My personal story of baking, burnout, and how sourdough, friendship, and commitment changed my path.
Most people would assume it’s about the bread, but it’s not.
Not exactly.
For those of you who don’t know my story, sourdough found me when I was at an all time low.
I had two kids under two, was exhausted all the time, had a new blog I didn’t know how to run, was drowning in an endless loop of worry, and yet I forced myself to keep going because that’s what you do – mascara bags and everything.
Then I found Celia.
Celia’s the Australian queen of sourdough, an extraordinary human who blogged about sourdough before it became a rabbit hole. Her enthusiasm was infectious.
Like a lost puppy, I started commenting on her blog hoping she would adopt me (she did!). We became good friends.
One day she causally said: “Can I mail you some of my sourdough starter?”
While on the surface, yes, this unassuming act jumpstarted my sourdough journey.
But looking back, it was way bigger than receiving a little white envelope of dehydrated sourdough flakes in the mail.
I was heading down two paths at once.
The first path was obvious: I blogged about sourdough bread, wrote Artisan Sourdough Made Simple (inspired by Celia) and filmed a stretch and fold video on my parent’s kitchen table. That’s what the world could see.
The second path was happening behind the scenes.
Sourdough dragged me out of my funk. The cadent flow of creating something with my hands (mixing, folding, shaping and waiting!) got me out of my head and into my body, grounding a shit ton of anxiety with no place to go. It sharpened my senses.
It also sharpened my baker’s intuition, a key skill everyone can strengthen.
I was healing.
Sourdough was the medium.
And whether I was conscious of it or not, I had stepped through a massive gateway.
So, why do I bake?
Because sourdough has been one of my greatest teachers.
It taught me how to stay curious, lean in, let go, take chances, nurture, and challenge myself under the guise of baking bread. It tricked me. In the best of ways.
And after a decade of baking, I’ll tell you that sourdough goes far beyond alchemizing flour and water into something new. It’s about personal transformation, should you see it through that lens too.
But don’t take my word for it.
Over the years, especially during the pandemic, many of you have reached out sharing similar stories. It’s common to call bread therapy, meditation or even medicine.
One of my favorite stories is about a home baker who was inspired by my sourdough bread recipe to launch a cottage bakery. Another reader shared how baking from Artisan Sourdough helped her reconnect with her mom over Zoom. Even elementary school kids as young as 9 have used my sourdough starter in class!
I have to pinch myself sometimes, as a reminder of how powerful the sourdough ripple effect truly is, even if you can’t see it yet. I’d love to know: Why do you bake?
Comments
Sheila W. says
Hi Emilie! I’ve had good success with your basic recipe, and bought the cookbook. Tried the dill and cheddar recipe yesterday, and after 10 hours, have very little rise during the bulk fermentation. I weighed the cheese and added it cold. It seemed like a lot. Could cold cheese have slowed things down?
Emilie Raffa says
Hi Shelia! Yes, cold cheese will slow down the rise of the dough. Temperature controls time. So, for example, your dough will always rise faster in warm weather, and slower in colder weather. Cold cheese = cold dough. Does that make sense? Additionally, this particular dough takes longer to rise anyway due to the actual weight of the cheese. It just requires a bit more patience.
Sheila Wodtke says
Thank you so much for taking time to reply!!!
💖 Emilie loved this comment!
Julie says
Emilie, thank you for sharing this. I have long wanted to connect with you. I wanted to make sourdough bread for so long, and every time I tried, I found another rabbit hole, and it just wasn’t working. Fast forward nearly 6 years – and finding your book: I’m teaching, volunteering to share sourdough with teens, and finishing construction on a sourdough kitchen in my MN home (two weeks away). I’m building my confidence and audience, and part of every class is your cookbook (I’ve bought hundreds of copies); I’ve taught from it exclusively for years. You’re right, this is more than just baking bread. People do need to experience it for themselves, and I have. My dream is to help those I teach feel what I’m feeling, share it with their friends and family, and pass it on. Someday I’d love to connect with you. I so appreciate that you followed the energy you felt when that starter arrived from Australia; it’s allowed me to do what I’m doing. My hope is that someone I’ve taught will experience the same. So grateful for you!
