We’re late to the sourdough party, but better late than never! Loaf #1 is officially in the books, and while it’s far from bakery-perfect, we’re pretty proud of our first attempt. Now comes the real challenge—keeping the starter alive and making sourdough a regular part of our kitchen adventures.
Join us on our Sourdough with Sandy journey as we dive into the world of wild yeast and see where it takes us!
After years of hearing about the magic of homemade sourdough, we finally decided to give it a go—and we’re hooked. Sourdough is as much an art as it is a science. It takes patience, practice, and a dash of luck to perfect, but there’s something special about pulling a warm, crusty loaf out of the oven.
Want to bake with us? Here’s the recipe we used for our very first loaf:
Sourdough Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 500g (about 4 cups) bread flour
- 90g (about 1/3 cup) active sourdough starter
- 10g (2 tsp) salt
- 350g (about 1.5 cups) warm water
Instructions
- Mix & Rest – Combine the flour and water in a large bowl, mixing until just combined. Cover and let it rest for 30-45 minutes (this is called autolyse).
- Add Starter & Salt – Incorporate the sourdough starter and salt, mixing until fully combined.
- Stretch & Fold – For the next 3 hours, perform a series of stretch-and-folds every 30 minutes. Gently pull the edges of the dough upward and fold them over the center.
- Bulk Fermentation – Cover the dough and let it ferment at room temperature for 8-12 hours, or until it doubles in size.
- Shape – Lightly flour your work surface, shape the dough into a round, and place it in a well-floured bowl or banneton. Allow it to rise for another 2-3 hours.
- Bake – Preheat your oven to 475°F with a Dutch oven inside. Carefully transfer the dough into the hot Dutch oven, cover, and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the lid and bake for an additional 20 minutes until golden brown.
- Cool & Enjoy – Let the bread cool completely before slicing (though we’ll admit, waiting is the hardest part!).
This is just the beginning of our sourdough adventure. We’re excited to experiment with different flours, new techniques, and maybe even some fun add-ins along the way.
Have any sourdough tips or tricks? Share them with us—we’d love to learn from seasoned bakers! Follow along as we continue exploring the world of sourdough baking. Let’s see if we can keep this starter alive!