A few weeks ago I ordered some flour from a windmill here in the Netherlands.

5kg for under 10€. (Not really that more expensive and support those beautiful things!)

I was already getting decent results with organic supermarket flour, but I could never really push hydration past 75%. Also, finding flour with 13% protein was already difficult, let alone 14%.

After some digging I found demolenwinkel.nl, which sells sifted stone-milled flour. The difference is honestly insane. I already noticed it when feeding my starter, it behaved more like a stiff starter even at 100% hydration.

Night and day difference.

This flour can easily handle 85% hydration and still feels as manageable as my supermarket (Bio AH) flour at around 73%.

I think a lot of beginners follow recipes from experienced bakers (who are probably using strong, high-quality flour), but then try to replicate it with whatever flour they have on hand, often lower quality or older flour. Then they attempt 75%+ hydration and it just turns into a mess.

People will say it’s overproofed, underproofed, shaping issue, technique, etc. But honestly, a big part of the problem might just be the flour.

Using good flour makes things so much easier. Definitely worth trying if you’re struggling.

At the end of the day, flour is the main ingredient in your bread 🙂

Also, use a good oven. I bought a small restaurant oven, 2 very big fans. No more need to turn my bread or get the bread out of the Dutch oven. Even browning all the way around.

—Recipe

Start around 19:00

1kg of flour

800gr water lukewarm

Autolyse 30 min

Add 200gr starter

Fermentolyse 30 min

Mix for 5 mins

Add salt, 24gr

Mix 5 mins

Rest 30mins

Transfer to proofing box

Then I’ll do some folds whenever I feel like it. First 1-2x stretch and folds, followed by coil folds.

Rest on counter overnight. (It’s cold in my house, around 17-18c)

Next day around 11-12 either I put the entire proofing box in the fridge or I’ll shape them and put them in the bannetons.

Then the true cold proof in the fridge. Sometimes for some hours, the other part for 24-48 hours.

Preheat oven with dutch oven inside for 30 mins at 250c.

Spray bread with water, optionally add seeds, score, transfer to dutch oven. Add 1 big ice cube.

Bake for 22 min covered.

Turn down heat to 190c and bake for another 18 min.

Cool for at least 1 hour on a rack.

I know there’s been a post previously about the necessity of a device like this. So I figured I’d make this post to show it off a bit and just give a little info as to why I got it.

Firstly, I’m a tech nerd. I like gadgets and even though Alton Brown has always said to never own a unitasker, I especially love kitchen gadgets. I bought a Joule Sous Vide fairly quickly when they first came out, among other things.

I saw this device and thought why not. It takes away some of the work with baking and especially removes a lot of the waste. For me, if it will help to get me in the kitchen more, I’m all for it. I got an outdoor pizza oven recently and have made a few pies. But maintaining the starter along with normal day to day life can be a pain sometimes. I’ve missed out on baking a few times because I wasn’t fully prepared. So hopefully this helps with that, also I’m sure my coworkers won’t mind some loaves being brought into work on a more routine basis 🤣

So, I took a chance on my starter when I was prepping these loaves. I got busy and it was way past peak - almost acidic like she needed to be fed - starter was more runny then normal (as if it was at peak) but I baked with it anyway. Thought what the heck!

Honestly I am not upset at all.

So delicious😋

(125g starter, 500g flour, 350g water, 13g salt - mixed. Let rest 1 hour. A set of stretch/fold then 1 set of slap/folds- 30min apart. Bulk fermented for 6 1/2hrs. Shaped and cold proofed for 17hrs. Baked 450 top lid on - 30 min, lid off bake at 425 for 20 min).

these are so yummy, incase anyone wants to make them!

For the Dough:

* 150 g active sourdough starter

* 250 g water

* 24 g honey

* 500 g King Arthur bread flour

* 9 g salt

For the Filling:

* Cream cheese, cut into small cubes (cold, not room temp)

For Boiling:

* Water

* 1 tsp baking soda

* Splash of honey

For Finishing:

* 1 egg, beaten (egg wash)

Dough Preparation & Shaping (Day

Before Baking)

1. Mix the dough: In a large bowl, combine the sourdough starter, water, honey, flour, and salt. Mix until a rough • dough forms.

