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!
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!
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.
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.
- An email newsletter sharing updates, recipes, tips and tricks right to your inbox.
- My favorite kitchen gear and essentials that I use every day to make my recipes!
top recipe!
Sourdough Discard Blueberry Bagels
One of my favorite recipes for breakfast or brunch!
More About This Jess Cooks
Yes, you can! Nearly all of my sourdough discard recipes can be easily adapted to use active sourdough starter rather than sourdough discard.
She does, and her name is Betty!
Eventually! Right now I'm focusing on sourdough and sourdough discard, but I do hope to expand beyond that.
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