The Wild Crumb

Some Sundays arrive with big “wrap yourself in a blanket and exhale” energy.
The kind of morning where the kettle hums, the light is gentle, and your starter looks like it’s smiling at you.

Today is that kind of day.

This Sunday isn’t loud or wild.
It’s soft around the edges — the kind of slow moment that sneaks up on you and feels like a hug you didn’t know you needed.

So today’s loaf is simple, comforting, and steady:
a warmly sweet Honey-Oat Sourdough Loaf that tastes like kindness and smells like the feeling of someone tucking a blanket around your shoulders.

No chaos.
No rush.
Just a beautiful loaf and a quiet reminder that small rituals make life gentler.

Let’s bake something soft today.

Honey-Oat Sourdough Loaf

Ingredients

100 g active sourdough starter

350 g warm water

30 g honey

40 g melted butter (or olive oil for dairy-free)

500 g bread flour (or 450 g bread flour + 50 g oats)

10 g salt

Optional topping: extra oats + honey drizzle

1. Mix the Dough

Stir together warm water, honey, melted butter, and starter.
Add flour and salt. Mix until soft, slightly sticky, and unified.

Let rest 20–30 minutes.

This is the part where everything settles — you and the dough.

2. Strengthen Gently

Do 2–3 sets of stretch-and-folds.
The oats will give it a cozy texture and a slightly heartier feel.

Between folds, enjoy the quiet.
The dough is calm today — follow its lead.

3. Bulk Fermentation

Let rise until puffy and softly doubled.
This loaf rises kindly — no rushing, no drama.

3–6 hours depending on temperature.

4. Shape Gently

Turn out onto a lightly floured surface.
Shape into a round or oval loaf.
The dough will feel warm, soft, and easy — surprisingly cooperative.

Place seam-side-up in a floured banneton or lined bowl.

5. Overnight Rest

Cover and refrigerate 8–16 hours.

This step deepens flavor and turns tomorrow’s breakfast into a small miracle.

6. Bake time

Heat oven + Dutch oven to 475°F (245°C).
Score gently.
Sprinkle with oats if you want a fairy-tale top crust.

Bake:

20 min covered

20–25 min uncovered

The crust turns golden, the honey caramelizes, and your whole house smells like a warm sunrise.

Some loaves feel like accomplishment.
Some feel like chaos.
But this one feels like comfort — the bread equivalent of a hand on your shoulder saying,
“Look at you. You made something beautiful today.”

Simple Sourdough Sunday doesn’t need to be perfect.
It just needs to be gentle.
And so do you.

Nobody warns you about this.
Sourdough baking is 10% mixing, 10% rising, 10% baking…
and 70% cleaning flour glue off every surface you’ve ever loved.

Flour sticks.
Dough clings.
Starter dries into cement.
And somehow there’s always a sticky spot on the floor, even though you swear nothing fell.

Here’s how to clean like a human — not a professional baker with magical bakery elves.

1. Use a Bench Scraper. Everywhere.

Your #1 weapon.
Your Excalibur.
Your flour-fighting blade.

Scrape dough off:

counters

cutting boards

your hands

the sink (don’t rinse dough chunks down the drain — scrape them!)

Never underestimate the scraper.

2. Cold Water FIRST. Always.

Hot water + flour = glue. glue. GLUE.

Cold water dissolves the starch without turning it into wallpaper paste.

Rinse with cold, then wash with warm.
This one tip saves relationships.

3. For Dried-On Starter: The Soak of Shame

Did you forget to wash the jar?
Has it turned into cement?
Is it personally mocking you?

Fill with cold water and walk away.
Starter melts with time — not force.
Let the shame soak off.

4. Flour Sweeps Better Than It Wipes

Grab a dry cloth or a small broom, not a wet sponge.

Wet sponge = flour paste
Dry cloth = satisfying dust cloud

Scoop, not smear.

5. Clean As You Go (Even Though You Won’t)

Every baker knows this rule.
Every baker ignores this rule until dough is up their elbow.

But truly:

rinse tools before dough dries

wipe spills quickly

scrape boards between folds

It will save your sanity.

6. The Towel Sacrifice

Your favorite towel will get dough on it.
Don’t panic.
Rinse in cold water, then wash.
Do NOT toss it into the laundry dry.
You will create a towel sculpture.

7. Oil Trick for Hands

Just a tiny bit of oil rubbed on your hands before working sticky dough = zero sticking.

Bonus: silky soft baker hands.

8. When In Doubt, Let It Dry

It sounds wrong…
but dried dough flecks scrape off WAY easier than sticky fresh dough.

Let it crust over.
Then pop it off like satisfying little fossils.