💖 Emilie loved this comment!
Emilie Raffa says
Julie, this comment moved me beyond words. Thank you for taking the time to open up and share your story here. It’s absolutely incredible. What a journey for you. I love that you are working with teens! And I know, without a doubt, that what you’re doing is felt and received by everyone you’re in touch with, whether it’s in your classes or just the way you talk about sourdough to those who are curious enough to listen. I don’t think I’ll ever get over how powerful it truly is. Keep sharing your gift with the world 🥰
Amanda Kamprath says
Love your story! You are actually a big part of mine! I had been baking with yeast for about 3 years and had no interest in sourdough at all and a good friend kept nagging me to switch over to sourdough. I finally did and almost instantly fell in love. It was October 2020. I was pregnant with baby #3 and my other 2 kids were 1 and 3 years old. I took every sourdough book, about 10 altogether, from my library and dived into them to learn all about sourdough. I loved your book the best, returned all the others and bought your book and then sourdough took over my life. A year later, a friend of mine asked me if I wanted to teach sourdough baking classes at a local garden center/cafe that her friend owns and I initially said no. But she kept nagging me and I decided to give it a try. I’ve been at this place teaching now for 4 years, I’ve had over 500 students at this point and I bring your cookbook to every class and I tell my students that your book is where I started and I highly recommend it to everyone. I am having baby #6 in a few weeks and I bake at least 7-10 loafs of bread each week for my family, and many other yummy things, mostly from your recipes of course! And lastly, for the past 2 years, my sourdough bread has won 2nd place at the New York State Fair and I’m definitely going back this year! Thank you for your amazing book, it has inspired me in many ways!
💖 Emilie loved this comment!
Emilie Raffa says
Amanda, you should see my face as I’m reading this! Making that one decision opened up so many doorways for you. It’s wild. Now you teach! Bake 7-10 loaves every week! Baby #6! All because you just listened, took a chance, and continue to share your gift in the world. What a powerful story. I’m not only honored to be a part of yours, but thank you for taking the time to share here too. 🥰
Randy Sampson says
Dear Emilie,
Thank you for posting your story about your sourdough journey. I too was captured by the curiosity of sourdough during Covid here in Minnesota. After retiring in 2018 and now depending on my hobbies and house projects to keep me busy, baking and cooking were easy to fall into because everyone has to eat. Someone from out church mentioned baking sourdough bread so I started looking. When I searched for some information I landed on Celia’s blog page and eventually yours. I tried multiple times at first to buy some starter from your web store but it always out of stock so I eventually started my own. My starter is affectionately called Old Roy, started on 12/12/2019 and still going strong. I have taught multiple neighbors how to make sourdough bread and their own starter. I do enjoy your enthusiasm for cooking and baking and feel challenged to try authentic recipes that you provide. I have been a subscriber of your blog page for many years and really enjoy your work, keep it up.
Thank you for all you do for all of us. I was never able to connect up with Celia via email but still visit her blog site for information.
💖 Emilie loved this comment!
Emilie Raffa says
Hi Randy! You’re very welcome! Thank you for sharing this. Glad to hear Old Roy is still going strong and you are teaching your neighbors how to bake too. I don’t think Celia blogs much these days anymore, but I love that you can still visit her site for recipes and stories. I appreciate your support! 🥰
Cheryl F says
Do you ever cold proof your sourdough? If so, what are your recommendations ? I have your wonderful sourdough cookbook, love the recipes, but I have a hard time with the timing. Thank you!
💖 Emilie loved this comment!
