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:
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)
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
