James Whitmore 
I was standing in my kitchen at 11 PM on a Tuesday, covered head to toe in flour, holding a sourdough starter that had somehow doubled in size and nearly exploded all over my clean white countertops. My husband peeked around the corner, took one look at my face, and wisely decided to pretend he … Read more
I’ll never forget the mortifying moment my mother-in-law bit into my prized sourdough loaf, made a face like she’d just licked a lemon, and announced loudly at the dinner table: “Goodness, this is SOUR! Did you forget to add sugar or something?” My husband’s eyes went wide. My face turned crimson. And I realized, in … Read more
I stood in my kitchen at 6 a.m. on a Saturday morning, staring at my sourdough starter jar with the kind of bewildered expression usually reserved for defusing bombs. My beloved starter—the one I’d named Gerald and nurtured for three years through my microbakery days—was bubbling over the counter like a science fair volcano. Not … Read more
I’ll never forget the morning my husband walked into the kitchen, took one whiff of my sourdough starter jar, and genuinely asked if I’d spilled nail polish remover on the counter. His nose wrinkled. His eyes watered. He actually backed away slowly, like he’d discovered a biohazard in our fridge. “That’s just hooch,” I said, … Read more
It was a Tuesday morning in March, and I stood in front of my kitchen counter staring at what should have been a beautiful, puffy loaf of sourdough. Instead, I was looking at a dense, barely-risen brick. Again. This was the third failed bake in two weeks, and I’d been doing this for eleven years. … Read more
There I was, flour dust settling on my apron like fresh snow, staring down at what looked like a crime scene across my marble work surface. My beautiful sourdough dough—the one I’d been nurturing for three days—was stuck. Not gently clinging to the counter. Stuck. Like it had formed an unbreakable bond with that marble … Read more
I was standing in my kitchen at 5 a.m., staring at a beautiful, perfectly proofed loaf that I’d spent two days nurturing, when I grabbed a dull paring knife and completely mangled the score. The blade caught, dragged, and tore through the dough like I was hacking at a cardboard box instead of performing delicate … Read more
If I had to pick one flavored cracker to make for the rest of my life, it would be rosemary and sea salt. It’s the cracker I served first at every market table because it’s universally loved, it pairs with everything, and it makes the whole kitchen smell incredible while it bakes. After 11 years … Read more
The first time I made sourdough cheese crackers, I was trying to recreate the boxed cheese crackers I grew up on — and I overshot wildly. Mine were sharper, snappier, and tasted like actual aged cheddar instead of cheese powder. They disappeared in an afternoon. Over my microbakery years these became a holiday staple that … Read more
Seeded crackers were my best seller at the microbakery, and they’re still what I make most often at home. A plain sourdough cracker is good; a seeded one feels intentional — there’s crunch, nuttiness, and visual appeal that makes people reach for a second before they’ve finished the first. After years of making these by … Read more