Your kitchen isn’t messy — it’s lived in.
Bread magic comes with crumbs, streaks of flour, and a little chaos on the counters.

Cleaning up isn’t punishment — it’s the last step of the ritual.
A return to calm, warmth, and that quiet pride that says:

“I baked something beautiful today.”

A gentle, flour-dusted guide for real humans with real kitchens.

Every new sourdough baker thinks they’re the only one messing things up.
Spoiler: you’re not.
Sourdough is basically a friendly woodland creature with mood swings — it forgives far more than it demands.

These are the mistakes everyone makes… and how to fix them with kindness, patience, and maybe a deep sigh by the sink.

1. Your Dough Isn’t Rising Like the Photos

This does NOT mean your starter is broken, you are cursed, or the moon is wrong.

Why it happens:

Your kitchen is cold

Your starter needs a snack

Time is simply doing its own thing

Fix it:
Move the dough somewhere warmer:

oven with light on

top of fridge

beside a cup of hot water

Give it time.
Warmth + patience = rise.

2. Your Dough Is Sticky and Wet

Ah yes, the “how is this edible slime going to become a loaf?” phase.

Why it happens:
High hydration dough feels like betrayal at first.

Fix it:

Wet your hands

Use a bench scraper

Do an extra fold

Trust that it strengthens as gluten forms

Sticky dough often becomes the BEST bread.

3. You Overproofed… Again

The dough has deflated.
It looks sad.
You feel sad.

Fix it:
Just reshape it, let it rest 20 minutes, and bake.
You’ll get a flatter loaf, but the flavor? Still divine.
Overproofed bread makes GREAT toast.

4. You Underproofed and Made a Weird, Dense Goblin Loaf

It tastes good, it just… looks cursed.

Fix it:
Next time:

Give it more bulk rise

Watch the dough, not the clock

Look for signs: puffy, airy, alive

Dense bread = normal early bake.
Everyone goes through it.

5. Your Loaf Exploded Because of Bad Scoring

You tried to make a pretty leaf pattern.
You got “angry volcano loaf” instead.

Fix it:

Score deeper

Score confidently

Chill your dough longer so it’s firm

Use a sharp blade

You’ll learn the sweet spot.

6. You Added Too Much Water and Everything Was Chaos

Welcome to the “soupy dough crisis.”

Fix it:

Add a sprinkle more flour

Do extra folds

Chill it briefly

Embrace rustic shape

High hydration breads take practice, not perfection.

7. You Think Every Odd Smell Means the Starter Died

You smell… something.
Your brain panics.

Fix it:
Look for mold (rare).
If no mold, it’s alive.
Feed it.
Let it recover.
Starters are incredibly resilient — like flour zombies.

Your starter doesn’t need perfection.
Your dough doesn’t need precision.
Sourdough is a conversation, not a test.

Every mistake is a lesson the bread teaches you.
And besides — even the “bad” loaves taste good with butter.

Welcome back to Trash Goblin Tuesday, where we gather round our jars like little flour-dust elders and whisper the sacred words:

“Not today, waste… not today.”

This is the weekly celebration of the forgotten, the gooey, the slightly sour, the “I’ll deal with it later” magic that lives in the back of our fridge.
The starter scrap.
The almost-trash.
The goo that could have been doomed… but instead becomes glory.

Here, sourdough discard doesn’t get tossed.
It gets transformed — into snacks, into comfort, into unhinged triumph.
We scoop from the jar like gremlins rooting through treasure, and we cook like little kitchen witches who refuse to bow to expiration anxiety or carb shame.

So pull out that jar. Scrape the sides. Sniff it like you trust it even if you don’t.
Today, we honor the creature comforts of resourcefulness and carbs.
Today, we feed the goblin soul and the human body at the same time.

Take a breath. Fire up the pan.
It’s Trash Goblin Tuesday, and we are powerful in our chaos.

Sourdough Discard Bagels

Ingredients

1 cup sourdough discard

1 cup warm water

1 tbsp sugar or honey

2 tsp instant yeast (skip if you want 8–12 hr ferment instead of a fast rise)

4 cups bread flour

2 tsp salt

Boil pot:

2 tbsp honey or brown sugar

1 tsp baking soda (optional — helps shine)

Instructions

1. Make the dough

Mix warm water, discard, sugar, and yeast (if using).
Stir in flour + salt. Knead 8–10 minutes until smooth and bouncy.

2. Rise

Cover + rise 1–2 hours (with yeast)
or 4–6 hours (no yeast, warm spot)
Dough should puff and feel alive.

3. Shape

Divide into 8 pieces.
Roll into balls, rest 10 minutes.
Poke hole in center + stretch gently.

