Is Sourdough Really Worthwhile, or is it “Unrewarding”?

“There are several variations on the methods used to make sourdoughs, most American versions being made in three stages….From making the starter to baking the bread takes about five days. I find the whole process rather unrewarding….”

~ Elizabeth David

I found this quote in a charming old volume entitled English Bread and Yeast Cookery¹. When I read it, I immediately became defensive (and a little worried). I had been looking forward to trying my hand at baking genuine sourdough for some time.

Is sourdough really “unrewarding”? Would I be disappointed?

Starter Success

A little over five months ago, I successfully nurtured natural yeast to life in my sourdough crock using the recipe in The King Arthur Flour® Baker’s Companion™²(similar to this recipe). Since I had already failed once with a somewhat vague recipe, the success of this one was definitely very rewarding! I finally had “wild” yeast powerful enough to raise bread, happily growing in a crock on my counter.

Bread Baking

I have not yet had as much rewarding success as I would like in baking bread strictly with the sourdough starter. Oh, I have definitely gotten edible bread – very tasty in fact! But I will say that sourdough loaves seem to require more patience than I am used to giving my bread. (I’ve been spoiled with instant yeast.) I think this lack of patience is partly (if not mostly) the reason that I am still trying to work out why my sourdough loaves are very dense and seem to take forever when baking. (I’ve taken a few loaves out too early and ended up with bread with a doughy center – not appetizing to me.) But they do have a very pleasing – though not excessively sour – flavor, esp. the breads made from dough that sits in the fridge at least overnight.

Dole out the “Discard”

If you’ve thought about making sourdough, then you’ve probably seen all sorts of Pinterest pins and blog articles on what to make with the “discard” starter that must be removed when the starter is “fed” with more flour and water.

Since I wanted to do the sourdough thing properly (and since I saw clearly the expense of so much wasted flour!), I tried several recipes that called for “unfed” or discard sourdough starter. So far, I have found two impressively rewarding recipes.

Amazing Biscuits

#1: These amazing biscuits use the starter to add flavor and texture. They don’t take any more time than other biscuits, have a somewhat “bready” flavor and texture, but are still flaky, live up to their title, and are all-around amazing! Because they are more “bready,” they make great toaster biscuits.

As the recipe suggests, they do make great breakfast sandwiches — especially if you add some grated cheddar cheese, and onion and garlic powders. DELICIOUS with egg & sausage!

Incredible Waffles

#2: These incredible waffles require a little more forethought. They do have to be prepped the night before, but they are worth it – trust me. These waffles have a fullness of flavor unlike any others I’ve ever had. (And I grew up eating waffles every Sunday morning.)

If you try the waffles, don’t be nervous when you uncover the “sponge” the next morning to get ready to make the waffle batter and it smells sour. My waffles had no tang, just a robust complexity of flavor. These waffles do seem a little extra-light to me, and one batch makes a lot! But then I get to pull a couple out of the freezer on less leisurely mornings and enjoy the next-best thing to a fresh waffle, a thawed and toasted one!

May, 2020 edit: My most recent batch of the waffles was actually a little bit tangy. I prefer it when they’re not tangy at all, but they were still good.

So is Sourdough Worth it or Not?

Can baking a loaf of sourdough feel unrewarding? Yes, if it doesn’t come out like I had hoped. Or when I think about how I could get a similar flavor with an overnight yeast sponge that doesn’t permanently take up space in the fridge.

But there is something very satisfying about nurturing the starter (and knowing it’s the “genuine article”). And then there’s the rewarding experience of the loaves that do deliver quite well, and the enjoyment of my continuing quest for a “perfect” sourdough loaf.

Besides, without the sourdough starter, I wouldn’t have the “discard” handy-by for making biscuits and waffles. I’d keep it around just for that!

So how about you? Are you ready to try sourdough for the first time?

Or are you already nanny to a crock of wild yeast? If so, what makes it worthwhile to you?

1) Elizabeth David, English Bread and Yeast Cookery (Newton: Biscuit Books, Inc., 1994).

2) The King Arthur Flour Baking Company, Inc., The King Arthur Flour® Baker’s Companion™: The All-Purpose Baking Cookbook (Woodstock: The Countryman Press, 2003).