Emilie Raffa says
Hi Cheryl! No, I don’t always cold proof my sourdough. While many sourdough bread recipes include this step, it’s not required for every loaf. It depends on your baking preferences and personal schedule. For example, a cold proof might be beneficial for someone who wants to make the dough on Saturday morning when they’re home, do the stretch and folds during the day, chill overnight, and bake Sunday morning. Whereas another baker might want to rise the dough during the day at a warmer temperature, and bake that evening for a “same day” bake. There are a multitude of ways to approach this. You have to see what suits you best. The last thing I’ll add is that a cold proof cannot be applied to any old recipe without examining the length of the bulk rise first. This is where bakers get frustrated: they’ll rise the dough for 10 hrs, cold proof it for 12-24, and then end up with flat (over proofed) bread. As a rule of thumb, you’ll want to bulk rise to 65-75%, then chill overnight. Hope this helps.
Nancy Li Volsi says
I started because my husband was the sourdough bread baker. He got diagnosed with ALS and could no longer bake bread. I found your recipe for making a starter. It was a success! I started making bread for my husband. It became a therapy while taking care of him. After he passed I started selling it at the farmers market to meet people since we just moved to Tn before he got sick. I have wonderful people and now have a food truck selling bagels and sourdough grilled cheese sandwiches. Thank you!
💖 Emilie loved this comment!
Emilie Raffa says
Nancy, this is beautiful and so powerful. Thank you for sharing this with me.🥰
Bea Lawson says
Hi you are blessed to have been given such a desire. Someone that was sent by God to help and encourage you. I too love this experience of baking.
Love your energy!
I have starter that doesn’t rise. Then it does and I put it in fridge. I have made your biscotti recipe and 3 breads but that’s all I have made in 6 months,
Disappointed.
One of these days!
Love your recipes.
💖 Emilie loved this comment!
Emilie Raffa says
Thank you Bea! You are so very kind. Sourdough is all about patience and persistence- don’t give up! Even if you just continue with SD cookies and cakes, you’re still doing it, you know? That’s the fun part.🥰
Debra Paulson says
I started baking sourdough after retirement and during the pandemic. I was given a book by Sandor Katz which explained how to make a sourdough starter. I did it successfully and have also used Ellie’s sourdough method of saving a golf ball sized mass of starter in flour in a jar. This saved me when I had a jar topple from my refrigerator. It had been stored for 1 1/2 years and was reactivated. It saved me. I also learned about the benefits of freshly milled flour and have explored Khorasan, Spelt, Emmer, Einkorn, Rye, hard white and hard red wheats. I now understand baking percentages, adding things like malt, seeds, psyllium husk, eggs, fats and the way temperature influences the dough. I like to bake in a Le Creuset stoneware loaf pan which I place inside an 8 quart lidded pot. I love the feel of dough and the taste of the many different loaves I have baked. I have your cookbook too.
💖 Emilie loved this comment!
Emilie Raffa says
Hi Debra! That’s really impressive. Your sourdough starter story reminds me of my mom. While she doesn’t store a mass of it in the fridge, she does have a giant mason jar filled with dried sourdough starter flakes as back up sitting next to her coffee machine. All she has to do is re-active them and voila! A new starter is born. Sourdough with freshly milled flour is wonderful to explore. It’s so interesting to see how the different flours behave – some doughs need more time or more water etc. They smell good too! Thank you for sharing your story and support. 🥰
Ken says
After struggling with many other sourdough recipes, I found your Artisan Sourdough book. I have used it for years. The directions are clear and easy to follow. Every recipe has turned out amazing. Same for your website. Even after baking hundreds of loaves and many many dozen bagels, I have not found better options. I recommend your book to everyone who wants to start with sourdough.
💖 Emilie loved this comment!
Emilie Raffa says
Ken, this is so kind of you to say. Thank you. I appreciate your support!
Sharon says
I have been making sourdough for about two months, in that time I have baked five loaves, remember this time includes building my starter. In this short time I have been improving and each “better” loaf makes me feel success is close ❤️. Your blog has been the most useful, I read many many many, before I came to you. So it’s a huge thank you.
I bake a) because I love baking and b) because we live rurally and have no access to a bakery.
💖 Emilie loved this comment!
Emilie Raffa says
I love this Sharon! Just wait until you see your loaves in 6 months from now… and then in a year. Take pictures. Take notes. It’s all about practice and persistence and just going for it. I’m excited for you.🥰
Peter Kirman says
Hi Emilie,
Great post and now, after much perseverance, I have – and continue to make – great sourdough. And all thanks to you.
