Sourdough: A Learning Curve

I did it. I jumped on the sourdough bandwagon. Almost exactly one year ago, I began researching sourdough because I wanted to bake bread for my family. After hearing all of the benefits that sourdough provides, I was sold. But, how do you even begin?

It's not a quick process to start from scratch. Mix some flour and water, discard and feed every day, and wait for a couple weeks (at least) for it to stop smelling horrible and start doubling in size while also filling with bubbles.

So I took the "easy" way out. I had a great friend of mine send me part of her sourdough starter (thanks, Megan!) in the mail, and she was so sweet to include a few recipes and instructions on how to feed it.

SIDE NOTE: If you'd like me to share a bit of my starter with you, I'm more than happy to do that with you! Just send me your address and I'll mail you some, too! :) Sharing is caring!

I was instantly overwhelmed. Measuring flour and water in grams and making sure to discard AND feed Sally (yes, I named it Sally the Sourdough) every 4 hours for the first 3-5 days felt like I was taking care of a 5th child! I definitely messed this part up so many times. Sometimes it would rise, other times it wouldn't rise at all. It took a bit, but once she started doubling and filling with bubbles, a new kind of overwhelm came over me. NOW what? What do I BAKE?

I chose artisan bread. My first loaf LOOKED terrible. It was so dense, and I quickly realized the flour I was using wasn't the best bread flour. I laugh looking back at this. The flour I thought would work was indeed, BLEACHED. (Bleached flour can prevent sourdough from rising, AND has the potential to kill off the bacteria needed for a starter to continue to thrive! Yikes!) Use unbleached flour. I repeat - USE UNBLEACHED FLOUR! :)

Back then, I thought you had to bake every time your starter was doubled and full of bubbles. I didn't realize you could feed it and stick it in the fridge to chill out for a bit until you were ready to bake again. So basically I would use my active starter in a recipe, and then feed the remaining starter, it would double in about 4 hours, and then I was scrambling trying to figure out what to bake next while it was at its peak. Don't be me. Avoid unnecessary stress and refrigerate after feeding it until you're ready to use it in a recipe, and it'll be just fine until then. I promise!

I did get the hang of it after a couple of months, and here's the picture to prove it! Lots of error, but my family didn't mind taste-testing my failures. There is nothing cooler than pulling your gorgeous loaf of crunchy-on-the-outside, soft-on-the-inside bread out of the oven. The hardest part is waiting until it cools enough to slice into it! My appreciation for good, quality bread has significantly grown and the kids love this "fancy bread" probably more than our favorite sourdough sandwich bread.

Ultimately, sourdough is a labor of love. The benefits it gives my family are so many that I keep coming back to it again and again. We haven't had to buy bread (or hamburger buns) for an entire year, and that feels good!