About

My Sourdough Journey

Welcome to Sourdough Diaries! I’m Faith and I also blog at An Edible Mosaic. My goal is for this space to inspire bakers at every stage. Beginners, take heart and remember that every expert sourdough baker started exactly where you are today. ❤︎

The Beginning of My Sourdough Story

From My Struggle With Sourdough Starter to the Unexpected Helping Hand I Received From a Natural Disaster

The Struggle

In early to mid-summer 2024, I decided I wanted to make sourdough starter. For the life of me, I can’t remember why I had this idea (and I sure as heck had no clue how much work it would be!), but I was determined.

front view of glass weck jar with ripe bubbly sourdough starter

I researched, bought a case of bottled spring water water and a big bag of unbleached flour, and then dove head-first into the process. After a while my starter began doing things, and I got excited. It cycled through a variety of smells (dirty socks, a gym locker room, stinky cheese, and vomit, to name just a few), which I had read are all normal.

I thought for sure I was on the right track, and I’d soon be rewarded with a starter that would give me loaves and loaves of gorgeous sourdough.

That was not the case though. I struggled for weeks as my starter refused to progress. After six weeks or so, I still didn’t have a starter I could bake with. I researched some more and started experimenting with my feedings, deciding to increase from one feeding per day to two. I saw a bit more activity; however, I still didn’t have a viable starter I could bake bread with. I was about ready to chuck the whole thing (if you can relate, keep reading!).

The Disaster That Was Exactly What My Starter Needed

Here’s where it gets interesting.

I live in Florida, and about six weeks after making and struggling with my sourdough starter, the area where I live was hit with two major hurricanes – Helene and Milton – for the first time in 100 years. After Hurricane Helene hit on September 26, we were out of power for about a week. As silly and insignificant as it seemed, one of the few constants in my life during this period was feeding my sourdough starter.

As per normal for late September/early October in Florida, the weather was stiflingly hot and humid with temperatures over 90F inside the house without air conditioning. There was no sleep to be had, no gas to be purchased, and no grocery stores with food. We were under a boil water order. Simple daily tasks became a challenge. It was a “let’s make it through today with one foot in front of the other” existence.

During the storm, every tree on the property except one came down. By nothing short of a miracle, they all missed crashing onto the house or cars.

There was one branch on the tree in the front yard in particular that blew my mind. It could have easily taken out part of my roof, but it miraculously twisted over onto the opposite side of the tree, somehow threading the needle between two other limbs, and fell to the ground instead of taking down my house. Another branch could have taken out my car, but again, miraculously it didn’t.

Have you ever felt equally terrified, relieved, and thankful all at the same time? That sums it up for me.

tree limb twisted over onto the other side of the tree after hurricane Helene in Florida
tree narrowly missing falling onto car after hurricane Helene in Florida
fallen trees after hurricane Helene in Florida
fallen tree right next to house after hurricane Helene in Florida

Looking back, it was a life experience that I’m grateful I had and grateful has passed. That whole situation taught me more than I’ll ever be able to put into words.

And guess what? By the time our electricity got turned back on, my sourdough starter had matured.

And thus, meet Helene.

Sourdough Equipment

Tools to Help You Succeed

After my starter took off, the real fun began. First I started experimenting first with sourdough discard recipes (to date, one of my absolute favorites is still my sourdough naan recipe on An Edible Mosaic.) I’ve been developing recipes since 2009, so applying the skills that I’ve acquired over the years to sourdough recipe development has been a lot of fun for me. It’s a very challenging, yet rewarding process!

It took some practice, but one of my biggest joys from this has been having success with sourdough bread. I’m going to be continually adding more sourdough recipes as I experiment, test, and perfect them. I love thinking up creative new flavor combinations!

When I first started with sourdough, I didn’t plan on buying any special equipment. I already had a kitchen scale, and I used Mason jars that were just collecting dust in the back of my bottom kitchen cabinet to make my starter.

Eventually, I realized that although you don’t really need special sourdough baking supplies or accessories to bake great bread, some make the process a lot easier. In turn, it’s more enjoyable and consistent.

Essential vs. Useful Products

So, what are the sourdough must haves? There are a ton of useful products, but there are very few (if any) essential sourdough tools, especially when you’re first starting out. The one piece of sourdough equipment that I found incredibly helpful even at the beginning of my journey is a kitchen scale. It simplifies sourdough baking in two ways: 1) instead of measuring ingredients with cups and spoons, you add them to a bowl on the scale, which yields a much more precise measurement and therefore leads to more consistent results, and 2) there’s no measuring cups/spoons to clean!