4. Boil

Bring water to a simmer. Add honey + baking soda.
Boil bagels 30–60 seconds each side.
They should float like smug little dough buoys.

5. Bake

Place on parchment, top as you like (sesame, Everything, plain).
Bake 425°F / 220°C — 18–22 min until golden.

Let cool a bit before slicing — they set up and get that chew.

Soft Sourdough Discard Sandwich Bread

Ingredients

1 cup sourdough discard

1 cup warm milk (or water)

2 tbsp honey or sugar

4 tbsp butter, soft (or olive oil)

1 egg (optional for richness)

4 cups all-purpose or bread flour

2 tsp instant yeast (or long-ferment note below)

1 ½ tsp salt

Instructions

1. Mix

Combine discard, milk, honey, butter, and egg.
Add flour + salt + yeast.
Mix, then knead 8–10 minutes until smooth and stretchy.

2. First rise

Cover + rise 1–2 hours (with yeast)
or 4–6 hours (no yeast, warm spot) — dough should double.

3. Shape

Press into rectangle, roll up like a cinnamon roll, seam down into greased loaf pan.
Cover + rise again 45–90 minutes until it crowns the pan.

4. Bake

Bake 350°F / 175°C — 30–35 minutes
Tent foil last 10 minutes if browning fast.

Brush warm loaf with butter if you like a softer top (I mean… why wouldn’t you).

Cool fully before slicing — it rewards patience.

Sunday has a way of slowing things down.
The kitchen feels gentler, the light softer, and even your starter seems to stretch and yawn instead of bubbling with weekday chaos.

That’s why this space—this little corner of the week—is meant for simplicity.
A warm loaf, an easy recipe, a moment you can take without rushing.
Every Simple Sourdough Sunday is a reminder that small rituals matter…
and there’s nothing more grounding than the smell of bread drifting through a sleepy house.

Today, we’re making something sweet and soft:
a cinnamon swirl sourdough loaf that tastes like comfort and feels like a warm blanket in bread form.

Simple Sourdough Cinnamon Swirl Loaf

(Soft, tender, lightly sweet, and perfect for slow mornings.)

Ingredients

Dough

100 g active sourdough starter

300 g warm milk

60 g melted butter

50 g sugar

500 g all-purpose flour (or bread flour)

8 g salt

Cinnamon Filling

60 g soft butter

100 g brown sugar

2 tbsp cinnamon

1. Mix the Dough

In a large bowl, whisk together the starter, warm milk, melted butter, and sugar.
Add the flour and salt.
Mix until a soft, slightly sticky dough forms.
Cover and rest for 20–30 minutes.

This rest gives your dough time to hydrate and become easier to work with.

2. Strengthen the Dough

Perform 2–3 sets of stretch-and-folds, spaced 20–30 minutes apart.
The dough will get smoother and more elastic with each fold.

It should feel like a soft pillow by the last fold.

3. Bulk Fermentation

Let the dough rise at room temperature until puffy and almost doubled.
This may take 3–5 hours depending on how cozy (or cold) your kitchen is.

4. Roll Out & Fill

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface.
Gently roll into a rectangle, about 12×16 inches.

Spread the soft butter across the surface.
Mix brown sugar + cinnamon and sprinkle evenly.

Roll the dough into a log, cinnamon-roll style.
Pinch the seam to seal.

5. Second Rise

Place the log seam-down in a greased loaf pan.
Cover and let rise until it reaches the top of the pan and looks pillowy.

6. Bake

Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 35–40 minutes, until golden brown and fragrant.

If the top browns too quickly, loosely tent it with foil.

7. Cool… or Try To

Let the loaf cool at least 15–20 minutes before slicing.
(But if you sneak a warm piece with butter, I won’t tell.)

Bread doesn’t need perfection to be meaningful.
A cinnamon swirl isn’t measured in straight lines or perfect spirals — it’s measured in moments.
Moments of mixing, folding, rising, waiting… and finally slicing into something warm you made with your own hands.

That’s the heart of Simple Sourdough Sunday:
slow baking, soft mornings, and the reminder that comfort is something you can create.

Sourdough is ancient, slow, delicious magic — but to beginners, it can feel like joining a secret society that speaks in bubbles and hydration percentages.
Don’t worry. This guide will walk you through everything you need to start your sourdough journey with confidence, joy, and minimal screaming.

Let’s break it down simply, gently, and with the right amount of feral energy.

What Is Sourdough?

Sourdough is bread that’s risen using wild yeast and bacteria instead of packaged yeast.
Your starter is a tiny ecosystem — flour, water, microbes, and time — that becomes the rising force in all your bakes.

