Last weekend, I made my first sourdough loaf!

I know, I know, everyone was doing this in 2020. But I didn’t have a starter in 2020, and I didn’t want to mess around with making one.

So when I visited Diane and crew this summer, I made a point of asking for a sourdough tutorial, because Diane makes it frequently. And she obliged me!

I wrote it down carefully. I asked questions. I was given some of her starter, which was carefully placed in my suitcase.

I fed it for about a month, every other week. And then this weekend, once I had all my equipment, I made it.

And it was yummy!

The nice thing about it, I think, is that you don’t have to knead it—at least not in Diane’s recipe. You do stretch the bread a few times, which is like kneading, but it’s not the intense kneading you need either by hand or with your stand mixer. That was nice.

Starter after sitting out all night…

I was a little worried after adding the flour and water because it seemed so dry. But Diane said it was OK!

And indeed it did become more and more “dough like” as the process went on.

It went into the floured proofing basket and flopped perfectly into the Dutch Oven…..and came out looking so pretty! And it was delicious!

It has a nice crust, sharp but not so sharp you can cut yourself with it. It’s chewy, but not too chewy. In short, it’s good bread, and I might be addicted to making it now. Next time I will let it rise a little longer so that it’s a bigger loaf with a slightly more pronounced sourdough flavor.

If you want to try Diane’s recipe, here it is! (With my notes) (NOTE 8/9/22: The document has been updated!)

Have you ever made sourdough? How’d it turn out?