Sourdough Favorites: Spring 2026

How can time go by so fast? It has now been over two and a half years of sourdough baking for me! It's been around for a long, long time, but it was in August of 2023 that I began with this creative way of baking nutritious bread. It has become a hobby for me, one that gives me joy, while also supplying us with such delicious bread to enjoy, and also to share with family and friends.

You can read some of my previous posts by clicking the links below:

Beginning with Sourdough Baking - Dec. 2023

My Current Sourdough Rhythm - Jan. 2024

My Ongoing Love of Sourdough Baking - Oct. 2025

As there is so much to learn, I keep changing the way I do my baking ... so here is another post of my current sourdough baking rhythm as of Spring 2026!

My favorite resources:

(Pictured above)

Second Rise Sourdough

You can find this sourdough baker on Instagram, where you will see (on her profile page) a link to purchase her very helpful ebook: "Sourdough YOUR Way: Making Sourdough Fit into Your Life, Not the Other Way Around". This has been my new favorite, most helpful resource. I have learned so very much from her tips in this ebook and also by following her on Instagram.

Artisan Sourdough Made Simple

I still refer to this book that I purchased in the fall of 2023 when I was first starting out with sourdough baking, and I continue to refer to some of her tips and diagrams in the book.

The Beginner's Guide to Sourdough

I also refer to this newly published book (in the fall of 2025) for recipes, and tips. The author also gives lots of tips on her Instagram account - click here, and also on the Amy Bakes Bread website.

Here is another resource that I am just now starting to go through: The Perfect Loaf. It is a big book (431 pages), packed full of info! It's a good one for me to go through at this 2 1/2 year point, as I am ready for an even more detailed understanding of how sourdough baking works.

My favorite tools:

Sourdough bread can be made with just a few tools, but over these past few years, I've been able to pick up more items that make the process even more fun. The most essential item is to have a digital kitchen scale.

Digital Kitchen Scale - This is the one that I use.

Sourdough Starter Jar - This jar is very similar to the one I use now. I like the size of the jar, as well as the width, as it is a bit wider than a number of the others available, making it easier for mixing up the starter ingredients. I use this jar for mixing up the starter in prep for mixing the bread dough, making sure I have enough for the bread recipes I'll be using. I use a widemouth pint jar for storing the starter in the refrigerator between baking days.

Banneton Bread Proofing Baskets - These are the proofing baskets I use for baking the artisan-style breads. I prefer the oval shape, though you can also purchase the round ones from this link.

Lodge Oval Dutch Oven - My favorite dutch oven that I use for baking artisan bread. I use this dutch oven every time I bake artisan-style bread.

Bakehouse Dough Mat - This is an optional tool, but one that I have become very attached to. It is so very helpful to be able to control the temperature of the rising dough, helping me be able have the dough ready for shaping much faster. Essential during the cold winter days, but I also use it during the spring and summer months.

Bread Knife - This knife works really good for slicing crusty, delicious sourdough bread!

Flour Duster/Shaker - A very helpful tool for a light dusting of either the large cutting board I use for the bread-making process, or the shaped dough before scoring.

Bread Scoring Tool - My current bread scoring tool for making artisan-style bread.

Bread Loaf Pans - I use these quality loaf pans for baking sourdough sandwich bread. 

Beeswax Bread Bags & Bowl Covers - Optional items, but ones that I use regularly during the bread-making process, and also to store the baked bread on the counter.

My favorite baking rhythm:

I have fluctuated over these past two years with the right baking rhythm for my weekly baking, and the one described below is the rhythm that I use most often at this point. This works well for me in my current life-style, blessed to be retired and home during most days. I also prefer the mixing of dough in the mornings, instead of the evenings. But either way works great, and I love that there is so much flexibility with sourdough baking.

I usually bake sourdough bread once each week. The process takes place over a span of three days, though the second day involves the most hands-on time.

DAY ONE: Feeding my Starter

As I keep my starter in the refrigerator between the weekly baking days, this is the day I take it out of the refrigerator and feed it in prep for baking bread. I like to give it two feedings to bring it back to being fresh and healthy. Some bakers give it just one feeding, but my current rhythm is to feed it twice. 

