Let’s Be Real, You Don’t Need All the Things! 👩🍳🥣🫙
If you’ve ever seen those aesthetic sourdough kits online complete with branded jars, Danish whisks, baskets, blades, and linen cloths you might think you need to spend a small fortune just to get started.
But here’s the truth: you don’t need all the fancy gear to make beautiful sourdough.
As someone with ADHD, I totally get the dopamine rush of starting a new hobby. I want to deep dive, buy everything, and turn into a sourdough goddess overnight. But this time, the minimalist in me reminded myself that all I really needed to begin was:
A $3 Kmart jar, a bag of wholemeal Pams flour, tap water, and a few utensils I already had around the house. (and you probably do too.)
Yep. That’s it. And guess what? That humble little setup got me bubbly action within a day.
How I Made My Sourdough Starter from Scratch 🫙✨🍞
Creating a sourdough starter was way less intimidating than I expected. I didn’t follow a strict recipe, I just followed the feel of it. Here’s what I did:
Day 1: Mixed equal parts wholemeal flour and water in my Kmart jar. Stirred with a spoon. Left it loosely covered on the bench. Day 2: BUBBLES. Already. I was shocked. (Thank you heat pump!) Gave it a feed (scooped half out and added fresh flour + water). Days 3–6: Fed once a day. More bubbles, stronger smell (a little fruity, a little tangy, just right). By Day 7 it was doubling like clockwork. Stretchy, pillowy, active. Ready to bake.
There were no special tools. No purchased starter. No stress.
How I Keep My Sourdough ADHD And Lazy Girl Friendly 🧠
One of the biggest things I’ve learned with sourdough is: you can adapt the process to your life, not the other way around. You don’t need to be a leisurely housewife with all the time in the world who makes sourdough between brunches and yoga sessions.
I’m not someone who’s going to do things at the exact same time every day and some weeks I may not feel like it at all. So here’s what works for me:
I keep my starter in the fridge when I’m not baking. First thing in the morning on prep day, I pull it out, feed it with a 1:2:2 ratio, (1 part starter, 2 parts flour, 2 parts water) and let it sit on the bench. In about 4-6 hours it’s ready to use.
OR!
I pull it out the night before, adjust my ratio to 1:3:3 for a longer slower rise and it’s ready to start the dough first thing in the morning. No pressure. No tracking apps. Just chill vibes.
If I don’t feel like baking that week, I just pull it out of the fridge feed it, let it rise for a few hours and put it back in the fridge. That feed will keep it going for another week without baking.
Once I’ve started my dough, sometimes I forget to do all my stretch and folds or sometimes I can’t even be bothered. Even giving it one decent one in the beginning still gives you beautiful bread.
My Secret To A Good Rise: I Bulk Ferment in My Multicooker (Yep, It Works) 🥣
Like I said, I don’t have a lot of fancy “sour dough” equipment, but I do have a Russel Hobbs Multicooker and it does wonders!
Here’s what I do:
After my stretch and folds are done I place my metal bowl with my dough inside the multicooker. I turn on the Yoghurt setting, which holds a consistent, warm temperature perfect for bulk fermenting and proofing. The dough rises beautifully every time. Consistent flavour. Great texture.
Don’t have one of these? No stress! Just leave it on your bench in a warm place, near a mild heat source like a heat pump, on a heat pad (I also do this!) or even in your oven with the lights on only. They’re just warm enough to help with the fermenting process.
And when it’s ready to bake?
In Goes the Dough: My Affordable Kmart Dutch Oven Magic 🪄✨
Since I don’t have a $1000 Le Creuset I use what I have:
I bake the bread in my cheap $42 Kmart Dutch Oven and it works like an absolute dream! I preheat it inside the oven, place my dough inside lined with baking paper and bake with the lid on for about 20 minutes and then lid off for about 20-25 mins to form that gorgeous crust we all know and love.s
If you’re keen to try it for yourself, here’s the exact sourdough recipe I use from starter to crust, using only what I already had in my kitchen.
Sourdough Without The Fancy Stuff 🫙✨🍞
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Mix 325g water + 100g starter, add 500g flour and mix with a fork until it turns to a shaggy dough. Rest 30 mins. Add salt and optional honey, mix well.
- Do 3 stretch & folds over 3 hours. (1 each hour) Then bulk ferment and let dough rise 50-75% in volume. (This can take 4-6 hours)
- Tip onto a lightly floured bench, shape tightly into a boule. Place in floured towel lined bowl.
- Cold Proof – Cover and refrigerate 10-14 hours overnight.
- In the morning, preheat oven to 230°C with Dutch oven inside. Score and bake: 20 mins lid on, 20-25 mins lid off.
- Optional 10 mins on rack. Cool at least 1 hour before cutting.
My Top Sourdough Hacks 🍞
🧠 ADHD-Friendly Tips:
Feed your starter before bed, then bake in the morning. Use alarms or sticky notes to remind you to stretch/fold. Embrace “good enough” dough. It doesn’t have to be perfect to be delicious. If you’re overwhelmed, skip the cold proof, it still tastes amazing.
💦 I use a lower hydration dough and here’s why:
I use a 65% hydration dough for more control when shaping and proofing. Traditional recipes felt too floppy with my high-grade flour, and the lower moisture even lets you skip stretch-and-fold if you prefer a lazy knead.
💡 Tips for a mild flavour success if you don’t like it too tangy:
This is me! I like a mild dough. We aren’t all into that tangy taste sourdough often gives off. So… Don’t let the dough rise too much before the fridge, stick to 50-75%. Keep fridge proof under 16 hours for lowest tang. Use a young, active starter, not one that’s overly acidic. You can also add milk or honey to soften and balance acidity. Honey is my go-to.
🌾 Bonus: Ingredient Swaps
No bread flour? Use plain white + a tablespoon of wholemeal. No rice flour for dusting? Use a mix of plain flour + semolina or just plain flour.
Honestly, this method has completely changed how I approach baking. It’s slow, grounding, adaptable, and gives me a creative outlet without needing a Pinterest worthy tool kit. If I can make crusty, beautiful sourdough with my $3 Kmart jar and $42 Dutch oven, so can you.
You Can Still Get the Aesthetic without the Aesthetic Tools 🛠️
Everything I use for sourdough lives in my everyday kitchen. Nothing is fancy, nothing belongs to those beautiful starter kits you purchase but you’d never know from the photos in this blog.
If you’re someone who wants to share your sourdough journey online or just take beautiful pics for fun, don’t stress about the “look.” You can absolutely get beautiful aesthetic sourdough content without having to buy all the gear.
Final Thoughts: Start Small. Start Now.
If you’ve been thinking about starting sourdough but felt overwhelmed by the gear, or you’ve got an ADHD brain like mine that wants to do it perfectly from day one, because you think it will “make your bread better” here’s your permission slip:
Just start.
Use what you have. Trust the process. Let it be a little messy and magical. It’s okay if you don’t get it right the first go. It took me four times to get my ideal loaf.
And honestly? Watching a jar of flour and water turn into something alive is one of the most satisfying, grounding hobbies I’ve ever picked up.
And the best part? You get to eat the results. 🍞💛
As always, please feel free to leave a comment in the comments section below or send me an email via the contact page and don’t forget to tag me on Instagram if you give this a try, I’d love to see your loaves! 🥖
Much love,
Jasmine Rozelle
Xxx