Sourdough Success

I've been riding a wave of joy and accomplishment for the past few days. This is the second sourdough that has turned out perfectly, (so the first one wasn't a fluke!). How did I do it?
I've been struggling with so many attempts at sourdough over the past three years, never quite reaching the standard I was after. Then I saw that Simply Joolz  had written about baking a sour dough loaf and it looked perfect. She described briefly how she did it but I wanted to know more detail, so I asked her the question in a comment. She made it sound so simple!
Well, these folks on the blog-o-sphere are some of the most generous and sharing people I know, so Joolz was forthcoming about where she learned to make the perfect sourdough and directed me to  Fig Jam and Lime Cordial where Celia shares her knowledge (and it is vast) on all things cooking, home making, etc.
So if you're looking to make perfect sourdough, or any bread, have a look at this wonderful blog. The recipe I'm using for this one is "Overnight Sourdough" and it is only one of a huge list of the most amazing breads that I can't wait to try.
Thank you Joolz for generously directing me to the answers I needed.

I always have lots of spare sourdough starter and love to share - rather than give to the pigs or chooks who don't even appreciate it's awesomeness. So if you live nearby, contact me and I can get some to you so you can get started on this amazing sourdough journey.

Sourdough breads can often be tolerated by people who are sensitive to wheat and yeast products. There is no yeast in sourdough, just flour and water! Yes, completely naturally fermented goodness.  Many people are also unaware that all grains should be soaked before we eat them, so this is another reason why sourdough is perfect because it is prepared the day before it is cooked, allowing the grains (flour) to soak and release their phytic acid.
Read about soaking grains and phytic acid here and here and of course in my favorite kitchen manual  Nourishing Traditions
Commercially made bread makes me feel bloated and tired, so  I started making sourdough bread, even though it was often too dense and not palatable to anyone else but me. I was hoping that I could tolerate bread in that form and that it wasn't the gluten that I was sensitive to. If that was the case I would have needed to avoid gluten.
Such a great relief to find that I can eat sourdough with no ill effects at all. Now the icing on the cake is that I can bake a beautiful loaf that I'm proud to show and share.

This loaf has three cups of flour. (I halved the recipe on Celia's blog) I used two cups of "Wallaby brand" white flour plus one cup of freshly ground organic wheat flour that I milled in my Stone grinder mill. I cooked it in a covered pot in the gas oven but will be baking it in my wood oven as soon as the days become cool enough.

Have you made sourdough?  Do you have any special tips you could share? Or maybe you've been thinking you would love to start making your own sourdough.
I hope this blog helps you to get onto it and start turning out the perfect loaf.  There will be smiles all round, as I've been walking around like a big silly grin on legs lately.