Raising Riley

Like many people, I recently started baking sourdough bread from my own sourdough starter. It’s been a full year now, so I finally feel comfortable sharing my thoughts on it even though I’m far from an expert.

When I first started, I got active starter from a helpful friend and I learned how to feed it, keep it alive, and bake with it. I had so many bad loaves, and I eventually killed the original starter. However, after much trial and error I found a way to make my own starter and keep it alive. My first 10 loaves I baked were BAD. Like really, really bad. They were so dense and flat and hard to cut through. They did always taste good though! That’s one of the great things about sourdough- you can have a terrible loaf but as long as you keep your ingredients consistent, it will still taste delicious!

After months of trying different techniques, feeding ratios, stretch and folds, etc., I ultimately found that the less work I put into it, the better the outcome. I started doing less stretch and folds, letting the dough ferment on the counter longer, and just “feeling” the right ratio of flour to water rather than strictly measuring. I started having some of my best loaves after this!

My sourdough info:

• I still feed my starter on a roughly 1:1:1 ratio. I’ve tried other ratios and ultimately found that this works best for me. My measurements aren’t always exact, I’m at the point where I can tell if it’s “right” when I mix.
• I use roughly 500 grams flour, 300 grams water, 100 grams starter, and 10 grams of sea salt to make my dough. When it’s time to bake I bake on 475° for 45-50 mins (last 5 minutes are without lid).

Overall Takeaways:

• Sourdough doesn’t need to be as complicated as it sounds- find what works for you.
• Stretch and folds aren’t as crucial as everyone makes them seem. Yes, you should do them. No, you don’t have to do them every 30 minutes for hours.
• I wouldn’t bake sourdough if I didn’t love the taste of it. I would probably stick with baking regular bread (way less maintenance) if it tasted as good as sourdough!
• The health benefits are worth it! Baking bread at home with minimal ingredients that you understand is so much better than a loaf of bread from the store.

Unless you want to obsess over the process and devote A LOT of time to sourdough, I don’t think anyone will have “perfect” loaves. I’ve made some pretty amazing loaves, but I still wouldn’t have called them perfect! They could’ve always risen higher, been fluffier, been easier to cut through the bottom, etc etc. If you just want yummy sourdough for your family, then it’s a doable process and I would recommend! After all, what’s better than fresh, warm, homemade sourdough bread?