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Passing the Torch: Sharing Your Sourdough Starter with Friends and Neighbors
One of the most wonderful things about baking with wild yeast is that your starter is literally alive—and it loves to multiply! If you bake regularly, you quickly realize that you almost always have a little extra bubbly starter on hand than you actually need. Instead of letting it go to waste, why not share the magic? Passing along a piece of your sourdough starter is a deeply rooted, beautiful tradition. It is a wonderful way to connect with friends, welcome a new neighbor,

Heather
Jul 302 min read


The Art of the Blade: Simple Ways to Elevate Your Sourdough Scorin
There is a moment in the sourdough baking process that always feels a bit like magic—and a little bit high-stakes. You have nurtured your starter, guided your dough through gentle stretches and folds, patiently waited out the bulk fermentation, and shaped a gorgeous, taut round. And then comes the final act before it hits the oven: the score. Taking a razor-sharp blade to a beautiful piece of dough can feel terrifying at first. What if you press too hard? What if the dough dr

Heather
Jul 283 min read


Wild Yeast Meets Ancient Grains: Baking Sourdough with Einkorn
There is something deeply grounding about baking with ingredients that have remained unchanged for thousands of years. While modern commercial wheat has been heavily hybridized and altered for industrial roller mills, einkorn stands apart as the oldest known variety of wheat on earth—cultivated straight from the cradle of civilization and left completely untouched by modern breeding. When you pair this ancient, unhybridized grain with wild sourdough fermentation, you get a lo

Heather
Jul 273 min read


The Nuance of Einkorn: Why This Ancient Grain Wins (and Challenges) the Sourdough Game
In the world of artisan baking, we often talk about "flour" as a monolithic ingredient. For a long time, standard All-Purpose (AP) flour was the reliable workhorse of my kitchen. It was predictable, easy to source, and comfortable. But as any baker who has dipped their toes into heritage grains knows, Einkorn is in a league of its own. Over the last year, we made a radical shift: we moved away from the grocery aisles and started fresh milling our own flour. 1. The Nutritional

Heather
Jul 232 min read


When Good Bread Goes Flat: A Gentle Sourdough Troubleshooting Guide
There is nothing quite like the quiet anticipation of sliding a beautifully scored loaf of sourdough into a hot Dutch oven, only to pull off the lid 20 minutes later and find a dense, flat disk instead of the towering, blistered artisan round you envisioned. If this has ever happened to you, take a deep breath and set down the bread knife! Every single baker—from beginners to seasoned pros—has pulled a less-than-stellar loaf from the oven. Bread making is a living, breathing

Heather
Jul 223 min read


Sourdough on a Real-Life Schedule: Fitting the Bake into Your Day
If you have ever read a traditional sourdough recipe that maps out an entire 24-hour itinerary, you might have felt a familiar wave of intimidation. It can easily sound like you need to chain yourself to the kitchen counter, constantly hovering over a bowl, timing every stretch and fold to the exact minute. If you are balancing a home-based business, homeschooling, gardening, and family life, standing guard over a loaf of bread simply isn't in the cards! But here is the wonde

Heather
Jul 224 min read


Beyond the Loaf: Creative ways to use sourdough discard in everyday cooking, from savory herb crackers to fermented pancake batters.
If you’ve been maintaining a sourdough starter for any length of time, you know the "discard dilemma." Every time you feed your starter to keep it bubbly and active, a portion of that fermented gold usually ends up in the bin. But here’s the secret: that discard is packed with tangy flavor and natural acidity that can transform your everyday cooking. It’s time to stop seeing it as waste and start seeing it as a secret ingredient. From crunchy snacks to fluffy breakfast stacks

Heather
May 53 min read


The Seasonal Starter: Navigating Florida’s Humidity and Heat
The Seasonal Starter: How humidity and temperature shifts in Florida affect your fermentation rhythm and how to adjust.

Heather
Apr 262 min read
Welcome to the Hearth
Welcome to Bread, Blooms, and Belonging. I am so glad you’ve found your way here. If you’ve ever felt the pull toward a slower, more intentional way of living—one marked by the scent of sourdough in the oven, the dirt beneath your fingernails, and the quiet rhythm of a home-centered life—then you are in good company. At Loaves & Groves, we believe that the most nourishing things aren't found in a hurry. They are cultivated over time. They are found in the bubbles of a seven-y

Heather
Mar 312 min read


Maintaining and Feeding Your Sourdough Starter
At Loaves & Groves, the sourdough starter is the heartbeat of our kitchen. Every week, I receive so many questions about how to care for these "little guys," as my daughter likes to call them. I’ve been nurturing my own starter for years, and it has become an essential part of our family’s rhythm. There is something so deeply comforting about warm, crusty bread straight from the oven or a sourdough cobbler shared after a long day. If you’ve been nervous that maintaining a st

Heather
Mar 314 min read


The Heart of the Loaves & Groves Kitchen: Cultivating Your Starter
At Loaves & Groves, our journey always returns to the basics: flour, water, and the quiet magic of fermentation. Learning to craft a sourdough starter from scratch is more than just a recipe; it is an invitation to bring a living, breathing tradition into your home. This one versatile ingredient is the soul of our kitchen, breathing life into artisanal boules, tender cakes, farmhouse cookies, and so much more. If you’ve spent any time exploring the world of traditional, nouri

Heather
Mar 314 min read


Ultimate Sourdough Starter Feeding Schedule
Hope you guys find this helpful! Feel free to DM me (@loavesandgroves) on Instagram if you have any questions! Day 1 : Before you start , record your jars weight without the lid 100g stone ground rye flour 150g lukewarm water @85 degrees F Day 2 : 70g mature starter (jar weight + 70g = what your jar should weigh when the correct amount of starter has been removed) 50g stoneground rye flour 50g unbleached all purpose flour 115g lukewarm water @85 degrees F Day 3 : S

Heather
Dec 21, 20251 min read


Favorite Sourdough Tools from Amazon
These are all the tools I love and use from Amazon. These bowls are fantastic as they nest inside each other. I own all four and I have noticed that they help in keeping the dough cool during the rising process, especially beneficial in Florida where the temperatures tend to be on the warmer side. Mora Ceramic Extra Big 5.5 & 3.6 Qt - White Mora Ceramic 2.5 & 1.6 Qt - White Jars for sourdough starter: I use these interchangeably depending on the task at hand. Weck Tulip Jar

Heather
Oct 16, 20241 min read


Mastering Sourdough Bread: Tips and Tricks Revealed
Are you looking to elevate your sourdough baking skills? Look no further. Today, we're diving into the world of sourdough bread and uncovering some expert tips and tricks that will help you master the art of sourdough baking. First things first, let's talk about the heart of sourdough bread - the starter culture. If you're based in Orlando, FL, you're in luck. Loaves & Groves offers a selection of premium dehydrated sourdough starter cultures that can elevate your bread game.

Heather
Oct 12, 20242 min read


Unlock the Secret to Perfect Sourdough: Starter Cultures Available
Are you a baking enthusiast looking to unlock the secret to perfect sourdough bread? Look no further—Loaves & Groves, a premier business based in Orlando, FL, has you covered with their dehydrated sourdough starter cultures. Sourdough baking has been around for centuries, with its distinct tangy flavor and chewy texture captivating taste buds all around the world. One of the key components to creating the perfect sourdough bread is a strong and healthy starter culture. What e

Heather
Oct 12, 20241 min read
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