{"id":15096572,"date":"2026-04-02T15:08:29","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T19:08:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/i-stopped-trying-to-make-picture-perfect-bread-and-fell-back-in-love-with-sourdough\/"},"modified":"2026-04-02T16:02:02","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T20:02:02","slug":"i-stopped-trying-to-make-picture-perfect-bread-and-fell-back-in-love-with-sourdough","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/i-stopped-trying-to-make-picture-perfect-bread-and-fell-back-in-love-with-sourdough\/","title":{"rendered":"I Stopped Trying To Make Picture-Perfect Bread And Fell Back In Love With Sourdough"},"content":{"rendered":"

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For some people, it\u2019s filtered, airbrushed social media pictures<\/a>. For others, it\u2019s unrealistic romantic expectations set by movies and TV<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For me, though, my greatest source of insecurity was the r\/sourdough<\/a> forum.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It\u2019s nobody\u2019s fault: if I had created a tall, fluffy masterpiece<\/a> with a perfect golden crust, I, too, would want to share a shot. If my first-ever loaf<\/a> looked like it belonged in an ad for artisanal butter, I would indeed want the world to know.<\/p>\n

And people share their less successful loaves\u00a0\u2013 a gummy rise<\/a>, a burnt base<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 as well.<\/p>\n

Still, I couldn\u2019t help it. After a while, I began judging my slightly gummy, slightly deflated loaves a little too harshly. Then, the inevitable turn towards The Product That Solves It All: if I just owned one of these twisty little starter whisks, or a proper starter jar, or a bigger banneton, I\u2019d be (grid) worthy!!<\/em> I thought.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It sounds silly, because it is. But according to a post shared by\u00a0u\/good-things_<\/a>\u00a0in the group, I\u2019m not alone.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cI don\u2019t use any of the equipment everyone talks about for sourdough. I mix my dough in any bowl available that\u2019s big enough, and I eyeball the rise. Sometimes my bowls are solid and plastic, so I can\u2019t see if there are bubbles,\u201d the poster confessed (mine is metal).<\/p>\n

Still, they pointed out, loads of the recommended gear and science-backed rules are relatively new (especially compared to sourdough\u2019s thousands of years of history<\/a>). Which means my great-great-great-grandma probably didn\u2019t give a hoot about whether the ear of her every loaf curled up like a cowlick.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love that people get obsessed and get into the nitty-gritty of how to make a beautiful, perfect loaf. But I also want everyone to know ugly, imperfect loaves are still delicious,\u201d the post continued.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Underneath was a swarm of agreement. \u201cI also admit that my loaves are a bit substandard, but that\u2019s okay with me in the long run. By not stressing about it, I can manage to keep making bread regularly for sandwiches, etc., and not lose enthusiasm,\u201d\u00a0u\/bajajoaquin<\/a>\u00a0replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cI gave up chasing the perfect loaf with huge holes and a perfect ear, etc. I decided I just wanted to make bread for my own enjoyment… It works for me, and that\u2019s what really matters,\u201d\u00a0u\/dearmax<\/a>\u00a0added.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been through a similar process recently.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"somesome just-fine bread on the left: a starter that would probably be bubblier if I fed it more on the right<\/div>\n
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For a couple of months, I stopped making bread entirely. It wasn\u2019t just because I felt mine was subpar, but that was part of it: I felt I was spending so long on something so far from perfect that I got frustrated.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But recently, I\u2019ve fallen back in love with the craft. My new starter (Gluton Airport, if you want her government name) doesn\u2019t have a super-strict feeding schedule, and probably would bubble more enthusiastically if she did.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I\u2019m 99% sure I\u2019m leaving my overnight sourdough out to prove for about two hours too long (I don\u2019t go to sleep immediately after mixing it, and I sleep too late to bake it on time).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"AA way overproofed, lightly drying dough on the left: some perfectly fine!! resulting bread on the right<\/div>\n
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Probably as a result, my loaves are somewhat limp, a little gummy, and nowhere near as photogenic as I\u2019d like.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Nonetheless, they\u2019re still delicious. I haven\u2019t splashed out on a pricier shop-bought loaf\u00a0\u2013\u00a0a lot of which isn\u2019t technically sourdough<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 since.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a bit like half-assing my workouts<\/a>. I don\u2019t give 100% every single time, and it\u2019s made me enjoy the hobby so much more.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Now, I\u2019m more in love with making sourdough\u00a0\u2013 meh as it may be\u00a0\u2013 than ever. Most of all, I\u2019m having fun again (and isn\u2019t that the point of a hobby?).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Related…<\/h3>\n