“If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough” ~ Meister Eckhart
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The sofa where I sit is illuminated by a faint light from the kitchen stove. It's late, and the puppies snore softly on their pillows at my feet. By my side: a good book, a cup of tea, a handful of popcorn. From high on his perch, a kitty keeps watch over us all
Down the hall, I hear the faint rustling of my husband as he winds down with a glass of wine and a crossword puzzle. Soft jazz still plays throughout the house, and the dishwasher hums faintly. Another day draws to a close as I remind myself
“What moments are you especially grateful for?”
I reach for my gratitude journal
Looking back through the entries, what strikes me most is how simple each of the memories are. A moment shared with a friend. A phone call with my grandson. A meal with my husband. An encounter with nature. The kinds of moments available to most of us all the time, but also the very moments that are so easy to miss in our
busy, wired, and distracted lives
I’ve come to believe that gratitude is possible, no matter the season
It takes practice, of course, to peer at our current circumstances and think of the whole as a gift. It takes practice to remind ourselves that perfection isn't just around the corner, that arrivals don't exist, that a better set of circumstances don't necessarily lead to a better life
That it's all about linguistics
A warm spring day, with open windows for the kitties, to sit in, and curtains blowing in the breeze for them to hide under
How nice it is to put on my walking shoes, and simply head out the door. For the thoughts that arrive during the moments of mental quiet
Board games on the living room floor
Finding a stack of old church cookbooks at Goodwill, filled with handwritten notes in the margins and chocolate fingerprints in the cake sections
My son, who told me the story of two strangers that survived a plane crash. Both of their faces were badly burned, and their bodies deeply scarred. But the women were grateful for their lives. They bonded over their shared gratitude, over their belief that the scars made them beautiful. They became the best of friends
Cardamom lip balm
Sally, who shares with Harry, hates the vacuum about as much as she hates tags, and smiles with her whole face
Harry, who kisses on queue, dreams of toys, forgets all of his commands, but always remembers to snuggle
My husband, for holding my hand on hard days, through grief, loss, and sometimes generally bad decisions. For the late-night pancakes and early morning teas
The first seeds planted in the garden
Bare toes and a new pedicure
Oatmeal for breakfast with everything on it: sea salt, a pinch brown sugar, raisins, walnuts, a sliced pear, a handful of half-thawed blueberries we picked last summer from the berry patch
Chasing your shadow
Last night's thunderstorm
Friends who leave flowers and a note of kindness on the windshield of the car while you're inside the grocery
Taking the long way home, just because
A mantel filled with the kindest, heartfelt sympathy cards
On Easter Sunday, we picked Harry and Sally up from the hospital after their elbow surgery. Z's ashes (and paw prints) were there, waiting for us. We went home as a family
Quiet and peaceful evenings
Banana Birthday cake from a century-old cookbook
Book Clubs
Friends in your kitchen and the importance of a village
Homemade sourdough bread with sweet cream butter and a drizzle of honey
Children that call seeking advice. Maybe just this, the simple life instructions they already seem to have learned: Be kind. Pay attention. Do what needs to be done. And remember that the little things; the small moments, they
aren’t so little after all
I remember vividly the weeks leading up to her first loaf
The first rumblings of what would become her signature breads began around Christmas time, while we sipped a glass of wine in front of the fire, thumbing our way through her latest cookbook. Not long after, I stood in her kitchen and bore witness to the beginning of her sourdough starter
After a week or so, she and her newborn starter began taking on the world like a boss. Dog-eared pages, post-it notes, bookmarks, torn pages, and highlighted passages peppered the book. On their front porch, flour began showing up in mass, along with bread proofing baskets, mixing bowls and tubs of every shape and sort
Baking schedule taped to the fridge? No need, it was committed to memory
Fast forward a few bakes, a few “aha” moments, along with many breakfasts, lunches, and dinners with fresh sourdough. Her husband began to wonder if she'd descended into a full baking obsession. She'll tell you there's something ancient about performing the whole process, something magical about mixing together such simple and humble ingredients that will eventually produce something beautiful
It’s such a simple thing, really, and yet brings so much joy to all of her friends and neighbors (trust me .. we know!)
