To say it was easy, is far from how my experience went when I began making sourdough bread. I have baked for years, and I feel that my skills are very good. I naively thought that it would be so easy to make sourdough bread. Nothing humbled me more than my second loaf. The first loaf I made was surprisingly not too bad. I had an uneven crumb but the overall look was okay and the flavor was good. The second attempt was a horrible disaster. What I know now is that the dough was way under-fermented which lent to a dense brick like loaf. The taste was good, but I knew I had to work on the fermentation and shaping. So that is when I became a bit obsessed, taking notes, planning out my next weekend bake. I can’t say that I figured it out on my own, it took a lot of research and inspiration from amazing micro-bakers online that got me through the first few months of sourdough baking. My favorite micro baker is Macey Merlak of Little Pearl Breads. I purchased both of her e-books and got to work. Her recipes were so easy to follow and through her techniques I was able to learn how to monitor the temperature of the dough. I began to work on my way of shaping my dough and I started to have great success. I bake a high hydration loaf, which can be more challenging to manage in the shaping process but lends to a nice light, moist, spongy crumb and crusty chewy exterior. I was baking 3-5 loaves a week, which was more that we could eat in my household so I started sharing with friends and co-workers. Their high praise and positive feedback made me feel so proud. A few months later, here I am starting my business sharing my bread with my community. I am excited for what is next, I can’t wait to share my journey with you.

First Loaf — First Sourdough Loaf - uneven crumb

My Sourdough Bread Journey