GIVE ME THE GLUTEN

There are now two kinds of people in the world. Those who know who Patrick Ryan is and those who don’t. If you want to know why he’s famous, then google ‘how to make sourdough bread’.

Patrick Ryan, pictured left, is that rarest of creatures among all those who suddenly wanted to show us the sourdough recipe they’ve been using ‘for years’. Patrick Ryan is a baker who started baking before March 2020. Like I say, very rare.

He has appeared on BBC Two, owns Firehouse Bakery and Cafe in Wicklow and runs a baking school in west Cork. But his video on how to make sourdough from scratch shot him into a whole new level of fame. He is relaxed and at ease, unlike some others who feel the need to jump out of the screen at you, while showing you how to cook or bake. He has a nice culchie accent, but doesn’t make a meal out of it. Best of all, he persuaded tons of us that we could bake an edible loaf of sourdough on the first attempt.

This is bollocks: trust me on that one. But there is something about his easy ways that says, go on, try again. The result is sourdough on every street. We’ve gone from a nation of gluten haters to “Give me some of that white flour, baby, give it to me now...” And it’s all Patrick Ryan’s fault.