The Hosting Shortcut Joanna Gaines Uses That Saves So Much Time

Considering entertaining? Well, lifestyle pro Joanna Gaines has some hosting advice you may want to take note of. The television personality and cookbook author told The Kitchn that she often picks up pre-made bread from the store instead of making it herself. While Gaines does make her own sourdough, she doesn't always have the time and has no problem buying some fresh-baked loaves from the grocery. She explained, "I'll get a loaf of bread, cut it up, and put garlic butter on it if I'm doing a pasta dish." Sounds delicious. 

There are various grocery stores that always offer fresh baked goods, including Costco, Publix, and Whole Foods. You can also find artisan bread, which is just homemade bread, at your local bakery. Like Gaines, you might make your own garlic spread, which goes great with Italian loaves and French baguettes. Or, if you want to do something fun and unique, consider creating a bread and butter flight for your guests to sample different butters paired with a different types of bread. Honestly, as long as it's fresh, it's pretty hard to go wrong with bread. 

Gaines enjoys making homemade sourdough so much, though, that she said she often plans her weekends around it. Per her Instagram, jalapeño cheddar and brown sugar and cinnamon are two of her family's favorite sourdough flavors. You can add all types of ingredients to sourdough stater, like freeze dried strawberries and cream cheese, which one of her followers shared. 

All you really need to make sourdough starter at home is flour, water, and some time. While you don't need a scale to measure ingredients properly, it is often recommended. Also, it's important to note that unfiltered tap water isn't ideal to use, as it's often chlorinated, and chlorine will kill the bacteria your starter needs to thrive. It's best to use filtered water, distilled, or leftover bottled water. You also want to avoid feeding your starter water that is too hot or too cold. The former is known to kill yeast and the latter may send your starter into shock.