The first feeding is around noon, feeding it a 1:1:1 ratio in a clean jar, with a small amount of starter, flour, and water, often about 35-40 grams or less, of each.

The second feeding will be in the early to mid evening hours; this feeding will be in a two-step process:

1) Keeping my starter going: In a wide-mouth pint jar, I will feed a portion of the risen starter with another 1:1:1 ratio of starter/flour/water (usually about 30 grams of each). I'll let this sit on the counter for a few hours to begin the rise before putting back in the refrigerator where it stays until the next week's baking.

2) Preparing for mixing bread dough: In my purchased sourdough starter jar (linked above), I will feed another portion of the starter from the first feeding, to prepare for mixing bread dough first thing the next morning. The total amount will depend on how many loaves of bread I plan to bake. Also, the ratio will vary depending on the temperature in my kitchen and the season of year, as I want the starter to be at peak right away in the morning of Day Two when I will be mixing the dough. During the recent winter months, I have used a 1:10:10 ratio. The amounts of 20 grams starter/200 grams flour/200 grams water are the right amount needed for mixing three loaves of bread the next morning. I leave this jar on the counter through the night, with a covering over the top.

DAY TWO: Dough Day

For Artisan Bread, I will mix my dough first thing in the morning, and go through the various steps of the recipe through the day ... the stretch-and-folds,  and the bulk fermentation. I usually use my dough mat for the bulk fermentation. Another tip that I use each time is to give the thorough hand mixing, usually about 7-10 minutes. This strengthens the dough strands, and makes a higher rise of bread.

In the late afternoon, or whenever the dough has risen adequately, I'll pre-shape the dough, let it rest for 30 min., and then do the final shape, placing the dough in the banneton baskets. After about a 15-minute rest and a final stitching of the dough, I'll cover the baskets and place in the refrigerator for the overnight proofing.

For Loaf Sandwich Bread, I will mix the dough in the morning, let it rest for 30 minutes, and then do the stretch-and-folds. I'll let the dough rise, using my dough mat to speed up the rise. 

When risen, I'll remove the dough from the bowl, shape the dough and place in the loaf pans. I have two choices at this point: (1) if I want to bake the bread the same day, I'll place the covered loaf pan on my dough mat to rise before baking. When risen above the pan, they'll be ready to bake that same day.  Or (2) After placing the bread dough in the loaf pan, I'll cover it and place it in the refrigerator overnight, to bake the next day (after rising for a short time to the desired height).

DAY THREE: Baking Day 

I'll heat the dutch oven and the oven to 500 degrees. Then will take the artisan-style bread basket and also the sandwich loaf out of the refrigerator, and prepare for baking according to the recipe directions, after also scoring the artisan-style bread dough. 

Note: Though I did not know this when I first started sourdough baking, I have learned that it is important during the initial mixing of the dough, to mix the dough thoroughly (by hand) for a longer time, even for up to 7-10 minutes. This strengthens the dough and will give a higher rise to the bread. This has made a huge difference in how my bread turns out.

My current routine is to make both Artisan Bread, and Sandwich Bread each week, as we love to have these two types of bread on hand all the time. I usually cut each artisan loaf in half, and freeze them in ziploc bags. I first cut the sandwich loaves in slices and freeze the slices with wax paper between each slice for easy removal. I take a half loaf of artisan bread out of the freezer at a time, storing on the counter in a bread bag, and slice it as I use it. 

There is no end to all that can be learned with sourdough baking, which makes for a fun and creative hobby, all while providing delicious bread for those we love! And my sourdough journey will continue on as I learn more each time I bake ...

Thanks for reading along! I wrote this post for two reasons: to document my own sourdough baking journey, and also, in hopes that maybe it will be a help and encouragement for family and friends. 

My Ongoing Love of Sourdough Baking

I ask myself this question sometimes ... why do I love sourdough baking so much? My sourdough journey started in late summer of 2023, while in the home of one of our daughters. I saw a jar of her sourdough starter on her kitchen counter, and was drawn to it like a magnet. I had been interested in learning the process, but had been hesitant to try to create a starter on my own. But with a starter gifted to me in August 2023, I began the journey of learning sourdough baking. And now, a bit over two years later, my interest in and love of sourdough baking has even grown from those beginning days!

