Hi friend!

As you may know, sourdough is one of my loves. The baking process brings me pure joy (not to mention the warm bread that results!).

I often hear people say that they think sourdough is too much of a time investment, or that it’s too complicated. But I have to say, neither of those things has to be true.

There is a learning curve, of course. But once you get the hang of it, sourdough is actually pretty easy to incorporate into your rhythm. Over the years, I’ve learned that a big part of making it simple is knowing what I don’t need to do.

Here are a few things I’ve learned to let go of:

1. I don’t score my bread.

Someone asked me the other day if I enjoy making pretty patterns on my dough before baking. I explained that I actually don’t score my bread anymore.

I love watching people create beautiful designs on their loaves, but it’s not a necessary step. Depending on how intricate the pattern is, it can also add quite a bit of time to the process.

Doing a single score to create an ear isn’t difficult or particularly time-consuming, but I’ve decided to leave even that step behind. I actually love the wild look of a loaf when you just let the bread do its thing naturally.

2. I don’t make a levain.

I have never found making a separate levain to be necessary for making great loaves.

I put all four ingredients into a bowl at the same time, mix them together, and I’m off. I’m not trying to nail the perfect crumb here. I’m trying to make healthy, wholesome choices for my family while staying within our budget.

Good bread doesn’t have to be complicated.

3. Sometimes I skip a round (or two) of stretch and folds.

Kneading, or doing stretch-and-folds, is a great way to develop gluten in your dough. But every so often, I have things to do (or a bed to get to), and I skip a round or two.

I haven’t found it to be an issue.

The bread still rises. It still tastes delicious and most definitely gets eaten.

4. Sometimes I don’t feed my starter first.

If my starter is completely flat or has been sitting on the counter for several days without being fed, I’ll feed it before I bake.

But if it’s coming straight from the fridge, or I fed it the day before and it has since fallen, I don’t let that stop me from making a loaf.

My starter doesn’t have to be perfectly bubbly and at peak activity every single time I bake.

5. I’ve gotten a good sense of timing.

This one comes with experience. The more you bake, the easier it becomes to recognize what your dough needs.

I have an overnight schedule that works well for me, as well as a daytime fermentation schedule. Having both gives me flexibility in when I start and finish the process.

I think that’s one of the biggest keys to making sourdough work in your life: you learn to work with the bread instead of feeling like you have to organize your entire life around the bread.

Sourdough doesn’t have to be perfect. It doesn’t have to be complicated. And it certainly doesn’t have to take over your day.

I hope I can help demystify the process and encourage anyone who is thinking about trying sourdough to go for it! There’s nothing quite like pulling a warm loaf of bread out of the oven. Your family will be full and happy!

Let me know what questions you have about sourdough. I'd love to see more people jump on the bandwagon!

Have a great week,

P.S. I made a loaf of sourdough for my extended family the other day, and it totally overfermented. I lost track of time, and the dough was soupy and hard to shape. I baked it anyway, and it was gobbled up in less than 20 minutes. You can do this!