Musings on sourdough

I bake bread first and foremost to feed my family. I bake all of the bread we eat. I enjoy it immensely. Since I do it so often (I bake our sandwich loaf every other day) it has become second nature and almost meditative.

My Italian herbs and cheese sandwich loaf. The one I make most often

I bake because it is fun. I don't care if my starter is at 100% hydration. Or what hydration levels my dough has. I don't do math before I start. I rarely measure anymore, unless I am following a specific recipe. My foccacia and my sandwich loaf are made by feel. I use a very bohemian approach to almost everything I do.

I still read all I can, when I can, about sourdough baking. I read the articles that explain the math behind a doughs construction. Even though all the numbers make my eyes cross, it is good to know how it would be done, if I wanted to. I try out some of the tips on blogs and I love to try out new recipes. I keep what works for me and ditch what didn't work.

Plain loaf for one of my neighbours

I never take any of it for gospel.

Baking is something immensely personal to me.

Baking with sourdough is even more personal. Since the yeast you grew in your house is different to the yeast I grew in my house. It varies by region and what else you do/have in your home.

I truly believe you have to keep that in mind specifically for sourdough baking. You may use a different brand of flour than I do, different salt, your water might be different from ours here. It all plays into the finished bake. So if you try a new recipe and it doesn't work out, I may simply need some tweaking to work with your ingredients.

Play around. Find out what works for you and your sourdough starter. It is definitely not one size fits all when it comes to working with fermentation.

My sourdough is an aggressive riser. I forgot to pop it back in the fridge Iver night and it was warm next to the fridge.

There are some base rules, of course and basic common sense for safety, but in the end your sourdough needs for you to get to know it like you would a pet. This simply means interact with it. Try things. Some will work out, some won't.

Sourdough pullapart monkey bread. When I first made this recipe, it did not work out the way I wanted it. Second time, with a few adjustments, it worked like a charm. My sourdough and I are a team!

If you like the math and figuring out to the smallest micron of how much flour/water/salt is in your dough, go for it. If you are more bohemian, like I am, throw some stuff in a bowl and see what happens.

The most important part about baking is to have FUN.

Now go bake something!

Xo,

B.🐝