And it has been quite a journey! Though really quite easy once you learn the rhythms of caring for a sourdough starter, initially it was quite a learning curve for me. And I am still learning. And maybe this is one reason why I love it so much ... there is so much to learn, so many ways to perfect the process, and unending things to make with a simple sourdough starter. Natural yeast + water + flour = absolutely delicious, nutritious breads and more. It is an adventure that keeps going on and on ...

Click these links for my first two posts on sourdough baking:

Beginning with Sourdough - from Dec. 2023

My Current Sourdough Rhythm - from Jan. 2024

Having now passed my two-year mark of sourdough baking, I thought it would be fun for me to share some of the things that I have learned since my beginning days. For my own records, also as hopefully it may be encouraging to others who are in the process of learning, as well. 

I have learned a lot about the various feeding ratios of starter + flour + water. Where I started out using the 1:1:1 ratio, I now use a variety of different ratios, depending on the timing of needing my starter ready for baking. During the hot and humid days of summer, I used a 1:10:10 ratio for an overnight feeding of my starter, as I wanted to have it ready to mix dough with first thing in the morning.

I have also learned a lot about how the temperature of the water, also of the  dough, plus the temperature of my kitchen affects rising times. It has become much easier for me to plan ahead for when I want to mix my dough, and also for when I want to bake my bread. 

I also love to use my electric baking mat to speed up the rising of the dough during the daytime hours. This is especially helpful during the colder winter days, but I have also used it during the summer and fall days, as well. Click HERE for the one I was gifted for my birthday over a year ago. (Mine is the Large size, 12x18 inches.)

I have also learned a variety of helpful techniques to strengthen the dough, giving the bread a higher rise. One of these helpful tips is to lengthen the time of the actual mixing of the dough, even spending up to 7-8 minutes with the mixing itself. This has made a significant difference in my bread.

Basically, sourdough baking becomes easier as we become acquainted with all the ways that we can make it work for us individually. Making it fit into our own personal daily life, and also how to get optimal results in the different seasons of the year.

I continue to learn from multiple sourdough bakers by following them on Instagram. One of the most helpful to me has been Second Rise Sourdough, who gives great tips on understanding ratios, temperature, and more. I have learned so much from purchasing her ebook entitled: Sourdough YOUR Way.

As a result, my weekly sourdough baking rhythm has changed. I can now determine which feeding ratio to use depending on when I want to be mixing my dough. How much starter to prepare for what I plan to bake, resulting in very little discard. I can also fluctuate with the ratios and timing, as the weather changes.

My overall current timetable for my weekly baking covers a three-day span. Day 1: feeding my starter after being stored in the refrigerator - once midday, then again in the evening for an overnight rise. In the summer I used a ratio 1:10:10 ratio for the overnight rise. Now with colder weather coming, I'll be changing that ratio for the overnight rise. Day 2: mixing up the bread first thing in the morning, and then taking it through the various steps of the recipe through the day. Then shaping it and putting it in the refrigerator overnight. Day 3: the actual baking of the bread.

The best part of the whole process is the beautiful, and absolutely delicious bread, made with natural yeast which is healthier and easier to digest. I don't think that I have purchased any loaves of bread from the store since I started sourdough baking in the late summer of 2023. I enjoy the process, the warm aroma of bread baking, and the delicious taste of sourdough bread. An added bonus is the joy of sharing it with others. I am thankful.

                                      

A February Collection: Extreme Cold Weather, Sourdough Baking, and Good Books

We're finishing up an extremely cold week, filled with minus zero temps, and down to minus thirty with the windchill. The photo above was taken yesterday morning, as we were coming off the warnings and advisories. The view is out my kitchen window of the icicles, capturing the beauty before it has started to melt today. 

I'm definitely a "homebody" by nature, loving the quiet days at home. Both my dear hubby and I never tire of these quiet days, and have unending projects and things that we love to do at home. So these "snow days" and warnings to stay out of the extreme cold weather did not bother us at all. One of the blessings of retirement!

