I recently dove into the world of sourdough. If you’re familiar with the sourdough craze of 2020 then you’ll know that I’m late to the game. But when you’re learning a life skill that will hopefully be passed down through the generations, are you ever really late? I’d say I’m right on time. If you’re just getting started with sourdough I hope this post will be helpful!
I was nervous about this whole venture. Sourdough seems so tedious and involved. But it also seemed like such an art, a way to slow down, to savor the moments, to live at a pace of life that felt more real, more alive. And so I figured I might as well give it a shot. If it doesn’t work out, who cares. It would be an adventure either way. If it went well, then we’d have some delicious bread to show for it. If it didn’t go well, then we’d be out a bag of flour and some water. A sacrifice I was willing to make.
I’ve had friends ask how I got started as well as some of my go-to recipes since diving head first into this world. Now, I will say, making actual sourdough bread doesn’t happen as often as making some of the other recipes I’ll share but the beauty with having an established sourdough starter is that you can use it for so many things!
If you’re wanting to explore the world of sourdough but have no idea where to start, then this is the place for you.
Getting Started With Sourdough | Making My Own Sourdough Starter
Getting started with sourdough won’t work very well if you don’t have a starter to start with;) Not only did I decide to try my hand at sourdough, I figured I might as well start by making my own starter, as well. If you’re unfamiliar with sourdough, the starter (which used to simply be called yeast) is what you use to not only give your bread the rise but also the delicious sour-y taste.
I used this guide (https://dontwastethecrumbs.com/einkorn-sourdough-starter/) to get things going. It’s a small commitment, twice a day, to feed the starter so that it can grow and thrive. Were there evenings that I would lay in bed and realize that I hadn’t fed my starter and hop out of bed to go feed it? Absolutely. But like I said, it felt like a fun adventure that I was excited to journey on.
Getting Started With Sourdough | Sourdough Discard Recipes
Once your starter is established you can throw it in the fridge until you’re ready to use it. When you’re ready to use it though you have to do something called ‘feed’ it. And when you feed it you want to give it equal parts flour and water to how much starter is already there. So if you have a bunch of starter already you’ll be feeding it so much flour and water that it just won’t be sustainable, nor will you be able to contain all the starter as it feeds and grows. And I completely understand that ‘feeding’ and ‘growing’ might sound super creepy to some but I can promise you it’s a very natural process that’s so fascinating.
All of that to say, when you have to take your sourdough starter out (called the discard) you can either just trash it or use it. I prefer to use every bit of sourdough that I can. I mean, I’ve gotten out of bed to feed this thing on numerous occasions so I want to get the most out of it that I can. And I’ve found that discard recipes are the best way to get the feel for things when getting started with sourdough.
There are a million different sourdough discard recipes you can find online. These are the ones that our family has tried, loved, and now regularly goes back to.
Sourdough Crackers (we’ve loved adding Everything Bagel Seasoning to these)
Getting Started With Sourdough | Sourdough Bread Recipes
There are two sourdough bread recipes that I’ve tried and been so pleased with the outcome on.
The first is this sandwich bread recipe. We use it for peanut butter and honey sandwiches, turkey sandwiches and straight-up bread, butter and jam ( a childhood favorite).
Then for your traditional sourdough bread we love this recipe. I love that it gives me two loaves worth and the process is pretty straightforward. I have yet to have it not turn out.
I’m very much still in the beginning stages of learning all that there is to know about breadmaking but I’ve been loving the process. If you’re a seasoned sourdough fan I’d love to know what your favorite recipes are!
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Other Resources I Found Helpful
This Youtube playlist has so many great videos about how to feed your starter, what a week in the life of her sourdough starter looks like etc. I would spend my evenings watching any video I found until I felt confident enough in what I was doing. Blessings to you as you’re getting started with sourdough.
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