My First Sourdough Loaf: Why I Spent Months Reading Before Baking

I'm not someone who dives in headfirst.

If you know me, you know I research. I plan. I read every blog post, watch every video, absorb every piece of information I can find before I even think about trying something new. So when I decided I wanted to bake sourdough, I didn't just wake up one day and start mixing flour and water.

I spent months reading first.

The Research Phase

Summer 2023. I was deep in the sourdough rabbit hole — bookmarking blog posts, reading "The Perfect Loaf" by Maurizio Leo cover to cover, studying the Tartine Method, and absorbing everything from The Sourdough Journey Blog. I wanted to understand the why behind every step before I ever touched dough.

Why does the starter need to be fed regularly? What's actually happening during bulk fermentation? Why does temperature matter so much? How do you know when the dough is ready? What are hydration ratios and why do they matter?

I'm a former first-grade teacher. I need to understand how things work before I can do them well. And sourdough? It's a whole different world from traditional baking.

Why I Waited (And Why It Mattered)

Here's the thing: I've always been a baker. I'm the person who brings desserts to gatherings, the mom with fresh cookies cooling on the counter. But sourdough felt... intimidating. It wasn't a recipe you could just follow step-by-step and expect perfect results. It required intuition, patience, and a willingness to fail.

And I didn't want to fail.

Not because I was worried about wasting flour or producing a dense loaf — but because this mattered. I'd become deeply uncomfortable with the overly processed food lining the shelves at chain grocery stores. I wanted to change the way we were eating as a family, and sourdough felt like a real step toward that. If I failed, I worried I'd give up. And I couldn't afford to give up on something this important.

So I kept reading. I learned about hydration percentages and autolyse and the float test. I studied photos of dough at different fermentation stages. I read troubleshooting guides for problems I hadn't even encountered yet.

Looking back, I realize I was building confidence through knowledge. If I understood the theory, maybe I wouldn't mess it up as badly.

The First Loaf

Finally, after months of research, I decided it was time. I had my starter (which I'd been feeding for a couple weeks), my schedule mapped out, my dough in the bowl.

And you know what? That first loaf wasn't a disaster.

It was slightly dense — not quite the open crumb I'd seen in all those Perfect Loaf photos — but it tasted good. Really good. My family ate the whole thing. My boys loved it. And I felt like I'd cracked some secret code.

The research paid off.

What I Learned

Here's what all that reading taught me before I ever baked a loaf:

Sourdough works on its own timeline. You can't rush fermentation. You can't force it to fit your schedule. You have to learn to read the dough, not the clock.

Temperature affects everything. Even with central heating and air, my kitchen temperature fluctuates throughout the day — morning vs. afternoon, summer vs. winter. Understanding how temperature affects fermentation timing meant I could adjust and still get good results.

The process is AS important as the recipe. Ratios matter. Hydration percentages matter. You can't just swap ingredients or skip steps and expect the same outcome. Sourdough rewards understanding, not just following instructions.

That first loaf wasn't perfect, but it was good because I'd done the work to understand what I was doing. And honestly? That's the best advice I can give anyone starting their sourdough journey.

But Here's What I Need to Say

My process might intimidate you.

If you're reading this and thinking, "I could never absorb all that information before starting," I get it. The idea of months of research before making one loaf might feel overwhelming. And I don't want that to stop you.

You don't have to do it my way.

Some people learn best by jumping in, making mistakes, and adjusting as they go. If that's you, start baking. Try it. Fail. Try again. That's a completely valid path.

But if you're like me — if you're a researcher, if you need to understand the why before the how — then I highly suggest doing the reading before you get started. It will save you frustration, build your confidence, and help you troubleshoot when (not if) things go wrong.

There's no right way to learn sourdough. There's only your way.

If You're in the Research Phase Right Now

You're not procrastinating. You're preparing. And that matters.

Here's what helped me most:

• The Perfect Loaf by Maurizio Leo (comprehensive, science-based, detailed timing and ratios)
• Tartine Method by Chad Robertson (high-hydration techniques, focus on crust and crumb)
• The Sourdough Journey Blog (practical, home-baker friendly, great troubleshooting)

Take your time. Learn the process. Understand the why behind the ratios and hydration.

And when you're ready — when you've absorbed enough that you feel confident even in your nervousness — mix that first batch of dough.

You've got this.

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Thanks for reading along on this journey.
— Courtenay 💙