5 Reasons Why The 'Girl Making A Face While Making Sourdough Bread' Is Still The Internet’s Most Relatable Meme
The Comedian Behind the Viral 'Sourdough Face': Laura Ramoso
The infamous "girl making a face while making sourdough bread" is none other than the multi-talented Canadian sketch comedian and content creator, Laura Ramoso. Her ability to create sharp, culturally resonant character sketches has earned her millions of followers across platforms like TikTok and YouTube.
Laura Ramoso: Biography and Profile
- Full Name: Laura Ramoso
- Born: October 1995
- Age (Approx. Dec 2025): 30 years old
- Nationality: Canadian (with Italian and German heritage)
- Education: Theatre graduate from the University of Victoria (UVIC)
- Career Highlights: Sketch comedian, content creator, best known for satirical online videos, cultural humor, and character work, including her viral "German Mother" persona. She has an award-winning live comedy special.
- The Viral Video: The source of the "Sourdough Face" meme is her YouTube Short titled "Woman who just started baking bread #shorts," which has amassed millions of views for its accurate portrayal of the home baking struggle.
Ramoso's unique brand of comedy often relies on physical humor and pitch-perfect observational skills, making her the ideal person to capture the intense, almost painful concentration required for sourdough bread making. The "Sourdough Face" is a testament to her genius, transforming a complex culinary process into a simple, hilarious, and unforgettable visual joke.
The 5 Stages of Sourdough Grief: Why the Face is So Relatable
The longevity of the "Sourdough Face" meme, even years after the initial pandemic baking craze, is rooted in the fact that the sourdough journey is genuinely challenging. It's a high-effort, high-reward process governed by microbiology, not simple recipe following. Laura Ramoso's expression perfectly embodies the five most common frustrations home bakers face, proving that the struggle is still very real in late 2025.
1. The Starter Struggle (The Science of the Sour)
The entire process begins with a living organism: the sourdough starter, or levain. This mixture of flour and water is a delicate ecosystem of wild yeast (including species like *Saccharomyces cerevisiae* and *Kazachstania humilis*) and bacteria (*Lactobacillus*), which are responsible for the sour flavor and the rise. The "Sourdough Face" often appears when a baker realizes their starter isn't bubbling, has a layer of gray liquid called hooch, or simply refuses to rise—a clear sign of fermentation activity problems. The pressure of being responsible for a microscopic pet that dictates your baking schedule is immense.
2. The Kneading/Folding Face (The Physical Exertion)
This is the moment most directly captured by the viral image. Sourdough dough, due to its high hydration level, is notoriously sticky and difficult to handle. Achieving the proper gluten development requires a series of intense stretch and folds or coil folds. The "face" is the raw, unedited expression of a baker fighting a battle against the dough, trying to build dough strength without tearing the delicate structure. It’s the sheer physical strain of pulling and stretching a wet, glue-like mass, often resulting in flour everywhere and an expression of pure, focused pain.
3. The Proofing Anxiety (The Timing Challenge)
Unlike commercial yeast bread, sourdough proofing requires patience and an understanding of ambient temperature. The process of bulk fermentation and the final proof can take many hours, sometimes even overnight in the refrigerator. The "Sourdough Face" here is the look of a baker peering anxiously into their dough, trying to determine if it’s under-proofed (which results in a dense, gummy loaf) or over-proofed (which results in a flat, pancake-like loaf). The challenges are often related to timing, as the bread doesn't follow a clock; it follows the activity of its living organisms.
4. The Scoring and Dutch Oven Moment
The Dutch Oven is an essential piece of equipment for achieving the perfect crust and oven spring, as it traps steam during the initial bake. The moment the dough is transferred from the banneton (proofing basket) to the screaming hot Dutch Oven—a process that requires a quick, careful, and often awkward maneuver—is a high-stress point. Adding to this is the art of scoring the dough with a lame (a razor blade holder) to control the oven spring and create the beautiful ear. The "Sourdough Face" is the look of absolute precision and terror as the baker attempts this final, irreversible step.
5. The Crumb Shot Reality (Expectation vs. Reality)
After hours, sometimes days, of effort, the final test is the crumb shot—cutting into the finished loaf to reveal the interior structure. Bakers are aiming for an open, airy, and irregular crumb, a sign of a successful bake. The "Sourdough Face" returns when the loaf is cut and the crumb is revealed to be disappointingly dense, gummy, or uneven. This moment of truth highlights the gap between the idealized, perfect loaves seen on social media and the frustrating reality experienced by the average home baker.
From TikTok Short to Cultural Phenomenon: The Meme's Enduring Legacy
The power of Laura Ramoso’s sketch lies in its ability to condense a complex, multi-day process into a single, hilarious, and highly shareable moment. The video and subsequent meme did not just go viral; they became a form of shorthand for the entire sourdough phenomenon.
The meme’s legacy is a clear indicator that the home baking culture sparked by the lockdowns is not a fleeting trend. As of 2025, the sourdough market continues to see growth, with Type III sourdough gaining popularity, indicating a sustained interest in the craft. The "Sourdough Face" acts as a badge of honor for the dedicated, yet exhausted, artisan baker who understands the commitment required for this ancient craft.
It resonates because it speaks to a deeper truth: in a world of instant gratification, sourdough demands slow, deliberate effort. It’s a hobby that requires managing a microbial culture, understanding hydration levels, and mastering techniques like autolyse and laminating. The face Ramoso makes is the collective expression of every baker who has ever felt defeated by a sticky shaggy mass of dough, only to return to the kitchen the next day for another attempt. It is the perfect blend of comedic genius and culinary reality, ensuring its place in the internet’s meme hall of fame for years to come.
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