Sourdough for Dummies

Your ultimate starter + bread baking guide.

Cutie lil Sourdough Bread Loaf

I promise I am not calling you a dummy. I am calling myself a dummy - because this is the ultimate guide that I wish I had when beginning my sourdough journey. The first time I ever made sourdough was gluten free - it turned out…horrible. Then I tried not gluten free… better but not great. And honestly, that is pretty defeating. When you are feeding a lil sourdough starter for a week and sometimes longer, it becomes your BABY. When that baby doesn’t perform and create dough, it is very sad. So hopefully these tips will come in handy when you are creating your sourdough. The goal is for you to master the art, so that you have a perfectly airy fluffy soft middle with a delicate crisp outside that you will literally want to eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner. 

However, when it comes to sourdough, patience is a virtue. You will destroy your kitchen: sourdough starter explosions in the oven, in the kitchen, flour and water and starter overtaking your counters and hands, bowls cups jars stained forever with old starter. It will take trial and error. It is a true labor of love, but it is SO WORTH IT!!

I believe that gluten intolerance (for me) is not a problem with the gluten but the way gluten is processed (Glyphosate, GMO Wheat, Etc.). 32 countries have banned glyphosate because of its direct link to cancer - yet the US still uses it constantly, and around 26 countries have banned GMO’s - not the US. It is sad that we have to be more conscious about what we consume for our health - but it is important to know what you are putting into your body and how it can affect you.

Out of all breads, I personally prefer organic sourdough. Sourdough is naturally fermented, more nutritious, easier to digest, lower glycemic index + less gluten (& the most delicious in my opinion). But more importantly: love and cherish foods that bring you true joy. There is healing in eating bread, pizza, pasta, cheeseburgers, fries and laughing and enjoying quality time with people you love. Make sure not to take everything so seriously <3

All you need is three organic and simple ingredients: flour (I try to use flour imported from Italy - even better if you use organic glyphosate free flour), water and salt. How wonderful.

Now let’s get INTO IT

We will cover:

• List of tools + ingredients you need

• Day by day instructions to create + feed your starter from scratch

• My favorite sourdough recipe + what to do with sourdough discard

• Helpful tips + more

What you need

*All the supplies I use are linked HERE *

• Jars for starter

• Rubber Band (optional)

• Kitchen Scale 

• Mixing Bowl

• Utensil for mixing (spoon, small spatula, fork)

• Large Bowl 

• Tea cloths / Bread Basket

• Dutch Oven 

• Parchment Paper 

• Score Razer 

• Wire Cooling Rack

You may already have most of these things. Some of these are not 100% necessary and you can find replacements for things you may already have :)

Now let’s make your Sourdough Starter!