Sourdough Journey

Pearl baked bread for Easter — and she came through in the most beautiful way. I made two loaves of sourdough sandwich bread for our Easter lunch for 30 people, and I have to tell you, my heart was so full watching those loaves come out of the oven. We had two of my best…

Free Willy 2 baked his first loaf today. And y’all — I am thrilled. In the best possible way. If you have been following this sourdough journey from the beginning, you know how long we have been working toward this moment. Willy and Nilly didn’t make it. Free Willy 2 rose from the ashes, got…

Y’all. Free Willy 2 is ready. After everything we’ve been through on this sourdough journey — Willynilly, Willy and Nilly, saying goodbye to both of them, starting over with Free Willy 2, and the gift of Pearl from my friend Sara — my whole wheat starter is finally strong enough to bake with. And today…

Pearl’s first bake is here — and y’all, she did not disappoint. If you missed Part 1, go back and read it first — that’s where I mixed the dough, did the stretch and folds, and tucked both loaves into their banneton baskets. This post is the payoff. This is where we find out if…

Sourdough sandwich bread is officially happening in this kitchen — and it’s all because of Pearl. If you’ve been following the Sourdough Journey, you know that my sweet friend Sara gifted me a sourdough starter last week. Pearl comes from Sara’s own feisty starter, Cybil — and true to her roots, Pearl has been active,…

Y’all. I was not expecting this new sourdough starter. I had said my goodbyes to Willy and Nilly, decided to start fresh with Free Willy 2, and was just trucking along — and then my friend Sara messaged me out of the blue and said she had a really feisty, active sourdough starter and she…

Sourdough Day 21 is here, and I have some news. Willy and Nilly did not make it. After 20 days of feeding, adjusting, troubleshooting, moving them to warmers, switching up ratios, and cheering them on with everything I had — there are no signs of life. And so, with a grateful heart, we are thanking…

Sourdough Day 20 and I have to be honest with you — we are in uncertain territory. Willy and Nilly have had a rough couple of days, and today was no exception. It turns out that keeping them in the oven with the light on was making them way too hot — I never would…

Sourdough Day 19 is here and I have to be honest with you — it has been a stressful one. Willy and Nilly did not rise at all overnight, and I spent a lot of hours consulting every source I could find trying to figure out what went wrong. The good news is that they…

Sourdough Day 18 and I have good news — Willy and Nilly are doing better and better up there on top of the fridge! I fed them both at 11 last night, kept 50 grams of starter for each, and added 200 grams of flour and 200 grams of water. That is our 1:4:4 ratio…