SEE ALL SOURDOUGH TOOLS & EQUIPMENT
kitchen scale
sourdough starter jar kit
food storage containers
danish dough whisk
bench scraper
bannetons
bread lame
lodge cast iron dutch oven
reusable bread bags

Favorites

Sourdough Recipes on Repeat in My Kitchen

hand holding chewy sourdough discard chocolate chip cookie with bite to show gooey texture
close up of sourdough chicken and dumplings with perfect fluffy texture
hands holding sourdough cinnamon raisin bread over blue and white tile
slices of sourdough discard almond loaf cake showing moist crumb
top view of sourdough sandwich loaf bread with slices cut
sourdough discard pierogies ruskie with potato cheese filling before boiling
flour

Sourdough Resources

Need a Helping Hand?

Sometimes we all need a little help from our friends!

Start With Starter

If you’re struggling with the process the way I did, I will send you my free sourdough starter guide! It has all the info in one place that I wish I had when I began.

Find New Ways to Use Discard

I make sourdough discard recipes more often than recipes with starter. Its versatile, reduces kitchen waste, and is cost-effective!

Develop Your Craft

You’ll learn something new every single time you bake a loaf of bread with your sourdough starter. Try a few different recipes to find your new favorite!

Sourdough T-Shirts and More

Freshly Baked Merch

Sourdough accessories aren’t only for the kitchen, fellow bakers! I had way too much fun coming up with sourdough merchandise that’s equal parts fun and functional. Because I’m a huge nerd, one of the things I truly enjoy is brainstorming sourdough slogans with inspiration from my some of my favorite literature, such as Harry Potter and A Song of Ice and Fire (aka Game of Thrones)!

Here are just a few of my favorite items from my sourdough store:

feed me and watch me rise sourdough mug

Mug: Feed Me & Watch Me Rise

sourdough queen hoodie back that says I like big bubbles

Crop Hoodie: Front: Sourdough Queen; Back: I Like Big Bubbles (✨More colors✨)

sourdough women's pj bottoms

Women’s Pajama Pants: Bread Loaf With Wheat Stalk

CHECK OUT THE FULL STORE FOR T-SHIRTS, HOODIES & MORE!

Sourdough For Beginners

Sourdough Starter Frequently Asked Questions

When you’re first making your sourdough starter, you’re probably going to have a ton of questions! Here are the answers to a few of the most commonly asked questions. If you have a different question, check out Sourdough For Beginners or use the contact form below to message me.

Unbleached all-purpose flour (organic if possible) and bottled spring water. (My go-to flour is King Arthur.) A lot of sourdough bakers have success with tap water, but this depends on the water in your area; if it’s highly chlorinated, it can kill the yeast and bacteria needed for a healthy starter.

Feed it every 12 to 24 hours at room temperature, or once a week in the fridge.

This depends on a variety of factors (such as flour type, weather conditions, etc.) but I like to keep it simple with a 1:1:1 ratio of starter:flour:water. Side Note: Hydration refers to the ratio of flour to water. Sourdough starter fed with equal parts flour and water is referred to as 100% hydration.

I like to use a wide-mouth glass jar with a lid, such as a Mason jar. Glass is non-reactive, which is important because sourdough starter is acidic. Glass is also transparent, which is helpful so you can see your starter’s activity. IMPORTANT: To help prevent your starter from exploding, make sure your sourdough starter jar is at least 4 to 5 times as big as the volume after a feeding. I typically combine 100 grams each of starter, flour, and water in a 32-ounce glass jar.

You should keep it lightly covered. This prevents debris and bugs (like fruit flies) from getting in, and also allows the gas to release as fermentation occurs. If you’re using a Mason jar, cover it loosely with the lid (meaning, put the lid on but don’t screw it on tight). Otherwise, cover your sourdough starter with reusable beeswax wrap, plastic wrap, or even a plastic shower cap. Personally, I don’t cover my starter jar with a piece of fabric or paper towel because this can lead to the starter drying out.

Yes. It’s important to discard your starter to keep it a manageable size, prevent it from becoming overly acidic, and to help maintain a healthy microbial environment.

There are a few indicators of when sourdough starter is ready to bake with (aka, when it’s “mature”). It will have a pleasantly tangy aroma, like ripe fruit, beer, or yeasty bread. Also, it should consistently double or triple in size at room temperature within 4 to 8 hours after a feeding. Another indicator that is used is the “float test”; in this method, if a spoonful of the starter floats in a glass of water, it’s ready to bake with. (But know that the float test isn’t completely reliable because it doesn’t account for variables, such as starter viscosity, hydration level, flour type, etc.)