The Sourdough Lady

09/18/2025

Bread Scoring 1️⃣0️⃣1️⃣

🍁 Fall leaves may be crisp… and so is this dough.�Even though it’s still hot outside, we’re in full pumpkin-and-falling-leaves mode over here. That means cozy sourdough bakes and fun scoring designs to match. 🧡🍂

Every time I post a scoring video, I get asked:�“How is your dough so firm and easy to score without sticking or spreading?”

Here are my top tips for prepping your loaf so it’s ready for a clean, crisp score (and those beautiful designs you're dreaming of)👇

✅ Build strong, well-developed dough.
This starts with mixing to proper gluten development—take a few minutes to knead that dough at mixing, aim for 4-6 sets of stretch & folds or coil folds. Dough that passes the windowpane test before shaping.

✅ Cold dough is key.
Refrigerating your shaped dough overnight helps it firm up, making it easier to score. For extra firmness, pop the banneton in the freezer for 30–40 minutes while your oven preheats.

✅ Get bulk fermentation right.
Overproofed or underproofed dough can be sticky, slack, or puffy—making scoring a challenge. Fine tune your bulk rise timing and rise percentage based on temperature . It should feel airy but still hold structure, with visible bubbles and slight jiggle.

✅ Prep the surface before scoring.
Lightly spritz the top of the loaf with water, then dust with superfine Thai rice flour—it creates contrast for your design and helps the blade glide smoothly.

✅ Use a razor-sharp lame/razor.
A clean blade makes all the difference for smooth, confident cuts. Dull blades will tug and drag.

✅ Score with intention�Have a design in mind before you begin.
I like to use a toothpick to lightly sketch the pattern first—like a rough draft—then go in with the blade. Score swiftly and commit!

✅ Use lower hydration dough recipe.
Try a recipe such as: 325g water (or even 300g), 100g active starter, 500g bread flour, 10g salt. This will be a stiffer dough and much easier to score.

✅ Bake without steam
To make sure the white flour dusting stays while baking, avoid adding ice cubes in your dutch oven or water for steam if open baking.

This fall leaf design is one of my seasonal favorites. Many more to come!
Have you tried scoring your loaves yet? What’s your favorite?�

09/17/2025

September Sourdough Classes are selling out FAST! Just a few spots left...

Link to Register in comments.

09/12/2025

Starter vs. Discard – What’s the Difference?

One question I get asked at my sourdough classes... what is the difference between starter & discard? Let’s break it down in simple terms 👇

🤩 Your sourdough starter is the heart of the process — a living culture of flour and water that’s been fermented over time to capture wild yeast and bacteria. It is active and bubbly, and serves as a leavening agent for your bread — no instant yeast needed!

😴 Sourdough discard is your starter in sleep mode, dormant, hybernating — still full of flavor and healthy microbes, but not strong enough to raise a loaf of bread on its own. So you need to wake it up & activate it.

🤔 Can You Bake Bread With Discard?

If your discard is no older than 2-3 days - yes.
If it has been longer than that, it needs to be fed again or used in baked goods that don’t need a big rise — like pancakes, crackers, cookies, muffins, waffles, and more!

🤔 Why Do We Need to keep Discard?

Because that's basically your refrigerated starter that you then feed to make active starter (a levain) in order to make bread. If you always used up all of your starter when baking, you wouldn't have any left to continue to feed and reuse over and over.

💡Using Discard the Smart Way

If you have a lot of discard, don’t toss it in the trash — discard is full of flavor and gut healthy bacteria. Use it in sourdough discard recipes, Pinterest is full of them.

💡Remember, when you are "feeding your starter", you are taking a portion of your discard (refrigerated starter) feeding it with water and flour and leaving it out in room temp to activate and more than double in size.
I always feed into a new jar and then the discard jar goes back in the fridge as I use discard for crackers and scones and crepes regularly.

💡Tip: Just don't start accumulating jars of discard in your fridge. If you have more then 2, it's time to toss them.

Have you made something delicious with your discard lately? Tell me in the comments! 💬👇

09/11/2025

Pumpkin Season is here! I’m ready for it! 🎃

08/27/2025

🍞✨ This one’s a beauty — 50% spelt flour, 50% bread flour. And let me tell you… spelt changes everything in the best way.

08/15/2025

Sourdough at the Vineyard. 🍇
Sip🍷Knead 🍞 and Learn 👩🏻‍🍳
Join me, The Sourdough Lady, for a hands-on, beginner-friendly class in the scenic setting of Alexis Bailly Vineyard in Hastings, MN. This cozy 2-hour workshop is the perfect introduction to the world of sourdough baking—with a glass of wine included!

08/10/2025

🥣🥖Beginner Sourdough Class🥖🥣
Aug. 28th | 6-8 PM | North Loop

Join .sourdough.lady at Bricksworth North Loop for a cozy, hands-on workshop that’ll teach you exactly how to feed a starter, mix & fold dough & bake the perfect loaf at home. No experience needed — just bring a medium bowl for your dough & a little curiosity.

You’ll leave with:
✨ A bubbly jar of Phoebe — her 170-year-old San Francisco starter
✨ Your own dough, ready to bake
✨ Recipes, tools & pro tips
✨ Access to an online sourdough support group

Tickets are available from the link in our bio. Let’s get fermenty. 🫶

08/01/2025

20% whole wheat flour and 80% bread flour. 75% hydration.

08/01/2025

Friday Sourdough Loaf - 20% whole wheat flour and 80% bread flour. 75% hydration.

05/11/2025

Happy Mother’s Day to all the mamas!!

04/21/2025

New Post:

Learn to bake authentic sourdough bread at home with our foolproof, easy sourdough bread recipe—covering everything from starter to scoring, ideal for beginners.

04/15/2025

Sourdough Discard Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Full Recipe Video with written recipe here:
https://youtu.be/X5df5ZXnYQU?si=qcsBUiFWUR3z5xDG

What are you baking this Easter? 🐣
Me? Well, this Sourdough Carrot Cake.
I’ve always loved carrot cake, but when I got into sourdough baking, I was on a mission to transform some of my favorite baked goods into sourdough. The result of this cake came out so much better than I even expected…❤️🤤
Creamy, perfectly spiced, fermented, moist and incredibly delicious! This Sourdough Carrot Cake is made with spiced, moist, nutty cake layers, frosted with a fluffy cream cheese frosting, and garnished with chopped pecans. Every bite is heaven! This cake is perfect for Easter or any other occasion!
Tag your carrot cake loving peeps!