No two loaves are ever the same.
My favorite? A seeded, whole-grain flour version. What you end up with is a rustic, elbows-on-the-table style of crusted loaf that's littered with seeds. Once it's out of the oven, topped with your best butter, it's a little piece of heaven. Or, let a slab of it sit under a broiler topped with some melty cheese, either Gruyère or goat cheese does the trick
Beyond that, a few other things I've made:
I like it in the morning slathered with a bit of farmers cheese and a drizzle of honey. For lunch (like today) alongside a bowl of soup. Dinner? An open-faced sandwich with dill butter, a bit of sautéed kale and a fried egg. Remains of a two-day-old loaf? Cubed, tossed in a bit of garlic butter and toasted into croutons. And dare I tell you that this bread was made for fondue? Because it was
When you ask her the secret, she'll tell you
“Stay with the process, learn to work with the ingredients, and enjoy the adventure.”
(Sounds a heck of a lot like life)
Enjoy!
xoxo
— — —
No-Knead Beginner Sourdough Bread via EdibleAustin
~ Adapted slightly from Tartine Bread by Chad Robertson
Simply the Best Sourdough Bread
Ingredients
- For the Starter:
- White bread flour 1,135 grams
- Whole-wheat flour 1,135 grams
- Water lukewarm, 455 grams
- Water 78 degrees, 150 grams per feeding
- For the Leaven:
- Water 78 degrees, 200 grams
- For the Dough:
- Water 80 degrees, 750 grams
- Leaven 200 grams
- White bread flour 900 grams
- Whole-wheat flour 100 grams
- Salt 20 grams
Instructions
- Make the Starter: Mix white bread flour with whole-wheat flour. Place lukewarm water in a medium bowl. Add 315 grams flour blend (reserve remaining flour blend), and mix with your hands until mixture is the consistency of a thick, lump-free batter. Cover with a kitchen towel. Let rest in a cool, dark place until bubbles form around the sides and on the surface, about 2 days. A dark crust may form over the top. Once bubbles form, it is time for the first feeding.
- With each feeding, remove 75 grams; discard remainder of starter. Feed with 150 grams reserved flour blend and 150 grams warm water. Mix, using your hands, until mixture is the consistency of a thick, lump-free batter. Repeat every 24 hours at the same time of day for 15 to 20 days. Once it ferments predictably (rises and falls throughout the day after feedings), it's time to make the leaven
- Make the Leaven: The night before you plan to make the dough, discard all but 1 tablespoon of the matured starter. Feed with 200 grams reserved flour blend and the warm water. Cover with a kitchen towel. Let rest in a cool, dark place for 10 to 16 hours. To test leaven's readiness, drop a spoonful into a bowl of room-temperature water. If it sinks, it is not ready and needs more time to ferment and ripen. As it develops, the smell will change from ripe and sour to sweet and pleasantly fermented; when it reaches this stage, it's ready to use.
- Make the Dough: Pour 700 grams warm water into a large mixing bowl. Add 200 grams leaven. Stir to disperse. (Save your leftover leaven; it is now the beginning of a new starter. To keep it alive to make future loaves, continue to feed it as described in step 2.) Add flours (see ingredient list), and mix dough with your hands until no bits of dry flour remain. Let rest in a cool, dark place for 35 minutes. Add salt and remaining 50 grams warm water.
- Fold dough on top of itself to incorporate. Transfer to a medium plastic container or a glass bowl. Cover with kitchen towel. Let rest for 30 minutes. The dough will now begin its first rise (bulk fermentation), to develop flavor and strength. (The rise is temperature sensitive; as a rule, warmer dough ferments faster. Robertson tries to maintain the dough at 78 degrees to 82 degrees to accomplish the bulk fermentation in 3 to 4 hours.)
