Shall We Share Our Sourdough & Tips?

[bananaleg (Angie)]

I’ve been baking sourdough since last March, and though there have been highs and deep, deep lows… I think I’ve found a groove that works for me.

Here is my very first attempt:

It was flat, the crust was too thick to enjoy, but it was gummy and chewy and soft inside, which is what I love about sourdough.

Here is my latest, from yesterday:

It has a couple bigger air pockets, bit it’s fluffy, soft, gummy in the best way, and the crust is crispy but not break-your-teeth hard.

I know the bird’s eye view isn’t the best for comparison, but trust me when I say the first one felt like a hockey puck.

As for tips?

1. Read, read, read. Read until you think you understand, then maybe once more before jumping in.
2. Instagram and YouTube have tons of videos.
3. Try different recipes and different hydrations. (I have personally had better success with higher hydration.)
4. And for the love of all that is bread, get yourself a bread knife! I was using my sister’s serrated knife (my better-quality knives are in storage ), wondering why my bread wasn’t slicing like all the instagram videos, when it suddenly hit me. They’re probably using better knives.
5. Keep baking. So this one didn’t work out? Your next one will undoubtedly turn out better.

Okay, one last question. How do you like to enjoy sourdough?
I used to only put a little butter on it. Then I used it for an egg salad sandwich (heaven, honestly). Then I offered a slice to my sister’s boyfriend, and he asked if we had any honey. Which I thought sounded disgusting. Then I thought more about it. Then I tried it.

[craftADDchick (Cindy)]

I would love to have a sourdough starter, but I know I wouldn’t be able to tend to it like I should. Any tips on keeping the starter going?

I love homemade bread, and I can picture a whole bunch of sourdough bread bowls for the next time we have a soup day for our monthly lunch theme at school.

[bananaleg (Angie)]

The great thing is that after your starter is going and healthy, you can leave it in the fridge for a while between feedings. As long as you bake fairly regularly, you should be okay. Otherwise, take it out and feed it every week or two. Some people leave it even longer between feedings with no consequences.

Oh man, now all I can think about is bread bowls.

[Magpie (Tee Jay)]

I am so happy you started this topic, Yasss! I used to bake a lot but haven’t made sourdough because I’ve been reluctant to commit. You’ve got me reconsidering. Your loaves look delicious, I can almost smell the bready goodness…

[AcadianDriftwood (allons-y)]

Making a sourdough starter is one of my goals this year! Thank you for starting this thread!

[endymion (Pam)]

Oh! The pretty little stars on top of the loaf! So, so sweet!

[craftADDchick (Cindy)]

Okay, then! I might give it a try! I think I have a stretch of time where I won’t be away for any extended periods, so I can start my starter. I might have something saved somewhere, but if anyone has any tips or recipes, I’m all ears!

[FrizzyTyger (formerly wdicwg)]

I haven’t been baking sourdough near as long only since October, but have been making bread in general for a few years.

My biggest tip is definitely use a scale! I have had way more success since I bought one vs just measuring.

A seeded multi grain sourdough (white whole wheat and oatmeal)

A plain white loaf

Crumb shot

[Magpie (Tee Jay)]

Oh ya, there’s the money…

[bananaleg (Angie)]

My biggest tip is definitely use a scale!

YES! So many recipes only have weights, anyway, so save yourself that headache.

[bananaleg (Angie)]

Making an Incredible Sourdough Starter from Scratch in 7 Easy Steps

This is what I read over and over before finally starting.
The hardest part for me was dealing with all the discard. This particular recipe makes a larger starter, and it just seemed like so much waste. BUT! Good news. There are plenty of recipes for using up discard! (King Arthur Flour has a cinnamon swirl bread that is a big winner in my house.)

Beginner's Sourdough Bread | The Perfect Loaf

This is the first recipe I used. It’s long and a lot of info, but I read it every couple days while I was getting my starter going. Anf I don’t ever have rye flour, so I just used wheat in its place. But it’s a 2-loaf recipe, and I don’t usually need to make so much at once. So…

Best Sourdough Bread Recipe (with Video!) – A Couple Cooks

I like using this recipe because it’s basically a single-loaf version of TPL’s, and it comes with a video! They also have a printable checklist, if that’s your thing.
They also have instructions for starting and maintaining a (smaller) starter.

I don’t have a convection oven, so I bake in my Dutch oven. I believe you can find instructions for that on either of the above sites.
I also don’t like a very dark crust, so I’ve started adjusting temperature to my liking.

How To Make A Basic Open Crumb Sourdough Bread

This is the recipe I’m loving lately. She talks through everything she does and shows her flow chart before moving onto each step. I like her tips for folding, especially laminating. There’s a link in the video description to her video about baking in a Dutch oven.

[asynje (Rebekka)]

I bake rye bread with sourdough.
I took a break some time during the summer so I’m going to start up a fresh starter this afternoon.
The rest of the household isn’t keen on really sour sourdough, but I’ve found a recipe that works for everyone and where the resulting loaves are small enough to get eaten over the course of a week. That way I can normally keep the starter fresh without having to discard anything.

[sweets4ever]

I would love for everyone to share their sourdough (with me. for my belly )!

[bananaleg (Angie)]

[bananaleg (Angie)]

Not wanting to burden anybody while I was away for a month this past summer, and really not wanting to have to start over, I dried mine.

[Tanath (Anat)]

I love the smell of baking bread, and the yummy results, of course. I currently don’t have a working oven, but once I have one, there will surely be bread baking in this house.
As for what goes on a slice of sourdough bread, if you like butter and you like honey, try both together. That’s one of my dad’s favorite snacks.

[MissingWillow]

I took a sourdough class a couple of years back. My starter died when we went on vacation so I am focusing on country French bread now. This thread makes me want to make another starter! Here’s one of my loaves from class. The instructor is Lionel Vatinet. He has a book out with lots of photos called A Passion For Bread.

[BreadMenace]

Lovely loaves! I don’t bake bread at home anymore since I started working at a bakery (all the delicious sourdough I could ask for!) but I still keep my sourdough starter going at home because my family has come to love this Sourdough Waffles recipe.

I personally love my sourdough warmed (but not toasted!) in the toaster with butter and a drizzle of pomegranate molasses or topped with a fried egg and green Cholula hot sauce

[FrizzyTyger (formerly wdicwg)]

@bananaleg

The hardest part for me was dealing with all the discard. This particular recipe makes a larger starter, and it just seemed like so much waste. BUT! Good news. There are plenty of recipes for using up discard! (King Arthur Flour has a cinnamon swirl bread that is a big winner in my house.)

I found myself not really using the discard even with all the options to use it most of the the time I ended up not using it. So I found a method that keeps less started and builds it up before you bake so there’s no waste

A Smaller Sourdough Starter

I did already have a strong starter so not sure how it would do with a newer starter.

If I do want to make a discard recipe I just build it before.

[craftADDchick (Cindy)]

Thanks for all of that information @bananaleg! It’s great to know that you have actually found it helpful.

And, @FrizzyTyger, thanks for the smaller starter recipe. I might try that first, although the idea of making sourdough waffles or cinnamon rolls might mean I’ll need the larger version!