It’s alive.
It’s dramatic.
And it will absolutely teach you patience whether you want it to or not.

Step 1: Making (or Getting) a Starter

You have two options:

1. Make your own starter

Combine:

50 g flour

50 g water

Stir.
Leave on the counter.
Feed every 24 hours by discarding half and adding another 50 g water + 50 g flour.
Repeat 5–10 days.

Signs your starter is alive include:

bubbles

rising and falling

smelling tangy, fruity, or gently funky

trying to escape its jar (eventually)

2. Adopt one from a friend

This is ideal.
It’s like adopting a mature cat instead of a newborn kitten — much less chaos.

Step 2: Feeding Your Starter

Think of feeding as giving your starter a snack.

Standard feeding ratio:
1:1:1 (starter : flour : water)
Example:

20 g starter

20 g flour

20 g water

Feed daily while kept on the counter, or once a week in the fridge.

Your starter is ready to bake when:

it doubles in 4–6 hours

it’s bubbly and airy

it smells tangy, not weird

Step 3: Your First Sourdough Loaf

Once your starter is active, you can make dough with:

flour

water

salt

time

That’s it.
The rest is technique (which you learn by doing).

Typical process:

1. Mix dough
2. Rest (autolyse)
3. Add salt + do stretch-and-folds
4. Bulk ferment
5. Shape
6. Refrigerate overnight
7. Bake hot in a Dutch oven

Your first loaf won’t be perfect.
Your 10th loaf won’t be perfect either.
That’s the charm.

Things I Wish Someone Told Me

⭐ 1. Temperature is EVERYTHING.

Warm kitchen = fast fermentation.
Cold kitchen = slow fermentation.
Your dough doesn’t follow the clock — it follows the temperature.

⭐ 2. Wet your hands while working with dough.

Sticky dough stops sticking when your hands are damp.
Magic.

⭐ 3. Dough needs rest as much as it needs kneading.

If it’s resisting shaping, let it nap.
You can’t fight dough and win.

⭐ 4. The fridge is your friend.

Cold fermentation builds flavor and makes shaping easier.
Refrigerate dough overnight whenever possible.

⭐ 5. Don’t judge by looks.

Ugly dough makes gorgeous bread.
Lumpy dough smooths out eventually.
Weird smells are usually normal.

⭐ 6. Keep notes.

Every loaf teaches you something:

room temp

hydration

flour used

rise times

⭐ 7. A strong starter = strong bread.

If your starter is sluggish, the loaf will be too.
Feed it well before baking.

⭐ 8. Don’t panic over small mistakes.

Underproofed, overproofed, ugly, flat — it’s ALL edible.. Usually.

⭐ 9. Practice makes instinct.

You’ll eventually feel when dough is ready.
No instructions needed — it becomes second nature.

Tools to Help

Here are tools beginners benefit from, without going overboard.

Must-Haves

These make a huge difference:

✔️ Digital Kitchen Scale

Absolutely essential.
Sourdough is a science — grams matter.
“Cups” are chaos.

✔️ Large Mixing Bowl

Preferably glass

✔️ Clean Kitchen Towels or Plastic Shower Caps

For covering your dough.

✔️ A Jar With a Loose Lid

For your starter.

✔️ Dutch Oven or Heavy Covered Pot

This traps steam and gives you that crust.

✔️ Bench Scraper

Useful for shaping, cleaning, and pretending you’re on a baking show.

Nice-To-Have (Upgrade Later)

Not required, but they make life easier:

☆ Banneton (Proofing Basket)

Helps shape and pattern your loaf.

☆ Lame or Sharp Razor

For scoring clean lines.

☆ Dough Whisk

Helps with initial mixing.

☆ Instant-Read Thermometer

Tells you when the loaf is done (95–97°C / 205–208°F inside).

☆ Silicone Dough Mat or Baker’s Board

Never fight a sticky countertop again.

Completely Optional but Extremely Fun

For the chaotic bakers:

Flour duster

Because “accidentally covering your entire kitchen” isn’t the only way.

Sourdough jar doodles

Name your starter. Give it a personality.
Is it Jane dough? Is it Yeasty Boys? You decide.

Bread stencils

Put a raccoon on your loaf. Live your truth.

Learning sourdough is less like learning a recipe and more like forming a relationship.
You feed it, it feeds you.
You learn each other’s moods.
You make mistakes, laugh, bake again, and grow together.

Soon your kitchen will smell like warm crust, tangy dough, and tiny victories.
And that first slice of homemade sourdough?
It’s the moment everything clicks.

Welcome to the world of living bread.
You’re going to thrive here.