Sourdough Sorcery

If you’ve ever felt confused about bulk fermentation, proofing, and cold fermenting… you are not alone.

And more importantly—this confusion is one of the biggest reasons your sourdough might be turning out dense, gummy, or just not quite right.

In this episode, we’re breaking it all down in a simple, no-guesswork way so you can finally understand what’s actually happening in your dough—and when.

You’ll learn:

•  What bulk fermentation really is (and when it actually starts) 
•  Why stretch and folds are part of bulk—not separate from it 
•  The difference between bulk fermentation and final proofing 
•  What cold fermenting really means (and why it’s not a separate step) 
•  Why the fridge won’t fix under-fermented dough 
•  What to look for instead of relying on the clock 

Because once you understand fermentation, everything changes.

Your sourdough becomes more predictable, your timing becomes more flexible, and your results become so much more consistent.

🎁 Free Resource

Want to take this further and confidently know when your dough is ready?

Grab my free Fermentation Made Simple Guide here:
👉 https://GloriaMacDonald.com/Ferment

If this episode helped you, be sure to follow the podcast so you don’t miss upcoming episodes where we continue to simplify sourdough and make it fit your life.

Most sourdough “failures” aren’t about your starter… your flour… or your recipe.

They’re about timing.

In this episode, we’re breaking down one of the most confusing (and frustrating) parts of sourdough baking—under-proofing vs over-proofing—so you can finally understand what your dough is actually telling you.

Because if you’ve ever pulled a flat loaf out of the oven…
 seen big holes mixed with dense sections…
 or wondered why your dough felt perfect one minute and impossible the next…

This is the episode you’ve been waiting for.

We’ll walk through:

•  What under-proofing really is (and why it creates those uneven, frustrating crumbs) 
•  What over-proofing looks and feels like (and why your dough “collapses”) 
•  How to use the poke test correctly—and what it’s actually telling you 
•  Exactly what perfectly proofed dough should feel like 
•  What to do if your dough is under-proofed (before and after baking) 
•  How to save over-proofed dough and turn it into something delicious (hello focaccia 👀) 

This isn’t about memorizing times or chasing perfection…

It’s about learning how to read your dough so your baking becomes predictable, flexible, and honestly kind of magical.

✨ READY TO TAKE IT FURTHER?

If you’re ready to stop guessing and start baking with confidence…

Inside Sourdough Made Easy, I walk you step-by-step through:

•  Understanding your starter 
•  Mastering fermentation timing 
•  Knowing exactly when your dough is ready 
•  And baking consistent, beautiful loaves in your real, everyday kitchen 

👉 To learn more, CLICK HERE.

If you love this episode, be sure to follow the podcast so you don’t miss what’s coming next—and I’ll see you in the next one ✨

If you’ve ever felt confused by sourdough starter feeding ratios—1:1:1, 1:3:3, 1:5:5—you’re not alone.

There’s a lot of noise online… and a lot of it makes it sound like there’s a “right” way to feed your starter.

But here’s the truth:
 There isn’t.

In this episode, we’re breaking down what feeding your starter actually does—and how you can use it to your advantage.

Because once you understand this, sourdough stops feeling unpredictable… and starts feeling completely manageable.

You’ll learn:

• What feeding ratios really mean (and what they don’t)
• How to control how fast your starter activates
• How to adjust your timing so sourdough fits your life
• The role hydration plays in fermentation speed
• Why there are no “rules”—only tools

This is the shift from guessing… to understanding.

✨ If you’re ready to simplify sourdough and build real confidence, check out my Sourdough Made Easy class.
 

👉 Visit SourdoughSorcery.com for more tips, tools and recipes for your sourdough journey.

If your sourdough bread isn’t turning out the way you hoped — dense, gummy, flat, or full of giant holes — you might think the problem is the recipe.

But most of the time… it isn’t.

In this episode of Sourdough Sorcery, Gloria (The Sourdough Sorceress) explains why the real problem is usually timing, not ingredients or technique.

Sourdough isn’t just a recipe — it’s a living fermentation process. And if your starter timing or fermentation schedule is off, your bread can easily become under-fermented, over-fermented, or weak, no matter how closely you follow the instructions.

In this episode you’ll learn:

• Why sourdough recipes often fail in different kitchens
 • How to recognize when your starter is truly at peak
• The signs of proper bulk fermentation
• Why following the clock can ruin your bread
• How to build a sourdough baking schedule that works in your kitchen

Once you understand the rhythm of fermentation, sourdough becomes much more predictable — and a lot more enjoyable to bake.

Because most sourdough problems aren’t recipe problems.

They’re timing problems.

Learn More

For more sourdough tips, recipes, and baking guides visit:
 SourdoughSorcery.com

If you’ve ever sliced into a loaf of sourdough and thought, “Why doesn’t mine look like the ones on Instagram?” — this episode is for you.

Somewhere along the way, sourdough baking became a performance. Giant holes, dramatic crumb shots, dark blistered crusts… and suddenly people feel like their bread isn’t good enough.

But here’s the truth: big holes do not automatically mean better bread.

In this episode, I’m breaking down five sourdough mistakes that almost nobody talks about — especially in the Instagram era — including:

• why chasing dramatic holes can actually lead to uneven fermentation
 • what balanced crumb really looks like
 • why high hydration isn’t always better
 • how overhandling dough during shaping affects structure
 • and why comparing your bread to someone else’s kitchen will drive you crazy

We’ll also talk about what actually matters in sourdough baking: even fermentation, balanced structure, and bread that you genuinely enjoy eating.

