I can do hard things but successfully birthing sourdough starter eluded me every single time.

This isn’t funny. One day I say I’m not giving up and the next day I want to toss it out (again) and NEVER try.

I gave myself an ultimatum to attempt it ONE MORE TIME and then give up forever.

Here’s what worked for me: I stopped going crazy following all the scientific recipes and stopped reading the voluminous numbers of posts and pages and websites and YouTube videos dedicated to creating the proper sourdough starter and did it my way, kind of haphazard and casual. I mean if people had been baking with sourdough starters for hundreds of years with zero technology, how difficult could it be?

I’m happy to report that my efforts finally worked. I don’t have any pics of the starter because it’s really not impressive; just a blob of a bubbly and fermenting flour and water mixture.

The real beauty is the reward for my perseverance, I baked it in a standard loaf pan to make it easier to toast. It rose like a cloud and tastes absolutely perfect. Crusty and rustic with a soft, chewy, sour interior texture.

I don’t remember the recipe I followed but the only ingredients are flour, water, salt. It takes a very long rising time, the longer the better for more sour flavor. I let it rise for twelve hours, so it’s definitely not a quick bread, but worth the wait, trust me!

All I have to do now is continue to feed the starter I’ve saved in the refrigerator and I can have sourdough all the time.

Yay for tenacity!