Overheard a young baker say sourdough is too much work, got me thinking

I was at a farmer's market last Saturday and heard a girl maybe 25 tell her friend she'd never try sourdough because it's too much effort for bread. It got me thinking about how things have changed. Back when I started baking 30 years ago, we didn't have instant yeast packets or bread machines, you just learned to work with what you had. My first starter took a good 2 weeks to get right and I ruined at least 3 loaves before I figured out the timing. Anyone else feel like we've lost some patience for the slow stuff in baking?

3 comments

3 Comments

mila_harris16d ago

My starter took three tries before it finally worked. I still keep it in the back of the fridge and feed it every few weeks even when I'm not baking. The trick I learned is to use a kitchen scale instead of measuring cups, makes the feeding way more consistent and less messy. Once you get the rhythm down, sourdough is actually less fussy than yeast bread because you don't have to watch the clock as close.

jana_scott20d ago

Yeah, I used to be one of those people who just bought the pre-cut stuff because I thought I didn't have time. But after reading this, it kind of hit me that I'm missing out on the whole process, you know? Maybe it's worth slowing down a bit.

jackson.matthew20d ago

Yeah it's not just baking though. Look at how people cook now. Everything's gotta be done in 20 minutes or it's not worth doing. I see it at the grocery store too. Nobody wants to learn simple stuff like how to pick a ripe avocado or trim their own broccoli. They just buy the pre-cut bags and walk out. Same with fixing things around the house. My neighbor called a plumber for a dripping faucet because he said he didn't have time to figure it out. Took the guy ten minutes and cost him 150 bucks. We traded patience for convenience somewhere along the line and I don't think it made us happier.