Isn’t it easy to forget how hard it is to start something? New hobby? Great! But where do you start? Well, the best advice I can give to you (along to myself), is to simply begin. You may be asking yourself what it is that I have started recently. And I can firmly and loudly say (FINALLY) this blog! And let me tell ya, it has been overwhelming and not so easy. Many thoughts of, “I need to create x, y, and z in order to get started or, I must have content created before I can post anything!” have run through my head, but that, my friends, is what has kept me from actually beginning.

With all that being said, I had a beautiful post typed up, pictures and all, and as with all newbies or the unlucky, it was lost to the abyss of the internet. Where it went, I know not. So, here it goes again!

The first hobby I picked up after college was sourdough. I know, I know, you are probably thinking “another one…” but in my defense, I started this little hobby of mine before it become popular in the 2020 lockdown. Prior to learning about sourdough and how to keep it alive and thriving, my only interaction with this bread is a fuzzy memory in elementary school. My mom had made sourdough sandwiches and I was very concerned about why my bread was weird and sour!

Fast forward 20ish years. I had found a fascinating hobby and I had started with absolutely no knowledge of what sourdough even was. That did not stop me from boldly moving forward with this finicky project. Trials and many, many errors were made. Siblings and parents were subjected to atrocious loaves of bread. Dense, gummy, and lacking the classic sour flavor, they were troopers suffering along with me.

Fortunately for me, many experts have so generously shared their experiences and have made it so wonderfully available via cook books! “Tartine Bread” was the turning point for me. This book beautifully lays out sourdough and how to schedule it around your life (many people try to do the opposite, I do not recommend that). The pieces in the puzzle of “how to sourdough” finally found their way into my brain and I have not looked back ever since! It truly is a simple and beautiful process that requires a bit of time and patience.

And, if this has inspired you to give sourdough baking a try, here are a few tools that I highly recommend. First and foremost, read up on sourdough, it is a living creature that requires a bit of attention. Secondly you will want a Dutch Oven (I am a fan of The lodge products. They look nice and are relatively reasonably priced), oven mitts (do yourself a favor and get long oven mitts since you will be putting your arms into a very, very hot oven), and lastly a kitchen scale (in baking measuring by weight is the way to go for more accurate and consistent outcomes).

If you give it a whirl, let me know! I am far from an expert, but I can try to troubleshoot any hiccups you will come across. Happy baking!

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