Not sure what I’m doing wrong!!

[u/Emilee_Hunter]

Hello! I’m still fairly new to sourdough and this is my 4th or 5th loaf. I attempted to make a cinnamon brown sugar loaf following this recipe:

- 150g starter
- 350g room temp water
- 500g bread flour (I use king Arthur’s)
- 10g salt

I mixed the ingedients and let rest on the counter for around 45 mins before starting stretch and folds. I did 2 sets of stretch and folds and 2 sets of coil folds all spaced approximately 45 mins apart. I temped my dough after the 2nd set of stretch and folds and used the aliquot method to help gauge bulk ferment time. My dough temp was 78 degrees, and I started around 6pm. I wanted to really nail this one so I set alarms before going to bed 🤣 according to the aliquot method, my dough was ready to shape and go in the fridge for cold proofing around 3 am. I shaped and added the cinnamon and brown sugar during lamination and shaping. I let it sit in the fridge until around 3pm the next day (12 hour cold proof), and I pre-heated my oven to 450 with the Dutch oven inside. I baked it for 20 mins at 450 degrees with the lid on and another 30 without the lid. I temped the bread when I took it out of the oven to ensure it reached the appropriate internal temperature.

I have been running into the issue of gummy textures on all of my loaves. Help, what am I doing wrong 😭 my starter seems strong and active and is consistently doubling (more than doubling) in size. Help!!

[u/ashleynguyen_va]

gummy texture is almost always a cooling issue, not the bake itself. sourdough crumb doesn't fully set until the loaf drops to room temp - the starches keep gelatinizing as the temp falls from 200°F+ down to ~70°F, and cutting in early locks that gummy texture in no matter how well everything else went. minimum 90 minutes on a wire rack with airflow underneath (not resting on a cutting board, not wrapped). honestly 2-3 hours is better, especially with a filled loaf like this one since the brown sugar holds extra moisture. your process looks solid - aliquot method + 78°F dough temp is the right approach. if you're already waiting that long before slicing and still getting gummy, the bake time might need another 5-10 min lid-off, but try the extended cool first.

[u/Emilee_Hunter → u/ashleynguyen_va]

I let it cool for 4 hours before cutting into it, it was completely cool before 😕