This is how I thought sourdough was made, based on what I saw relatives and family friends do in the 70's and 80's. They'd feed the starter in the fridge periodically, either to keep it alive when not baking or to replenish when baking often, and then just dump a portion into their recipe in place of dry yeast. I had no idea sourdough was supposed to be so fussed over and babysat endlessly until COVID-19 hit and it became all the rage to make sourdough. I was actually contemplating making a starter in February because there was no yeast on the shelves and I feared I would run out but when I looked online, to my surprise the process seemed exhausting and I wondered if I had been clueless in childhood observations of bread bakers. Glad to see my memories hadn't failed me after all and now rethinking whether I should invest in a starter.

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