I love that sourdough baking has become to feel more like a hobby, than a task. We never need to buy bread from the stores anymore, for this weekly routine brings so much joy. The whole process of baking with sourdough - the feeding of the starter, mixing of the dough, the bulk rising, the shaping, the second rising, and then the actual baking of the bread - has all become a natural routine for me each week. And I am also loving using my Bakehouse Doughmat (12" by 18" size) that was a fun birthday gift last fall. It sure helps with the rising of dough these cold winter months!

Though I've been sourdough baking since the fall of 2023, I've been focusing on learning even more these first two months of 2025. There is so much to learn! Part of my learning recently has been to use different ratios of starter, flour, and water, depending on the temperature of my kitchen, and making it work better with my daily routine. I've also been finding some new-to-me sourdough bakers on Instagram, and getting tips from them. One of my new favorites is Second Rise Sourdough on Instagram, which is where I found the recipe for the Basic Artisan Sourdough Bread, pictured above.

One of the great benefits of needing to just stay home this past week, is that I ended up having time each day to work for hours with Estate work for my brother who passed away in December. As he was cared for nearby for the last two years of his life, I've recently been appointed as the Personal Representative for his Estate. It was a blessing to have this week to make a lot of progress. I am grateful for God's care and wisdom as we continue on caring for Loren's affairs. Our dining room table has been literally covered with papers this past week, with Estate work, plus prep for our tax appt this next week. And mixing in the delicious and comforting aroma of sourdough bread makes it go even better!

Good books are such a rich source of joy and learning. I just finished this book earlier today ... Now and Not Yet by Ruth Chou Simons. Her books are always encouraging and motivating, and this newest one did not disappoint. I'm thankful for her reminders and encouragement to embrace our present, our current circumstances, to actively settle in, abiding deeply, and thriving in whatever situation we find ourselves in. And also to embrace even the hard seasons, for God is using them to refine and mature us. 

One of the two historical fiction books I read this month was The Rose and the Thistle by Laura Frantz, one of my favorite historical fiction authors. Set in the time of the Jacobite Rebellion in England, it gave a captivating and insightful look into that time period. I love how she uses rich fictional characters to immerse us into the historical setting. 

A Collection: In the Kitchen, Spring Gardens, New Bedroom Suite, and Good Books

I haven't been able to write here very often in recent months, but sometimes we just need to focus on other things. Big things, like a room remodel that kind of takes over your whole house, and your life for a period of time. Or it could be anything, really, that we need to give extra focus to; things that are necessary, and wonderful, and very worth the extra focus. (Read here for a recent focus of ours.) Or, things that are unexpected and difficult also may need most or all of our focus for awhile.

And after the added focus, it's good to pause, and return to some of the ordinary things of life that we needed to maybe put aside for awhile. And this is what brings me to write another a post that I like to call "A Collection". A collection of little pleasures, gifts from God, tangible things that bring joy! 

I do love to take the time to bake with sourdough. (Read here for how I got started last fall.) Baking with sourdough is a way of slowing down, as the process stretches out over a day or two or three. And it also allows for creativity, in the process of baking something that is nutritious and delicious. Pictured above is my favorite sourdough bread recipe, "Classic Sourdough Bread" from @everything.sourdough on Instagram.

I also love making granola (using sourdough discard) for the two of us. This "Chunky Sourdough Granola" recipe is our favorite! Doubling the recipe makes enough for a few weeks, and is a great way to use sourdough discard, as well. We love this granola, and will be making it continually. It's a good way to save on the grocery budget, as well, to make granola at home.

I have had an Instant Pot for a number of years, but sadly, have not used it all that often. But after doing a lot of re-organization of closets recently in our home with our recent room remodel, I have a new interest in using the Instant Pot more often. It's amazing how just re-organizing things so you can access an Instant Pot easier makes it more fun to use it! The "Instant Pot Chicken Breasts & Gravy" above was absolutely delicious, one which I'll be making again, for sure. 

