Can I Learn to Bake Sourdough?
To answer that question - YES!! Most people think that baking Sourdough Bread is a rite of passage to becoming an experienced baker. I admit to having had that same incorrect thinking years ago. There may be a few bumps and bobbles in the beginning, or even throughout the long-term process, but sourdough baking is very much an attainable feat for just about anyone. Both my dad and my mom is are excellent bakers, and my mom decided she was going to learn to bake sourdough AFTER retiring! She bakes the same fabulous sandwich loaf that I sell so many of, and wow does she do a beautiful job. I jest with her about opening her own sourdough business over there in NC.😍
Once you have your system down, the sourdough process is so much less time-consuming and is incredibly forgiving for those of us with busy schedules. As with any undertaking, there is a learning curve, some principles to consider, and a few tools to have on hand before beginning. Some considerations before taking the plunge would be: A moderate house temperature, time spent learning the process (I have links I can share), a jar for a strong, active starter, a large bowl for mixing your dough, a kitchen scale (game changer), a bench scraper, a lame (pronounced “lahm”) for scoring, a Dutch Oven, parchment paper, and good ingredients. I will venture to say that most of you have these things on hand. One does NOT even need to invest in bannetons and/or the liners even though they are nice to have. Starting out your sourdough Artisan Boule success with a bowl and a tea towel works absolutely beautifully. Also, owning a probe thermometer is a great asset for checking the internal temperature of your loaves. There are a myriad of ways to maintain starters, assemble dough, and bake your sourdough. I have chosen and settled on my favorite methods for now.
When instructing others in starting out with sourdough, I emphasize the use of excellent ingredients such as really good FLOUR - I recommend organic, WATER - do not use tap or distilled, Crystal Springs purified water has been my favorite for the last decade, and SALT - I am partial to Redmond Real Salt or Baja Gold Mineral Salt as that is what I have exclusively used for the last 6 years (thanks, Utah friends for introducing us!).
Many people have learned how to bake sourdough bread from watching YouTube, which has an abundance of free, valuable how-to videos from the experts. If 2020 brought about ANY good whatsoever, it was the awakening of the sourdough abilities of thousands and thousands of bakers all across the country. I have been baking sourdough for a long time, and I sincerely loved watching all of the brand new bakers successfully and consistently turn out fabulous sourdough loaves.
The steps to baking sourdough quite easily fit into the daily rhythms of people’s lives. Busy people who work outside the home have figured out a way to make sourdough work for them. It is a dough you do a few things to, leave for a while, come back to it and do it couple more times, and VOILA! There are even some overnight recipes that will yield beautiful results. To provide your family with nourishing, delicious, beautiful bread at a fraction of the cost of grocery store loaves, is satisfying in many ways. As with all art forms, there are levels of complexity when it comes to sourdough, but baking an amazing loaf is absolutely possible from the beginning of one’s sourdough journey.
Sourdough is one of those crafts that can yield immediate success for the brand new baker, yet still challenges the world renowned expert who has been baking with sourdough for decades. One encouragement I share with the reticent, would-be bakers who desire to try their hand at baking sourdough, is the stories of the California Gold Miners. Do you think that they had time to bother with a complicated bread process? Absolutely not! They were all busy seeking their fortunes. Another inspiring example - I know of a mother of 8 children ranging from newborn all the way up to a high school graduate, who can crank out several sourdough boules at a time. Do you think she would be baking sourdough if it was a multiplex process? Not on your life! I have one last heartening story for those who might want to begin a sourdough business. A friend from another state who participated in a sourdough class in January 2023, began selling her boules several weeks later, and now teaches sourdough classes to others in her area. If the rugged Gold Miners were successfully baking sourdough over 100 years ago, and a busy mom of 8 can make sourdough work for her schedule, and my friend can start a sourdough side hustle in just a few months, you can be triumphant with your sourdough endeavors as well! As Hannah Neeleman from Ballerina Farm has said, “If I can bake sourdough, so can you.”
So then, if YOU would like to learn how to bake sourdough, please reach out, and I will send all of the helpful links I can think of. I will also give you my beautiful, incredibly active, organic sourdough starter for FREE. Over the years, I have helped teach numerous people how to bake sourdough, whether that be in person, over the phone, on Marco Polo, or via text messages. The rapid success these individuals have had baking boules, sandwich loaves, pizza crusts, etc. is just as exciting for me as it is for them.
I know that customers appreciate the elite quality, variety, and flavor profiles of the many TRULY 100% Organic Sourdough Baked Goods found only at Rachel Mae Bakes. Nevertheless, if you would like to learn to bake an outstanding basic sourdough Artisan Boule, I will help you! Sourdough is very special, and it is FAR more attainable to just about anyone if the determination and desire are there to learn. 😉 I am here for you - whether that is to sell you my popular organic sourdough or to teach you how to bake your own.