For 20 years, Polly Barnes has been making her popular sourdough bread, and for 15 of those years she has been baking it in Mathews. She has kept the same starter going all this time, through moves and hurricanes.

Whether for a bake sale or any event where food is available, “Sourdough Bread by Polly Barnes” is an immediate sell-out.

“For years I wanted to make bread, even took a class on yeast bread-making, but just couldn’t get the knack of it so decided it was not for me,” Polly said. A co-worker at Weight Watchers who made sourdough bread, always giving it to family and friends, stimulated Polly’s interest. “I asked for the recipe and the starter and have been making it ever since, even shared it with my daughter and a good thing I did. When Hurricane Isabel struck we had to evacuate. Returning home, I got a cup of the starter from my daughter and it’s been going ever since. I prefer to make three loaves at a time (the recip...