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Sourdough Sorcery
Sourdough Sorcery is a podcast for home bakers, bread lovers, and curious cooks who want to turn simple ingredients into something truly magical.
Hosted by Gloria MacDonald, the Sourdough Sorceress, this show blends stories, science, and a sprinkle of sourdough magic to help you bake better bread, nourish your body, and fall in love with the slow, satisfying art of sourdough.
Each episode dives into:
- The health benefits of sourdough and long fermentation
- The why behind the process—from starters and fermentation to flavor and texture
- Practical tips, techniques, and troubleshooting for real home kitchens
- Creative ideas for using sourdough beyond bread, including discard recipes and seasonal bakes
- The deeper joy of slowing down, baking with intention, and sharing food with the people you love
Whether you’re brand new to sourdough or a seasoned baker looking for fresh inspiration, Sourdough Sorcery is your cozy companion in the kitchen—here to make sourdough feel approachable, empowering, and a little bit magical.
New episodes serve up knowledge, encouragement, and plenty of crusty inspiration to help you bake with confidence and create loaves you’re proud to share.
Learn more, explore recipes, and discover tools of the trade at SourdoughSorcery.com.
Sourdough Sorcery
The Truth About 100-Year-Old Sourdough Starter
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Are 100-year-old sourdough starters really better?
You’ve seen the ads. Authentic 100-year-old starter. Gold Rush era culture. 150-year-old San Francisco sourdough.
It sounds magical. Historic. Powerful.
But is it?
In this episode of Sourdough Sorcery, we separate romance from reality and talk about what a sourdough starter actually is — a living ecosystem of wild yeast and bacteria that is constantly shifting and adapting.
We explore:
• Whether a starter can truly be 100 years old
• Why age does not automatically mean strength
• What really determines flavor and performance
• How quickly a starter adapts to your own kitchen
• And what most people don’t realize about buying dehydrated starter online
Because here’s the truth:
Age does not equal strength. Stability equals strength.
Whether you buy a starter or create your own, what matters most is how you care for it once it’s in your kitchen.
If you’re ready to go deeper into sourdough baking, visit SourdoughSorcery.com for recipes, tools, and my Sourdough Made Easy online class.
And maybe the real magic isn’t in buying a 100-year-old story.
Maybe it’s in starting your own.