I started making sourdough a couple years before it was cool during Covid. I’m not saying that because it makes me feel more original or punk rock about it. It’s actually quite the opposite because I became good at sourdough during the pandemic when I had time to. And my body weight has never been in the normal range since.
It all started…
I wanted to try sourdough because, in the Netflix series Cooked in 2016, I saw Michael Pollan explain how the slow-fermenting process of sourdough makes it more digestible than bread that is risen with commercial yeast. It made so much sense to me, and I was inspired. So a year or so later when my friend Boo told me she had some hundred- and- something- year- old starter from her coworker’s family’s bakery in Alabama, I asked and she agreed to teach me the way. We slapped the dough on the countertop a whole bunch, we timed our stretch and folds, we watched the clock and put the whole day aside to make this bread. During the bulk rise we went thrifting. And the day was beautiful. The bread was lofty and unlike anything I had ever had- crusty on the outside and pillow-soft and airy on the inside. It took me months to accomplish bread like that again on my own. And now I figured I just needed to put a whole day aside every week to make bread. For the rest of my life. Or the family heirloom starter from over a hundred years would die under my care.
Some of a better mind would have stopped there and made beautiful bread for the rest of their days. But I am not of a better mind, and I needed to learn more. I first studied the same type of bread that Boo had shown me when I bought Chad Robertson’s Tartine. I practiced and practiced until I had his method down pat, and I was making lovely, porous, Instagram- worthy breads on a consistent basis.
The MUCH LARGER World of Sourdough
When my sister bought me Sarah Owen’s Sourdough for my birthday one year, my world shifted on its axis. No longer was the way I as taught to make sourdough THE way; it was simple A way. Sarah Owens cracked open the sourdough world to me because she taught me that there are SO MANY MORE GRAINS THAN WHEAT! And they ALL taste better than bread flour! The flavor profiles are endless, and the ingredients in your bread can be seasonal and high end, or they can be simple, weird, sweet, sour, spicy, earthy, cheesy, herby, smokey, you dream it, and it can be done with sourdough. When I tell you I got it bad, I got it baaaddd. I’m fortunate here in Atlanta to have a farmer’s market that sells all sorts of grains that I can grind and play with, and I started my sourdough grain and book library. It is VERY well-loved, as apparent in exhibit A.
So Where Does That Leave Us?
I don’t really even eat bread that much, but I’ll still try to bake something every week or two. I use the whey from the yogurt I make instead of water because I’m that guy now. My freezer is full of mini (lots of mini things for the baby) sourdough pumpkin muffins (sweetened with honey!), mini sourdough blueberry crumble muffins (also sweetened with honey!), purple barley and mixed whole grain bread with millet crunchies (inspired by Farmhouse on Boone), sourdough breadcrumbs, sourdough spinach and cheese tortellini, sourdough fettuccine, sourdough tortillas, sourdough pie crust, and probably more! I bake and I freeze things these days because that’s where I am.
So that is a general outline of my sourdough autobiography over the years to explain that, in my sourdough baking evolution, I have tried out the gambit. You, my dear reader, are a different baker than me, so you might want to take a specific type of approach. I’m still learning and studying and changing as a baker, so I’ll try to keep it up to date. Hence, this semi-comprehensive, baker’s choice, evolving sourdough baking resource guide. Anyone can make sourdough. What kind of sourdough baker are you?
STARTER ADVICE (Tip: You don’t need all that discard!)Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.
- The Sourdough Whisperer by Elaine Boddy
- Feed the starter with the amount you’ll need for the recipe, so you’ll never have more than 100 g. of starter at a time: “If the recipe calls for 50 grams of starter, I feed my base amount of starter with 30 grams of flour and 30 grams of water” (18). Then, there’s a little bit left to feed, but you’re not stuck with hundreds of grams for discard baking. Although you can make pretty much anything with discard just as well, including beautiful loaves. There’s a great section of practical discard recipes in Daily Sourdough by Lisa Bass.
- “A Heritage Sourdough Method” episode of A Simple Farmhouse Life podcast
- It’s nice to hear how different bakers do sourdough. Anja from Our Gabled Home is from Germany, so they have a great conversation that puts all of the sourdough “rules” into perspective.
CLASSIC (White, airy, sometimes technical)
- Tartine Bread by Chad Robertson.
- People will never believe such a lovely loaf was made at home! His method is very approachable, and it really helped me learn the basic principles of sourdough. And his pictures of how to shape the dough are the most helpful thing. You watch people shape it on videos and it’s so fast you’re like what did they just do? Here’s a video of him doing it, but the pictures in the book are priceless.
- The Sourdough Bible by Elaine Boddy
- This book breaks down sourdough in such a thorough way! Boddy truly tried to make the first and last book about sourdough that you’d ever need. In true Boddy style, her approach to sourdough is flexible, inspirational, and easily customizable.
- The Sourdough Whisperer by Elaine Boddy.
