Crustopher Takes a Break: Why I Love the Flexibility of Sourdough

This past week was a whirlwind. Between parent-teacher conferences, the heartbreaking loss of a family friend, dance competitions, hockey wind-ups, and just the everyday chaos of life, I had to make the tough call—Crustopher had to take a little nap in the fridge.

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And honestly, that’s one of the things I love most about sourdough. Life can get hectic, and instead of stressing about feeding my starter daily, I can simply pop him into the fridge until I have the time and energy to bake again. Unlike so many other things in life that demand immediate attention, sourdough is forgiving. It waits. It adapts. It’s always there when I’m ready to get back to it.

Now that the dust has settled (at least for now), I’m looking forward to getting back into baking. My goals for the week? A jalapeño cheddar loaf and some cinnamon buns. There’s something so satisfying about making these from scratch—especially when you know that your little starter has been patiently waiting to come back to life.

Of course, with baking comes the inevitable cleanup. And if you’ve ever worked with sourdough, you know that the cleanup process can be… messy. Sticky dough, flour everywhere, and let’s not even talk about what happens if you let your tools sit for too long. But over time, I’ve picked up some tricks that make cleaning up after sourdough a little easier.

Tips & Tricks for Cleaning Up After Sourdough

1. Use Cold Water for Initial Cleaning – Rinsing bowls, utensils, and hands with cold water prevents the dough from becoming even stickier. Hot water can cause the gluten to bind more tightly, making it harder to clean.
2. Pre-Soak Equipment – After using mixing bowls, scrapers, and utensils, soak them in cold water right away. This helps loosen any dough and makes scrubbing much easier.
3. Employ a Bench Scraper – Before washing, use a bench scraper to remove excess dough from work surfaces and bowls. This reduces how much sticky residue you have to deal with later.
4. Add Liquid Ingredients First – When mixing your dough, adding liquid ingredients before the dry ones can minimize flour dust and make the mixture easier to combine, which leads to less mess overall.
5. Use Parchment Paper – Lining your baking surfaces with parchment paper helps prevent dough from sticking, cutting down on the need for scrubbing afterward.
6. Clean as You Go – It’s tempting to let things pile up, but washing tools and wiping down surfaces immediately after use prevents the dough from hardening, making cleanup so much easier.
7. Designate Specific Towels for Sourdough – I have a few towels specifically for bread-making. After use, I shake off the flour, rinse them in cold water, and toss them in the wash. It keeps my other kitchen towels from getting covered in sticky dough.
8. Contain the Mess – Keeping your bread-making activities to one area of the kitchen can help prevent flour and dough from spreading everywhere. Less mess means less stress!

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So, here’s to a new week with a bit more time to bake, a little less chaos (hopefully), and the ongoing joy of sourdough. Crustopher is back, and I can’t wait to see what delicious creations come out of my oven next!

Karissa 🙂