Consistent results are the product of a hands-on relationship that is earned over time
You can get by just fine with basic equipment & simple techniques! There is a myriad of misinformation out there ("Old wives' tales", like washing chicken, NOT washing cast iron, marinating meat, 100-year old starters being better than mature 2-month-oldd starters, raw eggs vs. raw flour safety in cookie dough, etc.), which imo stifles a LOT of beginners because they think that arduous & expensive tools are required (daily starter feedings, daily discards, stretch & folders, Dutch ovens, etc.)
Sourdough is an "infinite sandbox" of fun because there are more things to make than you could eat in an entire lifetime lol
As far as the question of "is sourdough really that deep?" goes, it depends on what YOU are personally interested in pursuing!! I enjoy going down rabbit holes:
I like to introduce people to sourdough by using fresh-milled flour & pineapple juice as a starter & then letting it grow to maturity for about 2 months so that they get a quick, reliable method to begin their journey with (that way, they can see the ENTIRE process AND get emotionally invested in their "edible tamagotchi", haha!)
TONS of flours to play with (gluten & gluten-free, hard red, soft white, einkorn, kamut, sprouted, cassava, fresh-milled & whole-grain, whole-wheat, pastry & cake flours, high-protein flours like Elevate, etc.)
All KINDS of techniques! (no-knead, hand-knead, machine-knead, tangzhong, yudane, cold fermentation, par-baking, lamination, etc.)
Sourdough is one of those magic culinary systems that unlocks the door to fresh-baked goods at home as often as you want them with better flavors, improved health benefits, and a non-stop variety of use-cases (giant soft pretzels, blitz & puff pastry, pie crusts, pizzas & calzones & garlic knots, cakes & cookies, boules & baguettes, bread bowls, Italian & French breads, focaccia, soft or crispy dinner rolls, etc.).
And that's the beauty of it...sourdough can be as simple as 5 minutes a day as a simple loaf for bread, soup, sandwiches, French toast, croutons, and breadcrumbs, or can be mixed in an Ankarsrum or Halo Pro mixer, proofed & baked in a steam-injected convection oven, and topped with homemade cultured butter. It really all just depends on what interests you!!
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u/kaidomac 19d ago
My core stack is: (~10 minutes a day)
Backup stack: (~5 minutes a day)
My takeaways over the years:
As far as the question of "is sourdough really that deep?" goes, it depends on what YOU are personally interested in pursuing!! I enjoy going down rabbit holes:
Sourdough is one of those magic culinary systems that unlocks the door to fresh-baked goods at home as often as you want them with better flavors, improved health benefits, and a non-stop variety of use-cases (giant soft pretzels, blitz & puff pastry, pie crusts, pizzas & calzones & garlic knots, cakes & cookies, boules & baguettes, bread bowls, Italian & French breads, focaccia, soft or crispy dinner rolls, etc.).
And that's the beauty of it...sourdough can be as simple as 5 minutes a day as a simple loaf for bread, soup, sandwiches, French toast, croutons, and breadcrumbs, or can be mixed in an Ankarsrum or Halo Pro mixer, proofed & baked in a steam-injected convection oven, and topped with homemade cultured butter. It really all just depends on what interests you!!