I always thought what a clat and long winded affair it was to make but once into it, my word it comes naturally.
I have had a starter now for nearly a year and obviously, I feed it. Every day and it produces some amazing bread. I do experiment with variants of flour mixes ( Wholemeal / extra strong white etc. ) and these also work well.
Thanks Emilie – keep converting people!!
Best regards
Peter
💖 Emilie loved this comment!
Emilie Raffa says
Excellent! This is so great to hear, thank you for sharing. It does come easily once you get over the mental hurdle and just start. Sadly, sourdough has earned quite the difficult reputation although it’s really not the case. The rabbit hole is the problem. Keep on baking, Peter!
Bob says
Sourdough. Love it although a really good one with that special tang is hard to find. Make it? Tried about 100 times, maybe 500 times. Impossible. Frustrating. Stressful. Time consuming.
💖 Emilie loved this comment!
Emilie Raffa says
Hi Bob! Yes, it does take time and patience – absolutely. And to be honest, homemade is not for everyone. I do hope you find a decent loaf with sour tang… maybe the farmers market if you have one nearby? Good place to start!
Nicki says
Thanks for this lovely story! Baking has always been a stress buster, grounder and a lovely way to tell people I love them. Sourdough baking has me absolutely addicted! I bake everything now with a little magical sourdough starter in it. My SD journey started in 2023 and its been the best!
💖 Emilie loved this comment!
Kate says
Hi Emilie and thank you, it resonates. I’m only just starting with my first starter but already I have a question! My starter is not very active but I think this may be because it’s alot cooler in WA at the moment. I’ve done a bit of research and now my starter is wearing a thick sock on my coffee machine!
Any other tips to keep my starter warm enough?
Many thanks 🙂
💖 Emilie loved this comment!
Nina says
Thank you so much for sharing. I know that was a personal story for you. I’m always afraid to start sourdough again since I’ve messed up a few times but I know bread therapy is real. I hope you are well and I asked God to bless you. Thank you for all the great recipes. Peace be yours.
💖 Emilie loved this comment!
Brian Waddington says
Why do I bake? This is a question that maybe I shouldn’t be asking at 6:00 in the morning after I just woke up, but there you go, I read your post just now, so I might as well try to answer it.
For many of the same reasons you do. I have my own broken parts that need healing, and the four-day rhythm that has become my sourdough baking routine is part of the healing.
Even in today’s egalitarian world this will sound perhaps strange coming from a man ~ but I find a great deal of maternal pleasure is to be found in this simple nurturing of my sourdough starter.
There’s also the undeniable truth that I’m a sensual person; But as I approach my 75th year the sensual pleasures that I can enjoy as much now as I did back in the day and as often are very few. Sourdough bread baking is one of those sensual pleasures that I can still enjoy as much and as often as the urge grabs me.
Then, of course, there is the bonus that I get to do it as much for my wife of 30-plus years as I do for myself. That always makes things better for us. Sharing with a loved one is as good as it gets, and sourdough bread baking is one way we create our life together.
💖 Emilie loved this comment!
Ana R Weekes says
Wow!!! Thank you for sharing your beautiful story,
I had surgery in elbows, then I stared learn to make sourdough bread,
It’s been over a year, it’s cold where I live, so it’s even harder,
But I think I been getting it, at least my husband is eating it now, and I feel i been healing my soul, wow 👌
💖 Emilie loved this comment!
Gayle says
I use your recipes multiple times a week for my farmers market❣️ my cookbook is just about worn-out. I almost have the recipes memorized 😉
Thank you
💖 Emilie loved this comment!
Barbara G> says
Good morning, Emilie — I have a quick question about the last photo of sourdough bread from your “sourdough story.” I am an off-and-on (mostly off) bread baker. One of the things that I was told during one of my “on” times was that bread with large holes was undesirable and that the “problem” could be cured with more kneading. Are either of these assertions true? Thanks!
Janice says
Love all your recipes! They are easy to follow and taste amazing! I recommend your cookbook to all my first time sourdough friends.
