Sourdough: is it hard? Where do I even begin?

[KoreanBeauty]

I want to really start to make my own bread but am put off by how scientific and precise the whole process is.
Is baking your own sourdough bread very difficult? Where do I even start? Are there any books/youtube channels/websites you recommend I should use to learn?
I own a dutch oven so would use that to cook it.
DH also treated me to a kitchenaid for Xmas (great price at the black friday sale) which I am dying to try and was hoping to use it to make bread regularly.
Please tell me how to become good at it!

This is something im about to start doing too so will follow with interest. Ive seen some good clips on fb though recently which has inspired me. I just don't have a lot of patience which may be my downfall

Its not actually that hard. I gave up initially with the whole starter thing as it all seemed very technical, online info and I was leaving it too long in the airing cupboard so it would collapse with a runny top and looked disgusting!

Now I can make a starter easily and just guess at rough measurements so consistency of say houmous as an example, helps get it bubbling. Also keep a bit in the fridge to help get it going.

I follow the sourdough setting on my kitchenaid then stop it before it starts baking. I then put it in the fridge overnight already in baking paper so I don't have to move it much to get it in the Dutch oven.

Its pretty good and I surprised myself that I could actually do it! Good luck!

SeriousEats took on sourdough a lockdown project. Have a look here

https://www.seriouseats.com/search?q=Sourdough

https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1FyKGWk6mL/?mibextid=wwXIfr

it seems complicated at first but is actually straightforward and produces great bread. FB linked (Sourdough Baking Hub -UK) is a great place for advice and foolproof methods for beginners

Illiterate people who didn’t know what yeast was made sourdough bread for centuries. It doesn't have to be scientific or precise.

The golden rule for me is never bake with an under-active starter. If it is good and bubbly you will get edible bread. It might not look as good as the loaves you see on Instagram but it will taste good.

Does it have to be sourdough? Maybe start with a commercial dry yeast and see if you enjoy making bread first.
You can be raising your starter while you practice.

I’ve been cooking sourdough for about 6 months. I got a starter off my sister and watched YouTube videos to start. It takes a bit of time to perfect. My first 6 or so loaves were a bit flat, but they were always edible.

the main thing with sourdough is keeping your starter alive(although you can put it to sleep in the fridge) and having the time. It takes about 4 hours for the first stages (but really simple, just need to do stretch And folds every 30 mins. So you need to make sure you have time for that.
then you bake about 6 hours later, or the next day. So it doesn’t take much labour, but requires a lot of time. But it’s very easy! And sooo delicious 🙂

Oh and also, try to get some starter from someone as opposed to try to make your own. Making your own takes ages, and you get the best loaves from a more established starter