Bread is expensive. I mean, we consume a loaf and then some every week, and my family is only going to get bigger. I do not usually do the shopping but last summar while my wife was recovering from the C-section, I did.

I was appalled at the $7 pricetag on our favorite sourdough, so I decided to do something about it.

We had a sourdough starter in the back of the fridge that had been there over a year and developed a dark liquid across the surface.

With a little work and patience, it recovered quickly, and I started my baking journey.

I use a simple recipe that requires almost no kneeding. I mix it in the morning, let it rest for 1-2 hours, fold it, rest and fold it a second time, and proof it until after dinner. Then I bake it in our cast iron dutch oven.

• 394 grams Bread Flour (or 378 g All Purpose + 16 g Vital Gluten)
• 100 g Sourdough mix
• 250 grams water
• 8 grams salt

Sourdough can be finicky, so it has been a challenge to perfect. Some days it turns out beautifully; other times the air pockets are far too big.

Since the biggest cost is the Costco flour, we have saved between $150-200 since July.

It is not a lifechanging amount, but it does make me feel like I am doing something about the ever increasing costs of staying alive.

My favorite addition to the process was when my wife gifted me a mobile proofing box. Over the summer, I proofed the bread outside in the California heat, but during the winter that does not work and our old house struggles to retain its heat. So the bread suffered. But now with a collapsable proofing box, that is not longer a problem, and we are back to heathy fluffy fresh sourdough.

Initially I was worried that the process would be too time consuming for me to bake consistently.

But that has not been a problem with this recipe.

I have only missed two weekends in the past 32 weeks, and for one of those I was out of state.

There are few foods I enjoy as much as freshly baked bread, so the reward of having it every week is really special. Not to mention it means we are consuming less preservatives, etc.

It has made a great weekend hobby, and it is easier than you think. So if you have ever thought about making your own bread, I highly recommend it.