I’ve been looking for some sourdough starter for quite a while. Mr. Math loves sourdough bread (and I do, too) but I’ve had no luck getting a starter going on my own. Lucky us – Karen offered to share some of her starter with us, and I couldn’t wait to give it a try.

Here’s my first-ever loaf of sourdough bread:

It’s a good thing I took a picture of it, because I baked it Friday and it’s long gone.

Here’s the crumb:

I used this recipe, because I liked how she went through the entire process step by step. I also was intrigued that she baked the bread in a cast-iron roasting pan with the lid on for the first 30 minutes. Her explanation about keeping the steam in made perfect sense, and this loaf actually has the best crust of any bread I’ve ever made. She says you don’t have to knead it and I didn’t, but my next experiment will to knead the dough before the second rising (she calls it a rest), just to see if I can get that gluten to develop a little bit more. All in all, it was probably the easiest bread I’ve ever made, and it’s topping the list for taste, too. What a treat on a cold winter night!

While I’m interested in the percentages that serious bread bakers use – and understand the science behind it – I found that a bit overwhelming for my first attempt.This winter, I’ll be digging into my bread book and trying some more variations and recipes, now that I know there’s one easy option in my recipe book.

Do you make bread? Have you ever made sourdough bread? What’s your favorite recipe?