May is probably one of my favorite months. Time for planting of our veggie garden, flower pots for the patio, and also my herb garden. The herb garden is in a perfect location, outside the patio doors which are right by the kitchen. I added a new basil plant (my favorite), a parsley plant, and some thyme to the collection of perennial herbs already growing. It will be easy to step right out the door to snip off some fresh herbs while cooking this summer.

This beautiful weigela bush outdid itself with pink flowers during this past month. We gave it some extra care a few weeks ago when we pruned back some of the straggly branches. 

We are so very grateful for our brand new Master Bedroom Suite ... you can read about it here. We're still in the process of finishing up the decorating of the room, but already, it is perfect for our needs. It's a gift for us in our current season of life; we are so grateful.

On the opposite end of the spacious Master Bedroom Suite is a cozy sitting area. This has become my favorite place for quiet devo times, reading and listening, connecting deeply with Jesus. This setting, with the morning sun coming through the east-facing windows, is where my soul is fed each morning. I am so grateful ...

Good books are also life-giving, and soul-feeding. I usually have two books on my reading pile at a time, one of them always a fiction book. Either historical fiction or Biblical fiction. I learn so much from the setting of a historical fiction book and/or a Biblical fiction book, bringing the time period alive to me as I read. Up from Dust was my first book by the author above, and I will be watching for more of her books. 

Another great author of Biblical fiction, Connilyn Cossette, recommends this book with her words on the back cover: "Taking us on an intriguing journey through heartbreak and healing, Heather Kaufman leads her readers directly to the joy of the empty tomb." 

It was a beautiful account of Martha, and I love how the author told her story. Though much of it was fictional, it captured the setting, the realities of that time period, and was a beautiful picture of Martha's heart as she was drawn close to Jesus. 

Thanks for reading my collection of little things that have given me joy through the month of May. Little moments of joy are all around us!  May was also filled with bigger things which give joy ... multiple times with family, including a trip we took to TX a few days ago! Maybe I will share some of the photos in an upcoming post. Thanking God for His gifts to us, big and small ...

My Current Sourdough Rhythm

 

Learning to bake with sourdough has been a very fun and creative journey for me! You can click here to read my "Beginning with Sourdough Baking" that I posted last month. This fun journey has also been a bit challenging, as there is so much info out there ... very helpful info for which I am very grateful, and also it has required me to figure a lot of things out from the similar but also varying info that is online. I follow a number of sourdough baking accounts on Instagram, as well as reading a number of websites. From all this info, I am now attempting to record what I am currently using for my own process. This post is to summarize my current "sourdough rhythm" that fits into my life and schedule. 

I also have a few friends who are desiring to learn. So this post is a summary of my "sourdough rhythm" ... written for myself, and also to share with interested friends. 

To start out on the sourdough journey, my advice is to do as we do with every other journey ... we make the necessary preparations.

Preparing for Sourdough Baking

Read all you can about it!  It's quite fascinating, and there is a lot to learn.

A few of my favorite sites online: 

King Arthur Baking

The Clever Carrot (including her book, click here)

 Amy Bakes Bread

 @everything.sourdough (on instagram)

Gather the tools you will need to begin.

Digital kitchen scale. Click here for the one I have.

Two wide-mouth quart jars to use interchangeably for your starter.

Another wide-mouth quart jar (or pint jars) to use for your discard.

(OPTIONAL: a special sourdough jar, click here for an example.)

A good-sized mixing bowl to mix up the sourdough bread recipes

Plastic wrap to cover bowls of rising dough (shower caps work great)

A Dutch Oven

Bannetons (not absolutely necessary, but a must-have on my list)

Parchment paper

Unbleached all-purpose flour

Bread flour

Spring water, or bottled water

Secure a sourdough starter from a friend, or purchase one online.

If you are ambitious, you can make your own, finding instructions on the websites listed above. It can take a few weeks, or even longer. Or the easier way, get one from a friend or purchase a starter from one of the websites listed above.

Feeding the Starter

Your starter is a live culture with wild natural yeast and good bacteria, and needs to be fed regularly with flour and water to be kept alive. There are a variety of methods to use to feed your starter, and the following is my current method.

I use a feeding ratio of 1:1:1, meaning equal parts starter, flour, and water.

