first step to making the first bread. With top-down visuals, helpful subtitles and charming Italian music to accompany the steps, this video acts as a perfect instruction guide for first-time sourdough artists, all under 10 minutes. Connie even delves into the science of why sourdough is so beneficial to your health.

2. Healthy Taste of Life

If you want to impress with a sourdough gift but are baking for someone who is gluten intolerant or gluten-free, Healthy Taste of Life's video will walk you through the process step-by-step. This gluten-free, vegan bread is also free of starches, gums, yeast and oil so it will be perfect for anybody with allergies or sensitivities! Topped with chopped walnuts, pepitas and sunflower seeds, this recipe packs in the nutrients for a delicious, good-for-you loaf that is a great option if you're craving carbs but don't want to feel any guilt in indulging!

3. Holy Cow Vegan

Holy Cow Vegan has a wealth of articles dedicated to the sourdough topic. From dinner rolls to no-knead loaves, to sourdough Challah, you'll find a thousand different ways to make this fermented bread. With easy-to-follow directions and lots of helpful community feedback in the recipe reviews, Holy Cow is a great resource to follow when you want to expand your sourdough skills beyond the traditional loaf.

4. Sourdough: A Beginner's Guide for Vegans by Iris Blume

Sourdough: A Beginner's Guide for Vegans by Iris Blume

For a more thorough, complete guide that you can take at your own pace, Iris Blume has penned a book specifically for vegans, all about the world of sourdough. Available in paperback on Amazon as well as on Kindle, Sourdough: A Beginner's Guide for Vegans breaks down everything you need to know to master the bread, with no animal products needed. From the baking history to basic tips all the way to advanced techniques, there's a chapter for every sourdough-related question you could ever have, including suggestions for tools and more resources. If you're looking to really level up and master the art of baking vegan sourdough, Blume's book is the guide for you.