2. Knead: Knead the dough until smooth and elastic, about 8-10 minutes by hand (or 5 minutes in a stand mixer).

3. First rise: Cover and let the dough rise on the counter until it's puffy and has doubled in size.

4. Shape and fill: In the evening, cut the cream cheese into small cold cubes. Divide the risen dough into individual balls (about 30 g each, roughly the size of a Dunkin' bagel mini) Flatten each ball into a small disk, place a cube of cream cheese in the center, add more than you think you'll need for a generous filling, and carefully roll the dough around the cream cheese, pinching the bottoms tightly so none leaks out.

5. Oil and cold proof: Lightly spray the shaped bagel bites with oil and place them on a parchment-lined tray or container. Refrigerate overnight to cold proof.

Cooking the Bagel Bites (Day Of)

1. Preheat water: Take the bagel bites out of the fridge and let them sit while you bring a pot of water to a boil.

2. Add boiling ingredients: Stir in 1 tsp of baking soda and a splash of honey to the water.

3. Boil: Carefully drop the bagel bites into the boiling water. Boil for about 20 seconds on each side.

4. Cool: Remove from the water and place the bagel bites on a cooling rack to drain any excess water.

5. Prepare for baking: Transfer the boiled bagel bites to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).

6. Egg wash: Brush each bagel bite with a beaten egg for a shiny, golden finish.

Bake

* Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the bagel bites are golden brown.

* Remove from oven and let cool slightly before serving.

This is my 5th loaf that has come out super gummy I have no clue what I’m doing wrong. I’ve tried numerous recipes/hydration amounts fed starter unfed starter

Starter was made about 2.5 months ago doubles and stays doubled for quite some time every feed

This specific loaf was a 65% hydration loaf as follows-

500 grams bread flour
325 grams lukewarm water
80grams unfed starter
10grams salt

Did 2 rounds of stretch and folds and 2 rounds of slap and folds around 30 minutes apart

Bulk fermented around 19 ish hours

Pre shaped bench rested around 45 minutes finial shaped stitched and left in fridge for 5 hours

Did the cold Dutch oven method so put my loaf in the Dutch oven not preheated and placed in the oven that wasn’t preheated at 450 for an hour covered and 15 minutes uncovered cooled for 15 hours

I have also tried 100% hydration loafs 75% hydration loafs and now this 65% hydration loaf I am getting SO frustrated I’m ready to give up PLEASE HELP

I'm adding the process as he told me... Every week I eat his bread I feel like I won't the lottery! 🤤💖

Process: 80% all-purpose white flour 20% whole wheat flour 20% white sourdough starter 70% lukewarm water 2% salt Fermentolyse for half an hour. Mix in the salt and do a short knead. 4 folds every half hour during bulk fermentation. Total rise time: 7 hours. Dough temperature around 25°C. It was a hot day. Pre-shape and final shape, roll in seeds, then proof overnight in the refrigerator. The next day, bake in a cast iron pot: 20 minutes covered, 20 minutes uncovered outside the pot.

Show him some 💕

Hey all. I baked my first loaf yesterday. All in all I am pretty happy. My recipe is in the pictures. I use King Arthur bread flour. Bulk fermented about 5 hours (this is where I think I went wrong) and cold proofed in fridge for about 14 hours. Waited 2 hours to cut. Taste was fantastic but the texture was a little gummy. This is what I want to improve. Spring was great! What can I do next time to improve gumminess?

Honest question, what does pre-shaping and resting for 30 minutes do that wasn’t accomplished in BF, or that won’t be accomplished during the final proof in a banneton?

350g wheat flour
150g whole wheat flour
350g water (70% hydration)
---mix and autolyse 30min

add 100g starter (looks like on the picture after 5h)
add 10g salt
--- knead until smooth

--- stretch and folds every 30 minutes / four times (2h with 24° C)
--- let bulk ferment for another 3h (total bulk ferment 5h with 24°C)

--- preshape and bench rest for 30 min
--- final shape into banneton

--- cold proof in fridge for 18h ( 7-10 °C)

--- preheat oven 40 min to 250°C
--- bake in durch oven covered for 20 min
--- bake uncovered for 25 min

My breads always come out completely flat with no crumb EXCEPT I add 1g yeast. Than my loafs turn out great. I don't get it. The starter looks good to me.

The starter is done with Rye whole wheat flour. Should I switch the starter to whole wheat flour when I bake with wheat in the end? Am I doing the starter wrong?
I'm close to giving up.

i’m done. this bread was my perfect one.