When storing on my kitchen counter, I feed the starter twice each day, morning and evening. When storing in my refrigerator between baking days, I feed the starter once each week. I also have a starter in my freezer, for safe-keeping in case something goes wrong with my main starter.

At the time of feeding, I gather the things I will use, and then place a clean jar on my digital scale, and press the TARE button to bring the weight to "0". Pour or spoon about 118 grams of starter from your current jar of starter, into the clean jar. Press the TARE button to bring the weight to "0" again, and add 118 grams of unbleached all-purpose flour. Press the TARE button again to bring the weight to "0" and add 118 grams of spring or bottled water. 

I stir this all together in the jar, thoroughly incorporating all the flour into the water and the starter.

There are other ratios that you can use, but 1:1:1 is the most common one, and the one I have chosen to use. 

After I have fed my starter in this way in a clean jar, I put the remaining starter in another clean jar and it becomes what is called "discard". Put this jar (with a lid) into the refrigerator to use for specific recipes that call for "discard", such as pancakes, waffles, biscuits, and many more. Use discard within one week. 

Next, I wash the original starter jar, and have it ready for the next feeding. 

If storing the starter on your countertop, put a lid on loosely, or use some type of breathable cover. If storing in the refrigerator, put the jar lid on more securely. If I bake several times a week, I keep my starter on the countertop, and I feed it twice each day - once in the morning, and once in the evening. If I am baking bread one day each week, which is my current rhythm, I keep my starter in the refrigerator between baking times.

Room temperature is also an important factor for good health and growth of your starter. The ideal temperature is 70 degrees for a healthy starter. If your temperature is lower than that, especially in the cold days of winter, you will want to find the warmest spot possible in your home.

NOTE: the amount of each ingredient can be different than 118 grams. I use that number because I learned from sources who used 113 grams, and I just chose to do a bit more. You can use a lesser amount than I use, and I may switch to that in the future.

Steps to Prepare for Baking Bread

I will now share my current rhythm for baking bread once each week. Again, if I were to bake bread several days each week, I would keep my starter jar on the kitchen counter all the time. When storing my starter on the kitchen counter, I feed it twice each day, about every 12 hours ... once in the first part of the morning, and once in the evening. An example of time would be 8 am, and 8 pm, or it can be different times. Whatever works for you.

But since I currently am choosing to bake bread one day each week, I store my starter in the refrigerator in-between bread-baking days.

Here is an example of my current rhythm of feeding and baking. It covers a span of three days, as I first prepare the refrigerated starter for baking. As I currently am choosing Wednesdays as my bread-baking day, I start my process on Monday evenings. The plan below covers a span of three days, and of course, you can pick which three days of the week work best for you.

DAY 1 (Monday) PM: 

I take my starter out of the refrigerator, and feed it (as described earlier), using a clean jar. I then place the discard in another clean jar to put back into the refrigerator. Keep the new starter jar on the countertop overnight. It should have a lid loosely set on top of it, not tight. Mark the level of the starter on the jar. It should be kept in a warmer spot in your kitchen, especially paying attention to this during the colder days of winter.

DAY 2 (Tuesday) AM: 

I check my starter in the early part of the morning, and usually notice that it has at least doubled in volume, It also will have bubbles visible on the sides and the top of the starter. These are signs of a healthy starter. (It may also have reached the doubling mark during the night, and then will have "fallen" a bit, just very slightly below the higher double level.) As you can see in the photo here, mine usually more than doubles, almost triples. 

Next I go through the same process as I did the night before, feeding it (as described earlier) into a clean jar with the 1:1:1 ratio (*118 grams - see NOTE below - each of the starter, unbleached all-purpose flour, and spring or purified water.) Mark the level of starter on the jar, and leave this new starter jar on the kitchen counter again (or put in warmest place in my kitchen), covered loosely. 