- Such a simple process with satisfying results! This book has a little bit of everything, and her approach is so adaptable that you can really take her ideas and run with them!
- The Perfect Loaf by Maurizio Leo
- The recipes in this book are PRECISE, which honestly makes it more intimidating than it is. I give you permission to not sweat it. That being said, everything I’ve made from this book, and this book has a serious variety of bakes and techniques and flavors from other cultures, has turned out “perfect” and utterly delicious! This is a massive tomb, so it’s very comprehensive for pretty much any every-day bread product you would make (including AMAZING pizza dough, potato rolls, and pancakes!). Also, I really like The Perfect Loaf newsletter, not the paid membership, but the periodic recipes and emails that you can sign up for at the bottom of his very useful website.
- Daily Sourdough and Farmhouse on Boone blog by Lisa Bass
- Lisa Bass has a huge collection of delicious and practical sourdough recipes that she’s used to feed her large family for over a decade. She has everything from dumplings to coffee cakes, and everything I’ve tried from her has been simple and delicious.
- The Clever Carrot blog
- Great, go-to recipes that you might be craving! She’s got all the classics.
- Little Spoon Farm blog
- Yummm and approachable! She also has all the classics!
WHOLE GRAIN CENTRIC (although you can substitute whole grain for most sourdough recipes)
- Sourdough by Sarah Owens
- Hands down, this book changed my life. Everything is delicious. Everything is new and exciting to me… still! Owens is a recipe genius, from the beginning of the bite to the end is an experience, including the textures as well as flavors. Learn about hearty porridge breads, or make the most fudgy, delicious, and whole grain cake I’ve ever had. Sarah Owens just understands food on another level, and it’s a joy to participate in her journey in your own kitchen.
- Heirloom by Sarah Owens
- This book is not just sourdough. It’s also other types of fermented foods, and other types of foods that make you feel connected on a soul level to what you are eating.
- Toast and Jam by Sarah Owens
- I just love Sarah Owens? This book has some lovely recipes for breads and jams, as the title proclaims. Although I, admittedly, have never made any of the jams.
- I also am a member of Sarah Owens’s Patreon, and she offers live classes through there too! One day, when I can work less, I would love to just attend all of them. For now, I enjoy the connection that I get with her when I have a question, and I love getting new recipes that aren’t published yet. I learn so much from this woman and her depth of knowledge about all things grains and flavors!
- Whole Grain Sourdough at Home by Elaine Boddy
- Every sourdough bread baker ends on their go-to bread recipe at some time or another. Mine is Elaine Boddy’s 50/50 loaf, even when I use more than 50% whole grain and different types of grains. This is a straight forward book that you can’t mess up with and you can have fun with. She even has a whole section where you make breads with liquids other than water!
- Tartine Book No. 3 by Chad Robertson
- In this book, Chad Robertson really had fun with different types of grains, including porridge breads, sprouted flours, and whole grains.
- “Transform Your Family’s Health with Freshly-Milled Whole Grains | Sue of Bread Beckers” episode from A Simple Farmhouse Life Podcast
- Farmhouse on Boone YouTube, especially after December 2024.
I DON’T HAVE TIME TO MAKE SOURDOUGH! (Yes you do!)
- Daily Sourdough by Lisa Bass (and the Farmhouse on Boone blog)
- Lisa Bass has eight children. She owns her own business. She makes sourdough all the time. As a result, her approach to sourdough is very flexible as compared to some resources by other bakers that you might find.
- Any books by Elaine Boddy, The Sourdough Whisperer, The Sourdough Bible, or Whole Grain Sourdough at Home.
- Elaine Boddy teaches you how little you actually need to touch the dough to make beautiful loaves. Her recipes are simple and delicious, and pretty foolproof. The real deal is that the dough takes a long time to rise, but you just do some stretch and folds at the beginning and then let the starter work its magic, so the actual involvement on your part is minimal.
SWEETS
- Brown butter sourdough chocolate chip cookies by The Boy Who Bakes
- These might be the most delicious chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever had, sourdough or not.
- The Sweet Side of Sourdough by Caroline Schiff
- Caroline Schiff is a master of flavor combinations. Not all of these recipes include a long ferment, but all of these recipes are wow-worthy and delicious. I love a desert book that makes the types of fancy deserts I see on TV actually approachable.
- Sourdough by Sarah Owens
- I have had the most delicious chocolate cake of my life from this book. And honey rose cake. This is not a dessert book, but the desserts in here are beyond comparison, and they’re whole grain!
- The Clever Carrot blog and Little Spoon Farm blog
- These blogs are great resources for the classics, such as brownies, cookies, cakes, coffee cakes, whatever you might be craving!
This is a working guide, so input is welcome!
I know there’s a whole world of sourdough books out there that bakers swear by. I’ll tell you straight up- I’m all ears! Please feel free to share with me and the readers! What’s your sourdough story, and what are your go-to resources?