- Instead of kneading, Robertson develops the dough through a series of "folds" in the container during bulk fermentation. Fold dough, repeating every 30 minutes for 2 1/2 hours. To do a fold, dip 1 hand in water to prevent sticking. Grab the underside of the dough, stretch it out, and fold it back over itself. Rotate container one-quarter turn, and repeat. Do this 2 or 3 times for each fold. After the 3 hours, the dough should feel aerated and softer, and you will see a 20 to 30 percent increase in volume. If not, continue bulk fermentation for 30 minutes to 1 hour more.
- Pull dough out of container using a dough spatula. Transfer to a floured surface. Lightly dust dough with flour, and cut into 2 pieces using dough scraper. Work each piece into a round using scraper and 1 hand. Tension will build as the dough slightly anchors to the surface as you rotate it. By the end, the dough should have a taut, smooth surface.
- Dust tops of rounds with flour, cover with a kitchen towel, and let rest on the work surface for 20 to 30 minutes. Slip the dough scraper under each to lift it, being careful to maintain the round shape. Flip rounds floured side down.
- Line 2 medium baskets or bowls with clean kitchen towels; generously dust with flour. Using the dough scraper, transfer each round to a basket, smooth side down, with seam centered and facing up. Let rest at room temperature (75 degrees to 80 degrees), covered with towels for 3 to 4 hours before baking.
- Bake the Bread: Twenty minutes before you are ready to bake the bread, preheat oven to 500 degrees, with rack in lowest position, and warm a 9 1/2-inch round or an 11-inch oval Dutch oven (or a heavy ovenproof pot with a tight-fitting lid).
- Turn out 1 round into heated Dutch oven (it may stick to towel slightly). Score top twice using a razor blade or a sharp knife. Cover with lid. Return to oven, and reduce oven temperature to 450 degrees. Bake for 20 minutes.
- Carefully remove lid (a cloud of steam will be released). Bake until crust is deep golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes more.
- Transfer loaf to a wire rack. It will feel light and sound hollow when tapped. Let cool.
- To bake the second loaf, raise oven temperature to 500 degrees, wipe out Dutch oven with a dry kitchen towel, and reheat with lid for 10 minutes. Repeat steps 11 through 13.
88 Comments
My grandma always said that there’s a strange bread-baking frenzy that generally happens between ages 22 and 35, after college and before the kids start school. It occasionally coincides with the knitting stage, although the two should not be combined. xo
Sitting on the back porch overlooking grampas garden..in hand gramas sourdough with limburger cheese a slice of red onion and a glass of lager. Mm mm
Sourdough bread is hard to perfect. A lot of the times it comes out WAY too firm. But if you can get it right, it’s really delicious with soups like tomato bisque.
Sourdough bread is one of my favorites! I had in in San Francisco fresh and have never had better -w ill have to try making it myself!
mmmm that Sourdough bread looks delicious! There’s something about the smell and taste of fresh baked bread that is so wonderful!
Ooh I love this. And need to get back into sourdough bread from scratch. Also, I love those bowls. Pinning and coming back soon.
I love sourdough bread! I have never attempted to make it but this looks delicious and I know I can do it. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
what a beautiful post. I love the way you worked the sour dough recipe in. Sourdough is my favorite so I need to make it.
I agree, sometimes learning how to find gratitude often stems from bad situations. When people told me that they pitied me because of my childhood I told them that I am grateful because it taught me to be a better and more compassionate person x
OK my Mum is an amazing bread maker and I need to pass this recipe onto her as I am sure she’s been on the look out for a sourbread one!
I LOVE sour dough and this looks amazing! There is nothing nicer than warm buttered sour dough dipped in home made tomato soup, it’s my idea of comfort food at it’s best!
Oh, man. I am such a bread gal. Reading your blog is really pushing me more and more to get in the kitchen. Keep them up, I need the inspiration.
I love making bread! and this one looks so PERFECT! i need to try it like so soon.
Oh my goodness – this looks so good. I do believe that I could live on bread and butter…nothing else. Bread warm from the oven that’s crusty on the outside and chewy on the inside, smeared with soft butter. Heaven in one’s mouth!
