Sourdough Starter thoughts

Never underestimate the 'discard'

My wife has a new best friend. Her name is Sofia and my-oh-my has she been getting all the attention lately:

I don’t know what inspired Allie to suddenly dive into the world of bread making, but it’s been about a few weeks now and the house has consistently had a fresh baked scent to it. She did some major research for the heart of it all- the sourdough starter, which she always does, but it was a must for this crucial decision. As everything in life, not all sourdough starter is created equal. She landed on Heirloom Sourdough, a great-grandfather’s sourdough starter from 1916 San Francisco. It came with the name Sofia and we just couldn’t change it, it fits in this house so well, as if she was always meant to be here with us.

I don't know if you've ever dipped your toes into the niche world of sourdough starters, but there's a whole subculture of dough nerds we're basically a part of now. So far, we've only been making crackers with the 'discard' because we realized we gave away our Dutch oven when we moved, and the special bread one that Allie wants (she always knows exactly what she wants) is backordered. Sooo, we've been on a cracker kick..

Okay, before we go any further, can we just talk about the word discard for a minute? I get it, it's not the main event for starting your sourdough bread journey, but seriously, doesn't that top layer – the stuff that refreshes the acidity and boosts the leavening power and flavor of your future loaf – deserve a better name? I mean, these crackers we're making are seriously good. Like, 'open our own cracker business' good. Every time we make them, I'm convinced. Anyway, rant over. I'm just really passionate about our 'secondhand' friend and think it deserves a more dignified title for its contributions. (Please, leave a comment with better names – this is a group effort now!)

Moving on to the crackers: Allie's nailed this. After the starter, flour, melted butter and some good old-fashioned elbow grease, she just adds a touch of everything seasoning, and that's it! No extra stuff! It's crazy – in the States, if you even glance at the ingredient list on a store-bought cracker box, you're bracing for a CVS-length scroll. But we're making these amazing crackers at home, with just a few ingredients. It's mind-blowing... and yeah, we're never going back.

Bottom line: this sourdough bread thing is a delicate dance. It takes a ton of patience, which my wife says I have... except when it comes to food. When I'm hungry, watch out! There's also a lot of precise measuring involved, which I actually love. I've taken over feeding duties because of it. That's where Allie and I differ. Give me an equation over a word problem any day. Which one are you?

Anyway, this whole 'thinking outside the Pillsbury Doughboy' thing has turned into a really fun kitchen activity for us to do together. Allie and I cook together a lot, and I'm genuinely excited for more doughy adventures with her. There are so many possibilities!

Drop a comment below with your favorite 'discard' recipe (or sourdough tips in general!) We're just getting started!

That’s all! Hope everyone has a fabulous weekend! Oh and thanks for hanging out with us, this community wouldn’t be the same without you.

Cheers,

Becca