I'll be the first to admit that baking sourdough is hard. There's so much jargon that it can feel overwhelming before you've even made a sourdough starter. To be honest, I still don't know what a sourdough banneton does — especially when I'm being recommended a very fancy Flourside banneton. And then what's the difference between bulk fermentation and counter proofing? Don't get me started on shaping.
It goes without saying that once you crack the jargon, sourdough starter proofing is the trickiest part of the baking journey. And then you need to calculate the bulk fermentation time. And then the whole hydration discourse? Honestly, no wonder I was scared of sourdough until very recently (despite making a weekly loaf since January this year).
