After a full 24 hours of labor, Jen and I are happy to announce ourselves as the proud parents of our first sourdough baby, Lo-Loaf. Our cute little bundle of joy was taken out of the oven February 8, 2025 at 11:11pm, weighing 1.13 lbs.

This journey began after humbly asking my talented baker friend Maryann for *another* sample of her tried and true starter after we killed the last one she gave us. But, in fairness, that was the day before our wedding in November and between our mini-moon and Thanksgiving the same week, we just didn’t have one moment to feed it.

But this time was different. The past few weeks we’ve really been leaning in to small adjustments: shopping local, pouring into community experiences, subscribing to our hometown newspaper delivery, foraging our garden bounty for dinner, and, with a commitment to new creative projects and working with our hands, the time was right to learn how to make our own bread.

So Maryann brought me a new starter and I vowed that we would do it justice with a solid effort this time.

We got a sourdough proofing kit midweek and did some research.

Maryann gave me some tips, there’s about a million YouTube videos…I’ve wanted to do this for so long that months ago I ambitiously joined a bunch of sourdough groups on socials for inspo.

Turns out, sourdough is a lot like bbq…everybody has an opinion about “the right way” to do it. I just picked the first “easy basic bitch sourdough” video I could find and took some notes.

I work better from a list I can hold with my hands.

Friday night, I started Phase 1 at 11pm: The Build, where you feed the starter, mix it and let it grow sitting in a jar on the counter.

I woke up in the morning ready for Phase 2, but the baby hadn’t grown enough yet and didn’t pass “the float test”, so she needed more time.

We read the paper, had some coffee, did the crossword, and waited a few hours for her to grow and decided it was like watching paint dry, so we ventured out into the world to a local flower/coffee shop. Jen fell in love with a plant at the North Park nursery that we have to keep in the humid bathroom until we find a permanent home for her.

Then we headed to Balboa Park for a walk around the Spanish village. We stopped in the creative spaces of local painters, woodworkers, photographers, glass blowers, and jewelry makers. We met some amazing artists and found some really inspirational signage.

Also, surfing Jesus.

We gawked at the new botanical building…a really beautiful upgrade from the old one in my childhood memories.

I also feel a little like my hair is giving Ronald Regan vibes lately…hair appointment next week….

We walked by street performers and activist tables and a succulent/pottery fair. And one guy who just sat in a chair advertising The Listening Project, where he just listens to whatever you want to say to him: ranting, complaining, thoughts, philosophies…he just listens. And we teared up a little reading his sign, like the world needs more of this.

And this whole time, our sourdough baby was growing at home on the counter! They really do grow up so fast.

She passed the float test when we got home…we went on to Phase 2: Mix then Phase 3: Bulk Fermentation. We stretched and pulled and got all the gluten strong and happy.

And then it was back to waiting again…We went to dinner at, in my opinion, one of the best Thai places in the city: Suppanee. They were all decked out for Valentine’s Day and we felt the love in the air over papaya salad, drunken noodles, Panag curry, and mango sticky rice.

The cute younger couple behind us was on a first date and we tried not to be too nosy, but they barely ate or drank anything they ordered, so immersed in their conversation, listening to each other…it was really sweet, we were quietly pulling for them.

And then it was back home for the last stretch of labor…Step 4. Shape. Step 5. Proof for 90 mins. And Step 6. Bake.

We cozied up on the beanbag, lit a fire, and turned up the Grateful Dead Pandora station. As we were talking about our day, I don’t know if it was because of surfing Jesus earlier, but Jen looked over and saw that our wood was burning a cross shape in the fireplace.

We’re not sure about the message from the universe on this one…Jen took a video so we couldn’t be accused of photoshopping.

I mean, we’re gonna interpret it as a positive— we were drinking wine and making bread—-maybe a thumbs up from Jesus? Lean into the simple, good stuff. That’s the way to live, ladies.

We’re hopeful…and also lowkey grateful it wasn’t a pentagram burning in the fireplace…I threw in some sage and palo santo, just in case.

Nobody needs any more negative scaries these days.

We both had a hard week. It’s so easy to get sucked into negative headlines…Friday I drove home wondering why my job feels so much harder now than it used to.

It was really nice to get out into the world and also do something creative with our hands this weekend…it recharged us somehow…

And so, little Lo-loaf came into the world at 11:11pm…we sampled a little piece this morning before heading out for breakfast and live music at our beloved City Farmers Nursery…Jen wanted to prune our apple tree and grape vines then get into the garden to plant some native white sage. She just sliced up the rest to bring out with some bruschetta while we watch the Super Bowl.

Another loaf on deck next Friday.

Delicious weekend ❤️