Because the real goal isn’t impressing Instagram — it’s making bread that tastes amazing to you.

If you'd like to build calm, repeatable confidence in your baking, you can learn more inside my Sourdough Made Easy Online Class.

Are you throwing away something valuable every time you feed your starter?

In this episode of Sourdough Sorcery, Gloria breaks down the truth about sourdough discard — what it actually is, why we discard in the first place, and whether it’s healthier than active starter.

You’ll learn:

• Why discarding is essential for a strong, balanced starter
 • The real difference between discard and active starter
 • Whether discard contains more fermentation benefits
 • What actually improves digestibility in sourdough
 • Why baking destroys probiotics (and what you’re really getting instead)
 • Whether you can slow cold ferment cookies and cakes for more health benefits

If you’ve ever felt guilty about discard… or wondered if you’re throwing away the “good stuff”… this episode will completely shift your perspective.

And if you’re ready to put your discard to delicious use check these out:

🍫 The Chocolate Collection
🥞 The Sourdough Breakfasts Made Easy Collection

Both are packed with simple, practical recipes that turn discard into something magical.

Because discard isn’t waste.

It’s transition.

And the real magic of sourdough isn’t in the jar — it’s in the time.

If your sourdough starter isn’t rising, seems weak, or won’t bounce back after sitting in the fridge, this episode will simplify everything.

Your starter responds to just four variables:

Flour
 Water
 Temperature
 Time

In this episode, I walk you through how each of these affects activity and strength, why bleached flour can cause problems, why temperature control matters more than most people realize, and what to expect when reactivating a starter that has been unfed in the refrigerator for weeks.

Most starter struggles are not about failure. They are about environment.

When you understand the variables, everything becomes calmer and more predictable.

If you want a structured, step-by-step approach to mastering your starter, click HERE to learn more about The 7-Day Starter Method™ Online Class.

Are 100-year-old sourdough starters really better?

You’ve seen the ads. Authentic 100-year-old starter. Gold Rush era culture. 150-year-old San Francisco sourdough.

It sounds magical. Historic. Powerful.

But is it?

In this episode of Sourdough Sorcery, we separate romance from reality and talk about what a sourdough starter actually is — a living ecosystem of wild yeast and bacteria that is constantly shifting and adapting.

We explore:

• Whether a starter can truly be 100 years old
 • Why age does not automatically mean strength
 • What really determines flavor and performance
 • How quickly a starter adapts to your own kitchen
 • And what most people don’t realize about buying dehydrated starter online

Because here’s the truth:

Age does not equal strength. Stability equals strength.

Whether you buy a starter or create your own, what matters most is how you care for it once it’s in your kitchen.

If you’re ready to go deeper into sourdough baking, visit SourdoughSorcery.com for recipes, tools, and my Sourdough Made Easy online class.

And maybe the real magic isn’t in buying a 100-year-old story.

Maybe it’s in starting your own.

For years, we’ve been told that gluten is the problem.

That bread is something to fear.

That our bodies just “can’t handle it anymore.”

But what if gluten was never the enemy?

In this episode of Sourdough Sorcery, we take a step back, way back, to explore what gluten actually is, how it’s created, and why fermentation has always been the missing piece in the conversation around bread and digestion.

Inspired by the Air episode of the Netflix series Cooked, this episode dives into the ancient origins of bread, how humans discovered fermentation thousands of years ago, and why fermented flour and water became one of the most sustaining foods in human history.

You’ll learn:

• Why gluten is not an ingredient, but something created when flour and water come together
• How fermentation transforms gluten and makes bread easier to digest
• Why ancient civilizations relied on fermented bread to sustain life
• What changed when modern bread became fast, processed, and rushed
• And why many people who struggle with store-bought bread feel completely different eating real sourdough

This episode isn’t about trends, fear, or cutting things out.

It’s about understanding bread the way it was meant to be understood.

Because bread isn’t broken.

Gluten isn’t the enemy.

We just forgot how bread was meant to be made.

If you want to learn how to bake sourdough the traditional way, with simple ingredients, long fermentation, and confidence, visit SourdoughSorcery.com for recipes, guides, and classes.

Thanks for being here, and happy fermenting 🥖✨

If your sourdough starter feels weak, your dough won’t hold its shape, or your bread just isn’t rising the way you expect, this episode is for you

In this podcast, we’re talking about why flour matters so much in sourdough baking, especially the difference between all-purpose flour and bread flour, and how protein content affects gluten development, fermentation, and rise.

You’ll learn:

 • The typical protein content of all-purpose vs bread flour

 • Why higher protein can improve structure and oven spring

 • How flour choice affects your starter and your dough

 • When all-purpose flour works beautifully

 • When switching to bread flour can make a real difference

 • How whole wheat and rye behave differently in sourdough

 • Why flour can be the missing piece when sourdough feels hard

Sourdough should not feel frustrating or unpredictable. Often, it’s not your technique, it’s your flour.

If you want to go deeper, you’ll find more sourdough recipes, tips, how-to guides, and tools at https://SourdoughSorcery.com, all designed to help you bake with more confidence and a lot less stress.

If this episode helped you, be sure to like, subscribe, and share it with someone who’s struggling with sourdough. More sourdough goodness is coming.

Happy baking 🥖✨