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About

hey there!

Hi, I'm Jess!

I'm a food photographer and recipe developer based in Chicago. I'm deep into the sourdough journey and excited to share my beginner baking and sourdough discard recipes with you. Let's get baking!

A headshot of Jessica Vogl holding a camera.

How it all started...

I've always had a passion for cooking and baking (family friends will remember a months-long 8th-grade project all about baking!). I started taking photos of my cooking and baking creations to share with friends and family, then getting more and more into food photography. I took some wonderful food photography courses and attended summits and knew this intersection of food, baking, photography and storytelling was where I wanted to be!

This Jess Cooks is a way for me to share my recipes and photos, and help home bakers try new things. I am excited to share this baking journey with you!

  • Sourdough Discard Protein Bagels on a green tray with cream cheese.
    Sourdough Discard Protein Bagels
  • Sourdough Lemon Loaf Cake in slices.
    Sourdough Lemon Loaf Cake
  • Syrup pouring onto a stack of Sourdough Sweet Potato Waffles.
    Sourdough Sweet Potato Waffles
  • Sourdough Discard Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread slice spread with butter.
    Sourdough Discard Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread

Why sourdough? And why discard?

During the COVID-19 pandemic, I was one of the (seemingly) millions of people who made a sourdough starter! We were all stuck at home, and a time-consuming baking project seemed just what I needed. Soon enough, I realized that I liked the ritual of maintaining a sourdough starter, but I also realized that I had a LOT of sourdough discard.

At the time, there weren't many recipes sharing how to use sourdough discard, but I didn't want to waste it. I had just spent weeks creating this sourdough baby, and to have to throw away so much of it with each feed was literally painful. That's when This Jess Cooks went deep into the world of sourdough discard recipes.

I also wanted to help dispel some of the misconception that sourdough is complicated. It doesn't have to be. You can get into complex hydration percentages, specialty ingredients and unusual techniques if you want to.

There is a growing community of sourdough bakers who aren't looking for complicated and aren't looking for bakes that take 18+ hours. I like to think I'm part of that community making sourdough accessible.

  • A Sourdough Discard Bagel with everything bagel seasoning.
    Sourdough Discard Bagels
  • Sourdough discard pretzels on white parchment paper.
    Sourdough Discard Pretzels
  • Sourdough Discard Pull Apart Bread with a few layers pulled out.
    Sourdough Discard Garlic Pull Apart Bread
  • Sourdough Discard Pretzel Bites on a black and white tray.
    Sourdough Discard Pretzel Bites

What You will Find at This Jess Cooks

  • Simple baking and sourdough discard recipes suitable for beginner bakers.
  • Tips for your sourdough journey, including a sourdough starter recipe, and in-depth posts on how to feed sourdough starter, how to use sourdough discard, and tips for struggling sourdough starter.
  • My favorite kitchen gear and essentials that I use every day to make my recipes!
A stack of Sourdough Discard Blueberry Bagels.

top recipe!

Sourdough Discard Blueberry Bagels

One of my favorite recipes for breakfast or brunch!

Get the recipe

More About This Jess Cooks

Can I make your sourdough discard recipes with active starter?

Yes, you can! Nearly all of my sourdough discard recipes can be easily adapted to use active sourdough starter rather than sourdough discard.

Does your sourdough starter have a name?

She does, and her name is Betty!

Will you be sharing more non-sourdough recipes?

Eventually! Right now I'm focusing on sourdough and sourdough discard, but I do hope to expand beyond that.

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Jess's Favorite Recipes

  • A Sourdough Discard Bagel with everything bagel seasoning.
    Sourdough Discard Bagels
  • Sourdough discard pizza dough shaped on a green baking sheet.
    Sourdough Discard Pizza Dough
  • A closeup of Sourdough Discard Cinnamon Rolls.
    Sourdough Discard Cinnamon Rolls
  • Sourdough Discard Pie Crust in a pie pan.
    Sourdough Discard Pie Crust
  • An overhead view of a slice of Sourdough Discard Focaccia.
    Sourdough Discard Focaccia
  • Candied orange slices in a stack with a blue ribbon.
    Candied Orange Slices
  • Sourdough discard brownies cut into squares on white parchment paper.
    Sourdough Discard Brownies
  • A side view of a slice of the Sourdough Discard Strawberry Galette.
    Sourdough Discard Strawberry Galette

Let's get baking!

View All Recipes
A headshot of Jessica Vogl holding a camera.

Hi, I'm Jess!

I'm a food photographer and recipe developer based in Chicago. I share simple baking and sourdough discard recipes, as well as tips and tricks to get your sourdough starter up and running! Let's get baking!

Read More

Trending Recipes

  • Sourdough discard pizza dough shaped on a green baking sheet.
    Sourdough Discard Pizza Dough
  • A Sourdough Discard Bagel with everything bagel seasoning.
    Sourdough Discard Bagels
  • Sourdough Discard Pretzel Bites on a black and white tray.
    Sourdough Discard Pretzel Bites
  • Sourdough Discard Pull Apart Bread with a few layers pulled out.
    Sourdough Discard Garlic Pull Apart Bread
  • Sourdough discard pretzels on white parchment paper.
    Sourdough Discard Pretzels
  • A side view of Sourdough Discard Cinnamon Roll Focaccia.
    Sourdough Discard Cinnamon Roll Focaccia

Summer BBQ Recipes

  • An overhead view of Sourdough Discard Hawaiian Rolls in the baking pan.
    Sourdough Discard Hawaiian Rolls
  • A stack of Sourdough Discard Pretzel Buns.
    Sourdough Discard Pretzel Buns
  • Sourdough discard pretzels on white parchment paper.
    Sourdough Discard Pretzels
  • A stack of Sourdough Discard Hamburger Buns on a white tray.
    Sourdough Discard Hamburger Buns
  • A pile of Sourdough Discard Garlic Knots.
    Sourdough Discard Garlic Knots
  • Sourdough Discard Garlic Rolls in a square pan.
    Sourdough Discard Garlic Rolls

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