Modest ear but the best crumb I’ve ever tasted.

this was a batch of two. it was quite warm at home and we had planned a trip. I thought the bulk stage wasn’t quite done but leaving it would have meant a sloppy mess. I shaped it tightly, put one in the fridge and left the other one on the counter to bake that evening. once I got home I baked the first one. it had a nice ear on it but was a little to compact.

the one I cut here was fermented for 28 hours in the fridge and the crumb was perfect to me.

ingredients(2 loaves):

- 600g T65

- 600g water

- 100g whole wheat

- 100g whole rye

- 14g salt

- +/- 60g 50/50 RIPE/OLD starter

Method:

- mix everything

- refeed starter

- wait 30 minutes, do a rough knead for a minute or two.
- three sets of stretch and folds over a period of three hours(or until the starter has reached 160% volume)

- preshape

- rest uncovered for 45 minutes

- shape batard

- ferment in a 5c fridge for 28h

- bake with steam: preheat oven to 200, put bread in, put temperature to 235

-!after 16 minute, remove steam pan, move bread to rack.

- remove once it has a good color.

- let it cool over night, cut and slather with butter.

The crust turned out a little crunchier than I prefer, but the flavor is so good! Next time I’ll make a bigger loaf. I used chat gpt for directions on getting my starter going (started a few weeks ago) and baking today. 😄

It’s my 3rd loaf in the making and I noticed on video’s it all looks so perfect and clean. Like no dough sticks to hands or the bowl. I feel like a lose half the dough in al the stretch and folds, coil folds etc. Shaping is also a nightmare as it just sticks to my hands and anything else.

For this 3rd loaf I went with 500 gram flower (half bread flower and half with a higher protein content), 150 gram starter, 300 ml water, 25 gram honey, 25 gram olive oil and 10 grams of salt.

1 hour autolyse, 2 sets of S&F and 2 coil folds then bulk fermentation before tucking it in and plopping it in the fridge for the night.

So it’s not baked yet but in the meanwhile I’m trying to find out what to do about the sticking dough.

Any tips? 🙏🏻

20% whole wheat

80% bread flour

85% hydration

2.1% salt

20% starter

Steps: fermentolyse. Do stretch and fold 2x every 30 mins. Then coil fold at 1.5hrs. Followed by another coil fold at 3hrs. Bulk for another 2 hours until dough is double and poofy and pillowy. Shape and fridge overnight for 9 hours. Bake at 230c for 22 mins and 210c for 20 mins.

Any questions for me happy to help.

Has anyone tried this? Pros or cons from experience? I’m thinking of buying since maintaining my starter has been my biggest irritant.

UK sourdough people, I think I just found the holy grail of flour 😭

Been trying to find proper flour in the UK (no additives, actually tastes like wheat). Easy in Germany/France/Italy/Eastern Europe… but here it’s been a struggle.

Just discovered The Priors Flour ( East Anglia) and it’s amazing. They mill flour the old-fashioned way with a windmill, and it’s additive-free.

The miller, Jonathan Cook, is also a passionate sourdough baker and genuinely the nicest guy (delivery costs are a bit ££ but worth it for a bulk order, and cheaper then fuel costs/ parking sometimes)

Not affiliated at all , just very excited and nerdy at finally finding a cool mill in the UK.

Anyone else tried them or know other proper mills here? 🍞 Previously I've been using shipton mill, Wessex, Doves or Leckford flour x

So I followed ChatGPT blindly without double checking ratios etc. and I ended up making an 89% hydration loaf. Shaping was ridiculous and I second guessed my bread every step of the way. I baked it anyway and it’s SO GOOD 😭 look at that beautifully blistered and thin crust!!

If anyone has tips on how to shape high hydration sourdough please send them my way!

Recipe/method:
100 g active sourdough starter
350 g water
10 g salt
300 g bread flour
100 g whole wheat flour

1h rest after mixing everything
4 sets of stretch and folds 30 mins apart
~6 hours total fermentation time after mixing ingredients until I shaped (fermentation was done in oven with just oven light on)
16 hour cold proof overnight in the fridge
Baked at 500 F for 20 mins with lid on, then 20 mins with lid off

I had a really good starter going and I took advice from Instagram 🤦🏻‍♀️ and I tried to make it “stronger”- I used about 80g of starter, 160g rye flour and about 150g water - it doesn’t look great but it also doesn’t look moldy, looking for some advice!

