That Sourdough Starter Life

Hello Everyone! Thanks for coming on this journey with me. I thought I'd kick things off with a little backstory, but in the future this will be more for recipes and less for words.

HOW IT BEGAN

I officially started my sourdough journey at the beginning of 2020. I was doing a lot of baking anyway, so my boyfriend, Michael, who i’m sure you’ll see on here from time to time, suggested I take a stab at it. Everything I was reading was SUPER intimidating but I made a new years resolution to give it a try - what’s the worst that could happen!

I started two different starters - one rye and one all purpose. The beginning was a little frustrating, I didn’t feel like anything was happening, and then boom! Activity. After a week of trying to get something going, I finally did it and I felt so accomplished.

From then on, I was hooked. Lots of ups, way more downs, but the sense of pride you get with every win far outweighs the losses. I want everyone to feel like that!

WHY SOURDOUGH STARTER

I'm not a doctor, so let's start there. But, I have read into the health benefits that come with the process of fermentation and it also can't hurt that I'm not intaking all of the preservatives that come along with store-bought products. So for me, the health of it all is like a bonus, but not the reason I do it. I do it for the JOY! My love language is food, it brings me joy to make something amazing and (when my creation is good enough) it brings me joy to share it with others.

WHAT IS A SOURDOUGH STARTER

A sourdough starter is really just a combination of flour and water. That’s how it starts, and that’s how it’s maintained. Starters are like babies, they are expensive and need a lot of love, but the end result is WELL worth it.

I started out making boules but from there I branched out and now I use my starter for everything I possibly can. It's basically become a complete replacement for traditional yeast - although I do still use yeast from time to time.

IN SUMMATION

I'm thrilled to be given this safe space to share all that I love about this and I hope someone out there finds it helpful! At the end of the day, it's just baking. Even if it doesn't always turn out perfect, most of the time it's edible - and better than 99% of the things I've paid for from grocery stores or restaurants. Happy baking!