Quite often people tell me they don’t “get” my enjoyment of baking sourdough bread.

“I don’t like sourdough” they’ll tell me, then admit the truth. Their fear that “it’s kind of complicated, all the steps.”

But that’s just it; letting the natural forces of the starter grow, then harnessing the power of basic steps to make, shape and bake the final loaf, all settling in to a golden crackling crust. How hard is that?

Okay, maybe it does take time to get it perfect. After more then a decade of baking at home, starting from books, and even taking classes, I can make a mistake or misjudge a step. But it really isn’t that difficult. And once the bug has bitten, you’re likely to want to improve and grow more – just like sourdough which, when fed and nurtured, is as good as you can get.