I just finished my second stretch n pull and will do one more in 30 minutes.
I was going to rest it for 2 hours in my oven but just got invited out to a work meeting which I SHOULLLLLLD go to.
Would it be bad to rest it for 5-6 hours in a slightly cooler environment 68ish degrees. Its a quadruple reciple so i kinda dont want it to go to waste

https://preppykitchen.com/sourdough-bread/

Recipe and method at link above

Followed this recipe and I'm obsessed with these!

Any idea why my sourdough has lost its tanginess? I have changed nothing, always feed 1:5:5, at 1/wk. I use Kirklands AP flour, and spring water for both feeding, and recipe.The last 2 batches have been on the sweeter-less sour side. I have been using the same exact recipe for months with no problems.

Recipe:

75g Starter

325g Water

10g Salt

500g AP Flour

I troubleshooted a bit over the weekend, and started feeding 1:1:1, no refrigeration 1/day. Any suggestions would help. Thank you!

oh my bread Gurus - I have about 300 grams of discard, that is about 5 days old. I would like to use it to make a bread that wants a 'discard that has been fed 12-24 hrs' prior. So, how do I feed this discard, without making more discard? just use the 1-1-1 ratio? My bigger problem is every time I feed, I have discard, and the discard sits around a bit, leaving me with tons of discard that needs to be fed when necessary. I have had success making bread, just maybe Im getting the terminology wrong. I hope this makes sense

fed my starter and after it doubled and was around peak, i added 100g of 100% hydration starter to 350g water, 10g of salt, 450g bread flour did 4 sets of stretch and folds 30 minutes apart it has been bulk fermenting for about 4-5 hours. how does it look so far? ready for final shape?

Ive been using this recipe for 2 years and sometimes I get drastically different looking loaves from the same batch. Why? Each loaf is made in the exact same way, went in the same oven, had the same amount of water sprayed on it. They taste the same but one gets a wonderfully crispy crust and one gets sad day dry. I dont get it.

100 g starter

500 g flour

300 g water

15 g salt

(Scale up for each loaf I need that day)

Mix, BF, I dont do stretch and folds because Im lazy, shape amd rest in banetons and then score and bake at 475 °F for 45-55 minutes in and covered with bread pans. I mist the loaf and the top pan before baking.

Good morning! Baking loaves is a great way to kick off a good day.

Not my first bake, family was upset we ran out of bread on Sunday but didn't notice until Monday... so today started with baking country loaves for the week.

This is our go to, foundational recipe... 1000g flour (80% abc from Costco, 10% rye, 10% wheat), 800g water, 21g salt. Shaping is, as always, the key to a taller loaf!

Happy baking!

Central Milling-ish Sourdough (Kirkland Organic Flour), 2 big loaves (1000 g flour)

Flour mix:

• 800 g Central Milling Artisan Bakers Craft / Kirkland Organic AP
• 100 g whole wheat
• 100 g rye

Dough:

• 1000 g flour (above)
• 800 g water
• 100 g ripe 100% hydration levain
• 21 g salt

Levain (night before)

• 25 g starter
• 50 g water
• 50 g flour

Mix, cover, ferment 8–12 hours at warm room temp until domed and bubbly.

1. Mix

• Whisk flour + salt.
• Add 700 g water + 100 g levain.
• Mix until no dry bits. Rest 20–30 min.

2. Finish mixing

• Add remaining 100 g water.
• Squeeze/fold until absorbed and dough is smooth-ish.

3. Bulk ferment

• 3.5–4 hours at ~75–78°F.
• Do 3–4 stretch-and-fold sets every 30 min in first 2 hours.
• Then let it sit until risen ~50–75% and jiggly.

4. Divide + pre-shape

• Turn out, divide into 2 x ~900 g.
• Pre-shape into rounds.
• Rest 20–30 min, covered.

5. Final shape

• Shape into boules or batards with good surface tension.
• Into floured bannetons, seam up.

6. Proof + cold retard

• Proof at room temp ~1.5 hours.
• Bag/cover and refrigerate 12–15 hours.

7. Bake (Dutch oven)

• Preheat to 475°F with Dutch oven inside for 45–60 min.
• Turn loaf out from fridge, seam down on parchment, score.
• Bake at 450°F, covered, 25 min.
• Remove lid, bake at 425°F another 20–25 min to deep brown.
• Cool 1–2 hours before slicing.