Hey, there! Is there anything more delicious than a fresh loaf of homemade sourdough bread? The smell permeating the house, the temptingly tangy inside, the crusty…crust. Most of us feel so cozy when we have homemade bread, but the idea of making it daily can be overwhelming.
Today I’m sharing how I manage to make all of the bread and baked goods my family consumes- without losing my mind!
My sourdough journey began about six years ago in 2018. I had been following Lisa Bass at Farmhouse on Boone for a year or so and she frequently wrote about her sourdough bread and how easy it was to make. Honestly, I was so intimidated. Growing up I did not know anyone who baked more than the occasional loaf of banana bread or a cake. But I was intrigued and inspired, so I eventually followed Lisa’s tutorial for capturing wild yeast at home to grow my own starter.
While I’d love to say that I was an immediate success and never looked back, that wasn’t the case at all. I was initially very excited and tried several recipes, but most of them weren’t that great. My family was unimpressed, my enthusiasm waned, and I inevitably went down to making just one loaf a week- the same crusty boule– on soup night, and occasionally some English muffins. Oh, and cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning!
In November 2023, feeling frustrated with rising grocery prices, I decided to try to start making all of our sandwich bread in addition to that crusty loaf. Using Lisa Bass’s Easy Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread recipe, I made two loaves per week as we needed them. I kept an eye on how much bread we had and mixed a new loaf before bed at night, then baked it in the morning whenever it finished the second rise.
After a month of success with this method, I decided to also take on making our bagels. Once again, I turned to a Farmhouse on Boone recipe, Homemade Sourdough bagels. I would mix up the dough on Monday, let it ferment through the day, shape the bagels before bed and refrigerate. Then in the morning I would take the bagels out and let them warm up and rise a bit, then boil and bake. The bagels were great and everyone was happy.
At this point I felt happy about the results I was getting with my bread, but I was also starting to get overwhelmed. I was making three loaves of bread every week as needed, plus a dedicated day for bagels.
Then I saw Lisa’s Youtube video about how she mixes all of her bread one day a week, lets it ferment on the counter, then refrigerates all of the loaves and bakes one each day. The only issue I had with this strategy is that she was making crusty boules and I mostly wanted sandwich bread. Would it work?
I’m happy to report that it totally does! On Sunday or Monday I mix two loaves of sourdough sandwich bread, let them ferment on the counter, then shape one loaf and wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate. The other is usually shaped, then baked after a four hour second rise.
It was around Christmastime 2023 that I hit my stride with sourdough baking and began taking on more and more. In addition to the bread and bagels, I now also make two Dutch babies as well as burger rolls, tortillas, croutons, bread crumbs, or any other baked goods that I need for meals that week.
Here’s a typical week in the life of my sourdough:
- Sunday evening: If making a Dutch Baby for breakfast on Monday, set some starter aside and feed to make 2 cups totally. Feed remaining starter to bulk up for baking.
- Monday: Mix and bake Dutch baby for breakfast. Mix up: two loaves of sandwich bread; one loaf of crusty bread; double batch of bagels as time allows. Allow all to ferment on counter. Bake crusty bread for dinner that night. Shape sandwich bread and refrigerate. Shape bagels and refrigerate. All of the mixing, shaping, and wrapping takes about 30 minutes total.
- Tuesday: Pull one loaf of sandwich bread from the fridge and let warm and rise for about 4 hours before baking. Pull bagels out and let them warm and rise, then boil according to recipe, add toppings (we use Everything bagel seasoning), and bake. Use immediately or freeze.
- Rest of week: Prep and bake Dutch babies as desired. Make croutons or bread crumbs with any bread that is stale or as needed. Prep and bake sandwich bread as needed. Mix any additional recipes needed for dinner that morning (burger buns, tortillas) and bake when making dinner.
It’s actually pretty simple; however, I do have one caveat: You must try to embrace imperfect results. My bread never looks perfect and rarely looks the same twice. Just last week I had a loaf go completely flat on me and I have no idea why! But do you know what I did? I cut it up and made croutons! You have to just do your best and accept that you aren’t perfect, in baking and all things.
If you’re new to sourdough baking, I would definitely recommend mastering one recipe- probably a crusty loaf because it’s easy and makes you feel legit- first, and then adding additional recipes to your repertoire as you feel more confident. If you need a sourdough starter and want to try making your own, I can vouch for Lisa’s method; if you don’t have the time or confidence for that yet, you can order starter online or ask a friend for a bit. Sourdough people are always happy to share and will probably have loads of advice and encouragement for you!
You can do it! Happy baking!
