Sourdough Baking Made Simple: Tips from Kate Freebairn

A loaf of sourdough can take up to three days to prepare, but it doesn’t require you to be actively working on it all that time. Kate Freebairn, a sourdough recipe developer and food blogger based in rural Western Australia, wants to reassure busy aspiring bread bakers about this. One major misconception is that making sourdough consumes too much time and effort.

Freebairn’s debut cookbook, Easy Sourdough on Any Schedule, aims to integrate bread baking into everyday routines. For example, she suggests feeding the starter the night before, mixing the dough in the morning, and handling the dough during family breakfast time. While at work, the dough can ferment, then be shaped and refrigerated in the evening. The next morning, you simply preheat the oven, brew your coffee, and bake a fresh loaf.

Freebairn also highlights the potential health benefits of sourdough. Due to its natural fermentation, the microbes in the starter aid digestion. This type of bread is less likely to spike blood sugar levels and contains prebiotics beneficial for gut health. Besides health perks, sourdough offers a superior taste, according to Freebairn.

Beginners don’t need expensive equipment to get started. A simple pickle jar can hold a starter, and an ordinary bowl can replace a proofing basket. Freebairn mentions she uses a budget-friendly $30 Dutch oven from Aldi.

The real investment is patience. Freebairn advises beginners to anticipate imperfections in their initial loaves. It may take five to ten attempts to become familiar with the process. She encourages bakers to use what they have, adapt sourdough baking to their lifestyle, and not worry about achieving perfection immediately.

Easy Sourdough on Any Schedule will be available in September.