This is the first loaf Herb and I made together. What started as a jar of starter on the counter finally became real bread, using the Beginner’s Sourdough Bread Recipe from Farmhouse on Boone. All that quiet work in Part One led to this moment. I preheated the oven with the Dutch oven inside until it was screaming hot. I set a piece of parchment paper on a cutting board so I could lift the dough in and out without panicking. Then, I took Herb’s dough out of the fridge and gently unwrapped the tea towel, relieved when it lifted right out. I dusted the top with a little flour and scored a simple cross with a few small cuts around the sides. The dough went onto the parchment, into the hot Dutch oven, and baked with the lid on first, then with the lid off until the crust turned deep and golden and the whole kitchen smelled like every warm thing I had been hoping for. I waited an hour for it to cool, then came the moment that made all the feeding and waiting worth it. When we finally sliced it open, I could not stop smiling. It was really, really good sourdough. We did it! Recipe I used: Beginner’s Sourdough Bread Recipe by Farmhouse on Boone. Save this for your first bake and tag me if you and your starter get here too. MealAndGrace HerbTheStarter MyFirstLoaf SourdoughBread BreadFromScratch FarmhouseOnBoone SourdoughBeginner KitchenStories