*IMPORTANT NOTE for DAY 2 (Tuesday) AM: Since this is the last feeding before I mix my bread dough, I want to be sure that I will have enough starter late afternoon or evening to mix the dough AND to keep on feeding my starter in a new jar. Because of that, I will often need to use larger amounts for my 1:1:1 ratio of feeding. As I am writing this, I have just fed my starter on a Tuesday morning, and since I want to have enough starter tonight for mixing up dough for two loaves of bread plus enough to feed the starter again, I used the same ratio of 1:1:1, but increased the amounts to 130 grams of each of the three ingredients (starter:flour:water). I know from experience that my regular quart-sized starter jar will hold that amount when doubled (or often more than doubled). If I were to use even larger amounts as needed for certain recipes, I would choose a larger jar for this Tuesday AM feeding. 

DAY 2 (Tuesday) PM: 

My starter should have doubled for sure by late afternoon or early evening, and small bubbles will be visible on the sides and the top of the starter. 

Now is the time to mix up the dough for the bread! I usually try to do this around 6 or 7 pm or so in the evening. Remember that this time there will be a two-step process with your starter. The first step will be to mix up the bread dough using part of the starter. The second step will be to feed part of the remaining starter to keep it going.

The two steps for DAY 2 (Tuesday) PM:

1) Mix the bread dough according to the recipe you are following, using your digital scale and the bowl of your choice. I take the amount of starter that my bread recipe calls for out of my jar, and use my digital scale to measure it into my mixing bowl. Press the TARE button for each ingredient you are adding from the recipe. Mix as described in your recipe. My favorite bowl to use is a glass bowl (about 2 quart size) which is a good size for dough for one loaf of bread. I have two bowls this size to use when baking two loaves of bread. Or I could use a larger bowl and mix the dough for two loaves at the same time. 

Most recipes then include an autolyse (rest) time next, before covering the bowl with plastic wrap, and setting it on your countertop to let rise overnight. In addition to resting for a bit, your recipe may call for some "stretch-and-folds", a very helpful step for good bread. (See the sources above for explanations of this step, often with photos included.)  

2) After the bread dough has been mixed and is resting, I go back to my starter jar to go through the process of feeding the starter to keep it alive and healthy for my next baking. I go through the same process of feeding as described earlier, using 1:1:1 ratio, with 118 grams of each of the starter, flour, and water. I keep this new jar of starter on the counter for two hours or so, and then put it in the refrigerator for the next week's baking process. If there is any starter left in your original jar, add it to your "discard" jar in the refrigerator.

DAY 3 (Wednesday) AM: 

I check my bowl of dough (kept on the counter all night, or on the top of my refrigerator, the warmest spot in our home during the cold of winter), and see that it has doubled, and usually more than doubled! 

The next step will be to turn the dough out onto a floured surface, letting it rest for a bit before shaping it as described in your recipe. 

After then putting it in either a banneton or a bread pan, depending on your recipe, you will either let it rise again a second time, or put it in the refrigerator until ready to bake. Just follow your recipe for rising method and baking instructions ...  and you will soon get to enjoy the delicious aroma and finally, the taste of your homemade sourdough bread!!

An example from a recent baking day ... after shaping my bread dough for my recipe, placing it in a round banneton and in the refrigerator for an hour or more, I turned it out onto parchment paper and scored it (left). Next photo is after I baked it in my Dutch oven!

In Summary

Does this seem like a lot of work? It definitely is a process to learn. I have found that the work it takes to learn sourdough baking is worth it. I find it very rewarding to learn the process, and to find my own rhythms. It is an opportunity to be creative; no two sourdough bakers will be exactly the same. Take your time, and also, make time for pauses as you learn, as needed. 

When you learn the process, you will find that the hands-on time is not that much, and with experience, it will start to feel very relaxing, and will come automatically for you. You can make it fit into your own life, and your own schedules. As mentioned already, my current rhythm is to bake on Wednesdays. But whatever works for you ... maybe it will be the weekend. Besides choosing a bread-baking day during the week, I often choose a weekend day to make something with my sourdough discard that is kept in my refrigerator. 

My sourdough learning continues on, and my rhythms and ratios may change as time goes on! 

You are invited to click the links below to read a few more posts I've written on my journey of sourdough baking.

Beginning with Sourdough Baking - Dec. 2023

My Ongoing Love of Sourdough Baking - Oct. 2025