Have you been interested in making sourdough, but feel like you just don’t have the time? Do you work Monday-Friday with little to spare? Me too! Here are some practical tips for all you working moms out there to feel like maintaining sourdough is do-able after all!
I started making sourdough in the height of COVID, because, well-that’s what everyone did, right? At the time, I was working full-time and preparing to go on maternity leave. I recall making a few REALLY flat loaves that were difficult to chew, being disappointed, and quickly giving up. Fast forward to last year (summer-ish) time, and I thought I would give it a go again. After spending hours searching the internet, I tried (and failed) more than once to get my sourdough starter up and going. Once I did, I proceeded to make loaf after loaf of under-proofed dough. I felt frustrated with my lack of success. (But totally impressed with my husband who ate them all anyways). I didn’t have a schedule, but my work schedule definitely made it feel like having a weekly sourdough loaf to put on the table was just too much.
So, what changed?
Fast forward to just a few months ago. I wish I knew what changed my sourdough trajectory, but I don’t. The truth is: sustaining my sourdough starter despite my busy full time work schedule was not as hard as I was making it out to be. After countless attempts, trial and error, I realized a few things. Mainly-I didn’t actually know how long it was taking my starter to double. Being unsure of when it doubled, meant never using it at peak time. Perhaps a few long weekends at home, gardening, helped with that. When creating your own sourdough schedule, it is important to understand how long your starter will take to double, considering different ratios. You must also factor in the temperature of your house too! I realized that having a set schedule, that took feeding ratios into account in addition to my family’s unique needs was the ticket to success.
How do I do it?
If you have read this long, I am sure you are curious HOW, so I will go ahead and get to that part. The short version of it is this: I built a sourdough schedule for working moms (aka: ME!)
- Friday: After work (around 1600), remove sourdough starter from fridge and place on the counter
- Friday: Right before bed, feed my sourdough starter 1:3:3
- Saturday Morning: (Typically around 0700. 0800 if I am lucky): Feed starter 1:2:2
- Saturday Morning: (Four hours later) -> Mix up whatever it is I am excited to bake for the weekend.
- (Typically this is a artisan boule or a loaf of sandwich bread-We’re practical here!)
- Saturday Night/Sunday Morning: Use discard for a discard recipe (Farmhouse on Boone Biscuits or Pop-Tarts, just to name a few!)
- Sunday Morning: Feed starter with a 1:4:4 ratio and stick that little guy back in the fridge until next week!
Because I feel sandwich bread is staple of every working’s mom household, I am including a link to my favorite recipe! (Pictured below) Lisa Bass from Farmhouse on Boone has been my go-to girl, so I would highly recommend checking out her page!
Sourdough Sandwich Bread – Farmhouse on Boone
Why it works!
This is where I add the disclosure statement that “this may not work for you.” As a reader looking to find a solution to your problem-that may be discouraging. I’ll also follow-up with another somewhat discouraging truth: “There are so many factors, you really have to make sure it meets your needs.” BUT, you may have very similar needs as me, so I am going to tell you why this schedule works for ME! (And might work for you too!)
Just once a week!
The biggest thing about this schedule is quite obvious: It doesn’t require any maintenance throughout the week! To be honest, by the time I get home in the evening from my day at work, I want to spend every minute with my family! That doesn’t allow me to prioritize feeding a sourdough starter every night.
Size of my Family
The second reason this schedule works for me is because I have a family of 3. To think that I could consume enough sourdough in a week’s time to feed a starter daily would be irresponsible and, quite frankly, a huge carb overload! Feeding and baking once a week allows me the opportunity to do some baking on the weekend (if I want). It also allows me plenty to make an extra loaf to share. If we get too busy one weekend, that’s also not a problem. I would simply let the sourdough starter warm up to room temp from the fridge and make sure it had doubled in size. Then feed it at a 1:4:4 ratio and put him back in the fridge. No harm, no foul. If I wanted to pull it out during the week, I could easily do that too!
If there is one thing that I know for certain, is that there are few things more satisfying than making a beautiful loaf of sourdough and sharing it with the people you love. Don’t use your busy work schedule as an excuse to miss out on creating nourishing food. You won’t regret it!
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