Hear me out…

Just like your kids, you set the schedule for your sourdough—not the other way around.

I started my sourdough journey when I was 32 weeks pregnant—over a year ago—and was quickly turned off by the overwhelming advice online. Every blog made it sound like I was adopting a high-maintenance pet. I already had a three-year-old Aussiedoodle and a baby on the way… the last thing I needed was another thing to “take care of.”

Below is more information about my process, feeding schedule for my starter “Fran” and my recipe for my “classic no knead” loaf.

Things to Keep in Mind

Your sourdough starter is more forgiving than you think.
Roughly 2 tablespoons of instant yeast ≈ 1 cup of bubbly sourdough starter. That means once your starter is active, the baking possibilities are endless. I love to experiment with recipes that call for yeast and replace it with my starter.
I do the minimal amount of folds possible.I always make my second rise a cold rise in the fridge because it fits my schedule.
I never score my bread, it takes way too much work andI keep the oven the same temperature while the bread is baking.
I feed my starter every 2-4 days. If you like to put your starter in the fridge then you may need to feed it once before your “big fermentation” to help the yeast get reactivated.
I always dumb all of my starter into whatever I am making. I never use or have sourdough discard! If I feel like I used “all of my starter” for a recipe I scrape down the sides of my jar and fed my starter 2 tablespoons of flour and water.

Why Sourdough?

There are plenty of scientific articles explaining why sourdough is better for your gut and filled with healthy bacteria…

This is not one of those articles.

My research? Minimal. All I know is that Wonder Bread has way too many ingredients for my taste.

But here’s what I can tell you:

✔️ Sourdough is fun. And nothing beats the smell of fresh-baked bread filling your kitchen.
✔️ It’s actually satisfying. Way more filling than store-bought bread.
✔️ It’s my Martha Stewart moment. Walking into a playdate or dinner with a homemade loaf? Instant hostess points.

Feeding Your Sourdough (The Lazy Girl Way)

Now, I’m no expert in starting a sourdough starter from scratch, but when it comes to keeping it alive and making it fit my schedule—I’ve got that part down.

For the first two weeks, I meticulously weighed my flour and water. Then I thought, “Yeah, I’m good.” And now? I eyeball everything.

Here are two simple feeding schedules to keep your starter happy. (My favorite? The overnight method.)

Overnight Sourdough Schedule

Day 1
- 10:00PM | Feed your starter 3/4 to 1 cup of flour with water in a cold kitchen.
- Note: I usually have about 1/4 or 1/6 of starter before I feed it. If you are removing your starter from the fridge I would recommend using warm water and experiment using 1/2 cup of flour first. A cold and sleepy starter takes longer to get bubbly.. but you can use this to your advantage. Consider dedicating a week to practicing what rough ratios work best for you!
Day 2
- 8:00 AM | Mix the dough, then place it in a metal bow and cover.
- 8:30 AM | Stretch and fold dough. Place in oven with the light on and door closed (your house could be warm enough depending on where you live.)
- 4-8:00 PM | The dough should have doubled in size, the time here varries depending on how warm your kitchen is. Once dough has doubled in size stretch and fold dough into a tight ball and cover the bowl. Place the bowl in the fridge for an overnight proof.
- Note: In my experience the amount of time it takes to rise really depends on how cold your kitchen is and how active your starter is. The purpose of this article is to show you that you have to figure out which specific settings work best for you.. feel empowered to make sourdough work for your schedule.
Day 3
- Bake bread when you wake up!

Alternative Sourdough Schedule

Day 1
- 8:00 AM | Feed the Sourdough Starter
- 12:00 PM | Mix the dough, then place it in a metal bow and cover.
- 12:15 PM | Stretch and fold dough. Place in oven with the light on and door closed (your house could be warm enough depending on where you live.)
- 7-9:00 PM | The dough should have doubled in size. Once dough has doubled in size stretch and fold dough into a tight ball and cover the bowl. Place the bowl in the fridge for an overnight proof.
- Note: In my experience the amount of time it takes to rise really depends on how cold your kitchen is and how active your starter is. The purpose of this article is to show you that you have to figure out which specific settings work best for you.. feel empowered to make sourdough work for your schedule.
Day 2
- Bake bread when you wake up!

Classic Sourdough Recipe

Click here for the printable version.

Serving Size: 1 loaf

Ingredients

1 cup sourdough starter (ripe and bubbly.)
1 1/2 cups warm water or more if needed (overtime you can learn to eyeball this)
5 cups bread flour
1 tablespoon table salt

Directions

DAY 1

Combine all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl.

NOTE: I never measure how much starter I specifically put in each loaf. I have learned what a cup roughly looks like in the jar I use.

Mix and stir everything together to make a sticky, shaggy rough dough. Leave the dough in the bowl, and come back to it in 10-20 minutes.
Now it should be able to fold! I give it 10 rough folds. And then put it in a ball form. I like to transfer it to a large metal bowl that is lightly oiled (the oil mainly helps for a quick clean up.)
Now it’s time for your bulk rise! Due to the temperature of my kitchen I typically place my dough in oven covered in a tea towel with the light on for 4-8 hours. You can also leave your dough on the countertop in a warm spot. What we really want is the dough to double in size, and in order to master the timing you will have to experiment.
Once the dough has doubled in size I stretch and fold it for 10 times and then place the tea towel back over the bowl and I place the bowl in the fridge overnight for a bulk rise.

DAY 2

Next morning: Remove dough from fridge and preheat oven with dutch oven inside.

Fold and form dough into ball, Score it if you would like. Place dough on a piece of parchment paper.
Once oven is ready to go remove dutch oven and drop in the parchment paper with the ball of dough on top.
Put lid on dutch oven and place in oven.
Bake at 450 for 65 minutess.
Take bread out and place it on the counter to cool. I try to wait at least 2 hours to cut into it. This prevents it from turning gummy.

Lazy Girl’s Guide to Sourdough