Great post! This bread looks so amazing. I love that you keep track of things that you are grateful for; always important.
-Lauren
I love Sourdough bread but I don’t know if I have ever made it myself. This looks absolutely delicious!
Sourdough bread is the best but I have yet be able to perfect it! I love to enjoy sourdough bread the moment it comes out of the oven, grab my bread and a good bowl of soup and I’ll be happy.
Sourdough bread is one of my favorites! I love home made breads. I will definitely try this sourdough bread.
Now all I need is Wegmans brie along with a bottle of Iliada extra virgin olive oil!
Is there anything more delectable than sour dough bread from the oven? I put some melted butter on it and oh my word. I wish I had the talent to not burn the kitchen!
I LOVE homemade bread and this sourdough looks amazing!! I need to learn how to bake bread.
I am a sucker for sourdough and it is worth the effort
I know that with sourdough you have to have a mother dough with which to work from. It does look amazing though. I love that bread.
I love the fragrance of fresh made bread that just comes out from the oven. I have made bread a few times before but l never made sourdough bread. This looks delicious!
Sourdough bread is awesome and versatile! You can make just plain toast, or toast like I like: softened stick butter spread on the bread, applying cinnamon and sugar and putting in the toaster oven until done. There are other things that you can use with sourdough bread. Wonderful post on a great bread!
That sounds so good! There’s nothing like a thick slice of sourdough bread with a generous amount of butter on it! Om nom nom.
I love sourdough bread. Perfect with soups and even as a sandwich bread. You make this look so easy.
I love sourdough bread.. especially with some butter! Great photos btw
You are right that gratitude is a good but hard thing to practice. This is a reminder that I need to practice it more. That bread looks amazing!
I once tried making sourdough bread and it was not successful. Whenever I have a craving for it, I go out and buy some. However, your recipe’s instructions are so detailed I think I will make a second attempt at making one. Thanks for sharing!
Now, this is my kind of bread! Perfect for that toasted peanut butter and honey sandwich, or cinnamon-sugar toast, which I’m currently craving…
I always find your posts so interesting to read and your recipes are really good ones too. I have not tried making my own sourdough bread but I will do my best to follow your recipe to the letter. Nothing beats the taste of freshly baked homemade bread!
Sourdough bread is definitely something I would like to perfect! Your recipe seems great so I’ll have to test it out. I get nervous about making breads – I feel like they’re so challenging to make but I gotta go ahead and do it!
We have so many things to be grateful for. I enjoyed reading your list. And nothing beats the smell of freshly baked bread at home! I’ve never tried making a sourdough. I might give your recipe a try later.
oh I’m an expert when it comes to grateful moments! (than k you so much for make me think about it now): the hygge evenings on my sofa, no matter if alone or with my man, the early morning working drinking with my coffee and I can go on forever.
I wish I could learn to prepare this bread since I’m such a bread fun… I’d eat only this!
A gratitude journal is such a great idea! We are always so stressed and we are living our lives in fast forward, that we forget how to be grateful for the little things, the simple things, all those moments that are so important in the end. All those feelings, all those memories, all the persons we love and we take for granted – though we shouldn’t. Great post and great recipe – I will try it next weekend! 🙂
Ali, my bread making days were in high school, baking “friendship” bread from starters that were passed around the neighborhood, as well as small simple loaves that were little more than flour and water. I’m curious, do you consider bread machines to be evil or simply tools to help more people make a better loaf?
I am massive bread fan, especially my daughter, it is our secret little guilty pleasure snack, that we have with an abundance of cheese. I have never attempted to make my own bread, but this was a discussion that I was recently having with my mother and I think we may start by giving this recipe a go.
This caught my eye! I am such a carbs person and I absolutely love b r e a d! I definitely am going to need to try to make this recipe! It looks so delicious! <3
That looks like great bread. I am trying really hard to feel grateful for these things again. We are going through a rough time. I should keep a gratitude journal again.
I love sourdough bread especially the way it melts in my mouth. Wish I could have more of this every week 🙂
I love Sourdough bread and do not get enough of it. I love the idea of making my own and you make it seem easy enough as well. Thanks for sharing!
