In a Sourdough Season | Beginner's Recipe

blonde2brunette
May 5
4 min read

Sourdough has been on the backburner for sometime. a long time ago when I was heavy into pastels and baking (before engagement to hubs) I attempted to start my sourdough starter and was always almost successful but lacked getting the right proofing and swapped to yeasted doughs, or when I would try to begin again, pregnancy brain would kick in and I'd forget to feed it after day three, repeat and forget on day four and again on day 7. TERRIBLE lol. So this time, I called in reinforcements and brought my bestie and master bread maker Kelly into the mix. This is the girl who taught me how to make challah bread and other breads on our usual girl night's in for many, many years. She saw my frustration and stubbornness and said, " Girl, why don't you use some of my starter" with that I've been able to not only improve my bread making skills but also try again to make starter from scratch and with very much success! I think it's because of the fact that I was able to play sooner and gave me the rejuvenation I needed to attempt again. I think also helped me understand it a whole lot more and know exactly what to look for.

Before I move onto Kelly's , what I'm calling: "No Fuss Sourdough Recipe", if you've been with us since the start of our Blonde2Brunette passion project of a blog, then you may recognize her name as one of the OG bloggers in our group! I asked her If i could feature her recipe and she of course was down and I couldn't do that without reminding you of her wonderful contributions to the blog which still are here available to read! [ READ ALL HERE ]

I told her that I'm going to start poking at her for some future recipes to share with you all because they are just too good not to share! I guess you can say featurettes are back? Since we're talking bread, here are some of her beautiful loaves she's created and a showcase to you all why she is my Master Bread Chef and go-to.

Starter

• 50g water

• 50g flour (could be AP flour)

• 20g Kelly’s Flour Baby (starter)

If you are starting from scratch, then 70g of flour. That way you always have 20g left of active starter for your next baking sesh!

A few accounts I follow to teach you how to start a basic starter are: @sourdoughbyvitaliya @topknotartisanbakery @countryroadssourdough

Bread Recipe

• 100g active (grown) starter

• 500g flour (bread)

• 385g lukewarm water

• 10–12g salt

Instructions:

1. Mix without salt for 10 min

2. Let sit covered 30 min

3. Add salt & mix for 4–7 min

4. Cover & let rise until almost doubled

5. Turn out onto floured surface & shape for banneton

6. Cover with plastic & add to fridge for cold proof (12–24 hrs)

7. Bake at 500°F for 25 min covered (add 2 ice cubes)

8. Bake uncovered 15–20 min

9. Let cool minimum 1 hr

Optional Tips if you want to explore:

After you mix with salt you can attempt a few stretch and folds every 30 minutes. As I got more comfortable, I did with 3-4 stretch and folds then let it rest for a few hours before shaping in a banneton. The key with this is not over-proofing, I would make sure that it would continue to have a " spring back" in the dough and would know it's still good. I also found in my home (cause everyone's results will vary) that cold proofing overnight and not going the full 24 hours gave me a bigger rise, better ear and crust over all!

Just remember that if it doesn't rise, that doesn't mean it's bad. It probably taste delish and looks beautiful with the right golden tone. Also note that if your dough doesn't have a spring back, as it has already over proved, maybe try turning it into focaccia sourdough! That's what everyone does apparently when it's lacking the bounce! Which I've been wanting to do a version of a cinnamon glazed focaccia that looks divine!

I don't use TikTok very much, only to cross post, but it is a great resource in finding a plethora of recipes and how-tos for saving sourdoughs , fails and more!

Enjoy so pictures of my sourdough bread:

Alright, there you have it! Kelly's No Fuss Sourdough Bread Recipe!!! Let me know if you are in your sourdough era and want to compare notes on the gram! If you catch me on TikTok expect 3 Biz days to get back to ya, lol.

The best part about making the loaves though, is getting the opportunity to gift it to my family and friends. It's a very budget friendly gift that warms any heart! Wrap it in kraft paper or parchments, add some fresh cut herbs and you've got the perfect presentation, bonus if you make them butter! Which we have a recipe for that as well, CLICK HERE.

Can't wait to share the next round of sourdough loaf making, I have a few sweet and butter rich recipes to share!