When everyone was jumping on the sourdough train in 2020, I didn’t. Why? Because everyone made it look so difficult! The modern way of caring for sourdough is basically like having a pet–you feed it twice a day, make sure it has a safe, warm spot in your house, and, if you fail to maintain it properly, it will make a mess on your counter! I’m in my late 20s, and I’m not nearly ready for that kind of responsibility just to make a loaf of bread! And, yet, I make sourdough bread, pizza crust, scones, granola, and crackers whenever I want!

How do I do it? I simplify it! Sourdough has been around for thousands of years and was even eaten by the ancient Egyptians and Greeks. French bakers brought it to America during the Gold Rush! Do we really think the Egyptians and Greeks, people mining for gold and mothers in the 1500s were wasting precious flour to feed their sourdough starter multiple times a day? There’s no way!

My method consists of feeding a starter and not messing with it again until I’m ready to cook in a week or two…or three or four.

Yes, it really can be that simple.

All you need is an active starter and a refrigerator! Sourdough is simply grain fermentation. If you’ve ever fermented anything before, like sauerkraut, then you’ll know that cold temperatures, like refrigeration, slow down the fermentation process. While those frigid temps don’t stop fermentation, it will greatly inhibit it. Which is exactly what you want if you don’t want a high maintenance starter!

I hope this has given you some encouragement when it comes to starting and maintaining a sourdough starter! Click here to read my next post, which focuses on my sourdough starter’s feeding and “sleeping” schedule.