My First Sourdough Taught Me Something Special
After my first foray into baking with that green tea cake (if you haven't read that story, go back and check it out!), I dabbled in some other baked goods like focaccia and gingerbread, but nothing too complex. Then 2020 arrived, and suddenly I had more time at home than I knew what to do with.
I threw myself into projects: earning new AWS and Azure certifications, setting up our home theater with a Plex streaming server, getting the front and back yards into shape. But after checking everything off my list, I found myself at a loss. Then I remembered something I'd always wanted to try but never had the mental bandwidth for: sourdough!
To start off, I needed a proper guideline to follow—my previous attempts had resulted in nothing more than a jar of inactive mush. Thankfully, one of my close friends pointed me toward a blog post from Bake with Jack, which turned out to be an excellent framework for sourdough beginners. After reading through his posts, I realized my mistake: using just white flour was insufficient. I added 50 percent whole wheat flour to my starter, which made all the difference.
I committed to the daily ritual, feeding my starter with equal parts white and whole wheat flour, plus double the water. After four days of careful attention, I finally had enough bubbly goodness to reach the starting line!
Actually making the dough, however, was an entirely different ordeal. I didn't expect it to be nearly as sticky as it was! Every time I mixed and folded, I worried it would never come together into something cohesive and workable. But after five hours of folding with rest periods in between, I had a nice, risen structure ready to go into the fridge overnight. I tucked it into the flour-dusted banneton basket, gave it a pat for good luck, and went to bed with dreams of a delicious loaf in my head.
The next morning, I took my risen dough out of the fridge to warm up and stuck my Dutch oven into the oven to preheat. Once everything was ready, I gave my loaf a series of careful cuts on top, gently worked it into the hot Dutch oven, and baked for 15 minutes covered. Then I removed the lid and baked for another 20 minutes until the top was gloriously golden-brown.
Isn’t it lovely? This little treasure went beautifully with some soft butter and flaky sea salt!
As I watched that beautiful crust emerge from the oven, I realized this bread had taught me something beyond baking. Even when things feel like they aren't working out — when the dough is too sticky, when the starter seems sluggish — trust the process. Believe in the work and research you've done. You started this journey for a good reason, and sometimes patience is the secret ingredient that makes everything come together.