Besides fresh babies, there’s not much better smelling than fresh bread! Looks great. There’s nothing better to have with soup!
These photos are great. I love making fresh sour dough. Nothing beats homemade bread, hot out of the oven! A little olive oil and mangia mangia!
I have been using the same sourdough starter my mother used for 35 years. Now my daughter has a start she has been using for 7 years. Please leave a specific post like the direction says thank you.
I love homemade bread! My boyfriend has made it before and makes it look so easy (he’s a chef) but I’ve never tried it before myself. This sourdough looks divine!
Sourdough bread is my very favorite kind of bread to eat. Especially with SOUP! YUM! Can’t wait to try this!
This is the second bread post i am reading about today so now I am determined to make it myself. I always admire people who make their own bread, there is some thing about being bale to it that is really cool.
I adore sourdough and your photos are great with your step by step directions. I can’t wait to make this.
I love making bread! YUM! But I have never made Sourdough. I will have to try this recipe because sourdough bread is my husbands very favorite kind of bread. Thanks for sharing.
I don’t know what I enjoy more, your food photography or your writing. They are both so lovely! Practicing gratitude is an exercise I mean to do more of, and need to make the time!
Being grateful is the best thing that you can do with your life. i realise this when i started putting down each day how grateful i was. it made my mind clearer and i began to appreciate even the bad moments i had in my past life. by the way, those bread look delicious. I wish i could enjoy one this morning with my porridge.
It’s not fair, I’m on a strict diet and now reading about this, the bread looks so delicious 🙂
It’s not fair, I’m on a strict diet and reading about this, seeing these bread images, looks so delicious 🙂
The bread looks so delicious but it is the stories and anecdotes that really draw you in.
I love it. It’s a good reminder especially when the storm decides to rain on your parade… be grateful. There is always something to be grateful for, from the little things to the big ones. Loving that sourdough recipe!
This is the kind of post that just makes you want to smile. I agree, we can be grateful everyday if we choose to. It helps me be more positive, when I think about all the blessings coming my way and all the beautiful things we have everyday.
I can’t get enough for sourdough bread. I would eat it 24/7 if I wasn’t afraid of gaining weight from it. My grandson is the same way. I will have to try to make some myself and see how I do.
I feel so left out! Everyone’s raving about sour dough bread and I’ve never ever tried it! I really need to!
Chelsea
Bread is my weakness. But I know that sour dough bread is one of the better breads for you. I will have to try this out. YUM!
I love homemade bread! Nothing smells better in the oven than that for sure!
This one is a favorite and home made too. tastes good always.
I’ve never made my own sour dough but have been wanted to for a while now. It looks soooo good in the pictures I really must try and make it myself.
Haven’t made sourdough bread myself but have bought it already made at the store. I am going to have to give this recipe a try and maybe mix whole wheat flour and unbleached flour.
When I went through my bread baking frenzy, none of my friends understood why it was consuming me. Every hour, every day. Literally, I’d stay up on weeknights, come home from work at lunch to check on my starter. I’m so glad there are other people out there who are like me.
My mother is from Malaysia where sourdough is almost unheard of. So she started leaving a jar of flour and water out for a few days and it worked! Very nice blog. Thanks for making me smile!
Looks like a great recipe. I love sour dough bread, its a great accompaniment for so many meals!
My mom baked every slice of bread that we ate while I was growing up. Monday was bread day. Four loaves. My father and I used to compete over the end cut. I didn’t learn how to bake bread. I didn’t appreciate it when I had it. Fall is a good time to take on this project, right?
Last June, I brought a sourdough starter back from Germany and have fallen in love with this recipe! I’m really new to bread baking (it took me 3 months of feeding and nurturing my starter to get my nerve up to try it!) I’ve been baking at least once a week and feel like I’m an old pro, now! I have now graduated to adding cheese pieces and coarse ground pepper, during the shaping (delish!). Now, I’m wondering if I can try dried fruit or nuts & spices?! Anyway – I love reading the blog and all the recipes. Thank you!!