Sue Michalka says
Hi Emilie,
Just wanted to thank you for sharing your sourdough story.
It resinates with me & my story. I just turned 72 (!!!) and came to sourdough later in life and have finally started to be easy on myself and my journey. My husband is extremely supportive, has never turned down a loaf or bun that didn’t turn out quite right. Even my trails into lentil buns and beet buns and barley bread. It’s been an extraodinary journey and am loving this path I’m taking. Thanks again for sharing.
Aloha, Sue
💖 Emilie loved this comment!
Neal says
Hi Emilie,
My sourdough journey began more than a decade ago, when I tasted the incredible bread, made by Izzie, at the wonderful Italian bistro Sfoglia, on the upper East side of NYC. (I didn’t find out until many years later that that is your husband’s restaurant!)
I said to myself “ I have to learn how to make that bread!”
I started with yeasted breads, some miserable, some passable. I then created my starter “Max.” First attempts at sourdough were less than satisfactory, even after poring over many books by many authors. After a couple of years, I happened on the Canadian site “baked-the-blog” where your formula was featured. I tried it, and, much to my surprise and satisfaction, the bread came out great (and even looked like your pictured loaf!) I subsequently bought your book, and have recommended it to many people.
While I have tweaked the original formula to make it my own, and have branched out to other breads, I can’t thank you enough for how you made the process more approachable. I actually enjoy the fact that, while sometimes frustrating, there are so many variables that affect each loaf, which makes for a continuing learning experience.
If you choose to, you can see many examples of your formula on the early posts on my IG site MDBAKER51.
Thank you again, and Happy Baking!
Neal
PS: your easy fresh ricotta recipe is one of my go to’s…😋
💖 Emilie loved this comment!
Linda Frasier says
Enjoyed the story of your sourdough journey and wanted to share the story of my starter.— In 1852 my relative, Ezra Meeker, was a pioneer on the Oregon Trail. (He wrote the book, Ox Team Days on the Oregon Trail.) A heritage Society has preserved the starter that was used on that pioneer journey. It came down to me many years ago and I’ve been using it to make sourdough ever since.
💖 Emilie loved this comment!
Fred Marks says
Hi Emilie… the book is great and is my main source for all things sourdough. The making of sourdough bread just feels right and I have been off the store bought stuff for over a year!
Thankyou for being my guide!!
💖 Emilie loved this comment!
Victoria says
Aha! Now I get why sourdough baking has been SO addictive. I can totally relate to the secondary benefits! Also there is something satisfying about striving for that perfect loaf…..getting the starter at perfect peak, the dough at a perfect temperature, the perfect stretch and fold technique, the perfect amount of tension, etc.. all while keeping a living thing alive and happy.
💖 Emilie loved this comment!
Tonilu Achatz says
I was very blessed to have Lisa my sister in law tell me about this website! I agree 💯 it’s not about the bread at all ! I found my ninch after my mom died and a great church! Sourdough has saved me!
Helen says
Also loved your article💕. Haven’t tried yet- your book is in my Amazon cart today. Wish me luck.
💖 Emilie loved this comment!
Emilie Raffa says
Ahhh, thank you Helen. That is so kind of you, I am grateful your support. You got this. 🙏🏻
Joan Adams says
Good Morning Emilie, your adventure in sourdough is inspiring, thank you for telling your story…I read all your recipes… Joanie A.
💖 Emilie loved this comment!
Emilie Raffa says
I appreciate that Joanie! You never know where all of this lands, who reads, who doesn’t. The digital space feels so vast at times, yet so tight knit. Thank you for taking the time to write! 🥰
Pam Faley says
You have continued to inspire me to bake sourdough bread and to take risks, every loaf is unique and how much it calms me to bake ! You are my go to resource🙏🏻
💖 Emilie loved this comment!
Carol Roberts says
Loved this article. Sourdough is healing, it is also much better than your options
at the grocery store.
💖 Emilie loved this comment!
Emilie Raffa says
It truly is, on so many levels. It’s the gift that keeps on giving! 🥰