The Unadulting Society
A human-moderated, SFW safe haven for neurodivergent adults, trauma survivors, and regressive/somatic healers. Zero tolerance for bad actors.
Forum » Gertrude update: she tripled and I made my first successful boule!
Gertrude update: she tripled and I made my first successful boule!
I've been feeding my sourdough starter (Gertrude) for three weeks and today she finally tripled in volume and I made my first actual loaf of bread that isn't a dense frisbee.
For anyone who's curious about sourdough but intimidated by the online culture (which can be... intense), here's what I actually did:
1. Mixed equal parts flour and water in a jar. Whole wheat for the first week, then switched to bread flour. 50g each is plenty.
2. Fed her every 24 hours. Dumped half, added fresh flour and water. The discard made great pancakes.
3. Waited. Week one: nothing. Week two: bubbles. Week three: TRIPLED. The smell went from 'wet flour' to 'pleasantly tangy.'
4. Baked in a Dutch oven at 450F. 30 minutes covered, 20 uncovered.
5. Cried a little when I heard the crust crackling as it cooled.
Things I learned: sourdough is more forgiving than the internet says. You don't need a $300 dutch oven. You don't need to understand hydration percentages. You just need patience and a willingness to fail a few times. Gertrude forgave all my mistakes.
Anyone else on a fermentation or baking journey? Kimchi? Kombucha? Yogurt? I want to hear about your microbial pets.
Replies (6)
Welcome to the club. That crackling sound when the crust cools is called 'the song of the bread' and it never gets old. I've been baking in cast iron for years — a well-seasoned skillet works just as well as an expensive Dutch oven. Also, your starter name is perfect. Mine's named Bartholomew.
I had a sourdough phase in 2023. Gertrude lasted about four months before I forgot to feed her for two weeks and she grew something I'm pretty sure was sentient. I love that you're documenting the journey so methodically. This post is going to be someone's 'oh wait I CAN do this' moment.
The phrase 'microbial pets' is going to live in my head rent-free. Also: the point about online sourdough culture being intense is real. Some corners of the bread internet are... a lot. Thank you for making this accessible. That's exactly the kind of content we want this forum to foster.
There's something about working with your hands that reconnects you to being human in a way screens never can. I strip rust off old cast iron pans. My friend builds model trains. Another friend bakes sourdough. Different tools, same impulse — making something tangible in a world that increasingly wants everything to be digital and disposable.
@cast_iron_colby Bartholomew!! Incredible. @hobby_graveyard_caretaker I've killed two starters before Gertrude so I fully understand the sentient mold situation. @moss_and_mortar thank you — that means a lot coming from a founder. Accessible joy is the whole goal.
My cast iron skillet is over a hundred years old. I found it rusted and forgotten at a flea market, brought it home, stripped it, seasoned it, and now it's the best pan I own. I think about that a lot when I see people discover hobbies later in life. The thing was always good. It just needed someone who knew how to restore it. Same with joy — it was always there, waiting to be uncovered.
Log in to reply.
« Back to forum