Oh wow. I could use some freshly-baked bread (with extra butter) after the day I’ve had. Don’t tell my trainer at the gym. 🙂
I just discovered your blog, and I love it! The recipes look amazing and your description of your friend’s bread is so comforting! I’m an author and love love love to cook so what a pleasure to discover your writing ~
I’m so impressed! The amount of love you put into your cooking is truly stunning. I always feel like I’m standing in your kitchen right alongside. Over the years, you’ve inspired me to reconnect with food, something I think we are all a little too far removed from now, with all of the processed frozen meals and fast food. Keep on cooking from the heart, Ali!
Peter Reinhart’s Artisan Breads Every Day is my bread bible. I live in Charlotte, and I’ve *almost* stalked Johnson and Wales’ campus to snag an autograph from the man himself. Everything he makes is perfection. Can’t wait for the fall weather to fully hit so I can go on a complete bread bender. Thanks for all of your hard work! You make my kitchen infinitely more delicious.
Yes please! Bread is one of my favorite things to eat of all time. Sourdough bread is sooo good. I’ve never tried to make it on my own.
I’ve been reading your beautiful blog for quite a while but have never left a comment. Your writing reminds me of everything that I love about food and also about life. You’ve inspired me so much! This bread looks like pure heaven and the photos are amazing.
I’ve never had sourdough bread before. This recipe looks yummy. I love homemade stuff
I like the taste of sourdough bread. It has only just started to appear in the supermarkets here on a regular basis. I used to have to go to a specialist baker to buy it. I have printed your recipe and will give it to my brother who is the one who cooks n the family.
Of all the food blogs that are out there, I keep coming back to you because you’re real. I can relate to you on so many levels and always look forward to new posts. Wishing you a happy week ahead! xx
I won’t lie. I’ve always wanted to join the bread baking craze. It just sounds so damn womanly. Can I consider myself fully immersed if the only dough I routinely make is for biscuits (no yeast) and pizza? If it makes my case any more convincing, the pizza dough does involve fresh yeast, making a sponge, and a long rising time.
I am learning how to bake through YouTube and blogs. Thank you for this recipe. This sounds like a lot of work and needs extra bag of patience. Lol! But I should try this one too.
Thank you for putting YOURSELF into your food writing … without all of the TMI that has overtaken so much of our society Here’s a toast to wonderful bread recipes in the wintertime!
I have GOT to try this one. I have not had sourdough in ages!
I have never made my own bread before. I would love to learn to make my own sourdough bread from scratch one day!
I would love to taste this looks tastey I don’t but I love bread I don’t normally tell anyone this but my nickname is bread sadly I know it’s weird but my usually hid the bread frm me but hey I’ll let her have this recipe ?
This recipe looks so good and I can’t wait to try it. Tomorrow is supposed to be rainy, and I think bread would be the perfect antidote. I discovered your blog a while ago and have since become a devoted reader. Thank you so much for sharing so much of your life as well as your love for food.
Mm, you make me almost willing to try baking bread! That looks incredible, chewy and crispy all at the same time- the way bread is meant to be. Sigh! With some really good olive oil and you may find me at your door, “Please sir (ma’am), may I have some more?” 🙂
It’s been about a year since my boyfriend and I moved in together and in that time I’ve become addicted to cooking, Our most enjoyable moments are at our dinner table with our kids who, to my deep regret do not (yet) appreciate my cooking. We talk, laugh, and enjoy each other. In my searches to once again surprise my dearests, I came across your site, and have visited often ever since. I just love your stories. Your site is truly wonderful, there is such a sense of warmth and it inspires me to keep cooking and try new things … such as sourdough bread …!
THIS! I love this post. Bread is my weakness…especially sourdough. Im afraid to try it, I would hate to mess it up. Looks delish.
Long-time lurker here. I’ve been meaning to write you to tell you that every recipe I’ve attempted from your site has been fabulous, and I’ve enjoyed your writing so very much. Now, I’m really excited to try my hand at bread. xo