Everything I know about sourdough, in the order you actually meet it — from waking a culture up to pulling a loaf out of a cast iron pot, and what to do on the days it goes wrong.
New to all of this? Your First Sourdough walks through one loaf from start to finish.
Start here
If the jar has just arrived, or you have never baked a loaf, read these in order.
Waking your starter
What to do the day the jar arrives — one feed, a few hours, and you are baking.
How it works
What is actually happening in the jar, in plain terms.
Feeding and care
The everyday rhythm — counter or fridge, and how much to keep.
Making the loaf
The techniques, in the order you meet them on a bake day.
Stretch and fold
Building strength in wet dough without kneading.
When bulk is done
The judgement that decides whether the loaf works. Read the dough, not the clock.
Shaping
Getting a taut skin and a closed seam so the loaf rises up rather than out.
Scoring
Where to cut, how deep, and why the blade angle matters.
Baking in cast iron
Trapping steam for a crust that crackles as it cools.
How I bake
My own routine, start to finish, with the timings I actually use.
Getting more sour
How to dial the tang up or down deliberately.
When it goes wrong
Nothing here is unrecoverable. Find the symptom.
Starter troubleshooting
Flat, sluggish, smells odd, liquid on top — what each one means.
Loaf troubleshooting
Dense, gummy, flat, tunnelled — diagnosed from the crumb.
Freezing and refreshing
Keeping a loaf worth eating on day four.
Choosing ingredients
What to buy, and what genuinely changes the result.
Flour guide
Strong white, wholemeal, rye, spelt and ’00’ — what each does to the dough.
Grain guide
Beyond wheat, and how to blend without wrecking the rise.
Olive oil guide
Grades, varieties, and what to pour over warm bread.
Wine guide
What to drink with bread and cheese, without the ceremony.
Other cultures
The rest of the fermenting shelf.
