First let me share with you one of my personal flaws: I hate trying new things like recipes or cooking concepts. I feel I am going to fail since I’ve never attempted it before (whatever “it” is), and I don’t want to waste ingredients if it doesn’t come out right. It takes so much mental preparation before I can actually take that first step for anything new.

I’ve been wanting to make sourdough anything for months now (okay, years, really). If only we lived in traditional times where grandmothers and mothers taught kids and grandkids how to make things. But in these modern times, it’s surprising if a mom can even cook, right?

So…I made a starter, and started right away put it in the fridge for a day few weeks. I took it out and it sat on the counter for a day few days. I was just dragging out the process, as you can see, because I was afraid it wouldn’t work.

Finally, last week I made sourdough biscuits for the first time. I was super nervous they wouldn’t come out right, but they weren’t bad at all, and were actually flaky. My kids even liked them.

But I still felt uneasy, not sure if I could attempt anything else. And honestly, I wasn’t even sure I could make them again and have them come out the same way…

And then I had the opportunity to take the Sourdough eCourse by GNOWFGLINS.

I FEEL SO EMPOWERED!

Sorry, I don’t mean to shout - no wait, I DO! I just want to tell the world you don’t have to be afraid of sourdough! I feel so sure of myself now - and I’ve only viewed the first few video lessons. In fact I made a sourdough chocolate cake with chocolate coconut cream frosting already and it was delicious!

I have printed out the entire Sourdough A-Z ebook, the companion to the Sourdough eCourse, and as soon as I get more page protectors (gah! I ran out!) I am going to slide them all neatly in, because I know I will refer to this resource often.

Remove the Sourdough Stigma

Are you like I was just a few days ago? Do you feel intimidated by sourdough? Release it to the wind! From today forward, you do not need to feel sourdough shy.

You are working with three or so ingredients. You leave it on the counter. it does its own thing!

I think the more difficult part of starting is you might want sourdough today, but sourdough takes time. You have to make the starter (takes a few days), and then you can start bread, muffins, rolls, whatever it is you want to make. If you’re a procrastinator, this can be a major mental step to take.

Please let me encourage you to take the first step! Make some starter. Then you can decide if you want to use the Bucket Method, which is super simple and very forgiving and flexible.

The Bucket Method

Okay, this is brilliant. Although I finally feel I can handle making sourdough bread the usual way, the No-Knead Bread method, also known as the Bucket method or the Busy Mom’s Sourdough method is going to be the main way I make sourdough.

I’m not going to give it all away here, but it’s basically an adaptation to the five minutes a day artisan bread method, with a sourdough twist.

You throw your water, flour, sea salt and sourdough starter in your bucket (my empty coconut oil 1-gallon buckets from Tropical Traditions are perfect for this), mix, and let it sit. After leaving it on your counter for several hours, you put your bucket in the fridge, and your sourdough is therefore on “standby” until you need it.

You can use this Bucket Dough for:

• artisan bread
• basic bread load
• english muffins
• pita bread
• cinnamon rolls
• and more…

My dough is ready to go, and I am looking forward to making cinnamon rolls with it today

Other Things You Can Make with Sourdough

I am thrilled to see Hamburger Rolls being taught in the Sourdough eCourse. This is one thing I do buy at the store a few times a year when we have hamburgers. I can’t wait to try them out with sourdough.

Other recipes (with full instructions and notes) are:

• spelt dinner rolls
• skillet pancakes and waffles
• crepes
• crackers
• gingerbread
• pizza
• breadsticks
• pasta
• donuts
• biscuits
• pot pies
• scones
• and cookies (yes, cookies!)

This book is 150 pages and bursting with information. Sourdough A-Z is the perfect title as it certainly covers everything sourdough!

Why Make Sourdough?

First of all, if you have been in the “traditional foods” circles long, you will have come across mentions of soaking your grains or flour before making bread with them. The reason is to neutralize the phytic acid bound up in these unsprouted grains, which binds to minerals in your gut, such as iron and calcium, and can cause deficiencies. Some people, more sensitive to mineral loss than others, notice the effects of phytic acid-containing breads right away and swear by the soaking method.

I have personally struggled with this issue of soaking first. Although I have been grinding my flour for years, I have had a bad past experience with soaking and sprouting them before using them to make my bread. It would take several days to soak, sprout, dehydrate, and then finally grind into flour so I could make bread - only to have it come out too dense and gooey to be edible. After a half dozen or so attempts, I threw in the towel. I figured at least my bread was made at home, and without all the preservatives, high fructose corn syrup, and other things I want out of my bread.

My point is, now I can have soaked bread - and it’s virtually effortless. The sourdough method involves soaking - problem solved!

Because, let’s face it. It’s more beneficial to have naturally-occuring wild yeast, rather than the new-fangled baker’s yeast that has only been around the last century or so. Baker’s yeast gets used up each time you bake, and doesn’t neutralize phytic acid. On the other hand, wild yeast feeds off the sugars in the flour and helps to release digestive enzymes - not to mention this process neutralizes phytic acid. Wardeh, from GNOWFGLINS explains this scientific process well in her Sourdough A-Z ebook.

ECourse is Essential

If you have dabbled with sourdough in the past, or if you are currently working with sourdough, you can get away with just using the Sourdough A-Z ebook. You will learn many techniques and recipes that will keep you busy for weeks. You can make not only sourdough loaves, but cake, donuts and even cookies.

However, if you are new to sourdough, I can’t recommend the eCourse enough. It’s comforting to be able to see someone working through all the steps right in front of you. If you aren’t sure, just sign up for a 1-month trial - it’s only $11! Small price to pay for a lifetime of sourdough.

Convinced?

Check it all out on GNOWFGLINS:

Sourdough A-Z ebook

Sourdough eCourse

Want to win Sourdough A-Z?

In a few days I will be giving away a copy. Stay tuned!

And that chocolate cake I mentioned earlier? Look for the recipe tomorrow!

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Lea Harris founded Nourishing Treasures in 2006. A mom passionate about her family's health and well-being, Lea believes education is power. Encouraging others to take baby steps in the right direction of health for their families, Lea's goal is to raise awareness of what goes into our mouths and on our bodies, providing natural alternative information that promotes health and prevents disease by using traditional foods and nature's medicine. Lea is a Certified Health Coach graduate from Beyond Organic University, and a Certified Aromatherapist graduate from Aromahead Institute. "Like" Nourishing Treasures on Facebook, join the Nourishing Treasures Group on Facebook, follow @NourishTreasure on Twitter, and subscribe to our newsletter. You can also find me on Learning About Essential Oils forum, and Fido Fermentation Facebook group. Disclaimer: I use affiliate links wherever possible. So if you click on a link, and make a purchase, I might make a small commission, but it doesn't cost you any more.