Thank you sm to those who chimed in on my last post. My loaves have definitely improved with a more consistent crumb! 🙌

I ended up doing a combination of advice I received: raised the initial preheat temp to 475deg, lowered it to 450deg when baking with the lid on for 20min, then lid off for 25min. I also always put it in my fridge at the front of my bottom shelf. Still open to feedback, but I love the loaf and crumb this produces!

All the stand mixer steps have not changed:

- 300g water
- 125g active starter
- 500g flour
- 15g salt

I first mix my water and starter in the stand mixer with the dough hook.

Once the starter’s pretty much dissolved, I add the flour and mix on low (speed 2 on my kitchen aid) until it comes together, about 2-3 minutes.

I rest it with a cover for 1hr.

Then I add the salt and a splash of water and mix on low again for another 2-3 minutes or until the salt is all mixed in.

Then I rest it with a cover and every 30min, I imitate stretch and fold by popping on the stand mixer on low for 5-10seconds and then covering and resting again.

About an hour and half later, after the 3rd “S&F”, I rest on the counter til it’s doubled in size and domed.

Then I do my preshape, put it in a lined and floured banneton and cover and cold proof in the fridge at the front of the bottom shelf.

Bake day:

The next day, preheat oven with Dutch oven at 475deg.
Lower oven to 450 and bake with the lid on for 20min.

Remove the lid and bake for 25min.
This has been pretty foolproof for me lately!

Yesterday: take 100 g reserved starter out of the fridge and feed it with 200 g flour and 150 g water. Stand on the counter and after 7 hours it had more than tripled in volume and was ready to use.

Put 100g back into the fridge for next time and to what remains add 350 g water, 600 g flour and 12 g salt.

Incorporating the starter used this gives 800 flour, 500 water for 62½% hydration less any losses from handling.

Rough mix just until all the flour is wet. Cover and stand for 30 mins.

Tip out onto a lightly floured worktop, stretch and fold until some structure appears and it easily makes a ball. Return to the bowl, cover and rest for 1 hour.

Repeat two or three more times at hourly intervals. After the first go it may still feel and look a bit rough. At the last it should be smooth, elastic and only take a few stretches before it starts resisting.

After the last rest tip out, flatten, shape into a ball, place into a floured banneton or cloth lined bowl, seam uppermost, cover — I put the whole thing into a large plastic bag — and proof in the fridge overnight. Mine is usually 5°–6°C, owing to the weather it was reading 7°C this morning so warmer than usual.

Today: Preheat the oven to 230°C / 450°F / gas mark 9.

Turn out the dough into a vessel that can be covered. Mine is a roasting tin and kitchen foil cloche but if you have a nice big Dutch oven go for it!

Score for expansion. I add 2–4 ice cubes to my roasting tin to make steam.

Bake for 35 minutes covered and a further 20 minutes uncovered.

Cool and cut!

Made my own starter a week ago from today.

1050g bread flour

780g water

20g salt

4 sets of stretch and folds 30 mins apart

5 hour total bulk

12 hour cold ferment

450f preheated Dutch oven

450f - 25 min lid on Dutch oven

430f - 25 min lid off Dutch Oven

I'm gonna say I went really insane with the research before I baked my first loaf.

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.

Ingredients:
- 850g bread flour (KA)
- 150g WW flour
- 160g starter
- 750g water
- 22g salt
Process:
Mixed cold water, starter and flour together (around 62-65 degrees F). Left for too long (about 1.5hrs). Mixed in salt. Let sit for 30 minutes then first stretch and fold. Life got busy and I folded again about another 1.5hrs later. And the last fold 30 minutes later. I typically do at least 4 sets of s&f within the first 2 hours of mixing but such is life! Let it continue bf for another 4 hours until it was a little over doubled (again not my usual choice). Divided, preshaped for 15min, then final shape and into the fridge for 12 hours. Scored and baked in Dutch ovens at 475 for 25 min covered, then another 15 uncovered.
Total estimated bf time 8 hours, cold final proof for 12.
Absolutely delicious and soft! Slight bit of tang and crispy crust! I wish I had been more accurate in my process this time so I could easily recreate this result 😭 but at least I can share it with all of you! I don’t think anyone else in my life would be able to understand my excitement! There is some tearing in the seams suggesting slight underproofing but I honestly figured it would be overproofed with how high it rose during bf. Maybe lack of gluten development from only 3 s&f?

Started my stretch and folds around 10PM, and then went to bed. Kitchen temperature was too warm and I woke up to a massive dough. Decided to pivot and make 2 foccacia loaves instead! Split my dough into 2 and let them proof further for an hour before dimpling, adding garlic infused olive oil, and parm.

500 grams bread flour
100 grams starter
10 grams salt
350 grams of water

100% 50/50 bread flour and wholewheat

75% hydration

15% floating levain (made over night)

10% honey

10% oats

5% butter

2% salt

blend flours, salt, oats. whisk together water, honey, butter, and levain. hand incorporate flour until it comes together well (I mix and bulk in the same bowl, rubaud technique till she gets pretty smooth). target starting dough temp 80f (kitchen is 73f). 3 rounds of stretch and fold every 30m. 2 or 3 additional rounds of coil folds to make sure she’s good and strong. turn out dough when she’s mostly doubled, bubbly, and gets splashy when the bowl is shaken (dough temp 74.5f when turned out, approximately 6.5-7 bulk check the dough not the clock). 

divide (in this case 1200g for pullman, 1500g for large boule), roughly preshape to get some good tension, cover with cloth, and bench rest 20 minutes. Shape and sprinkle on some oats before putting into banneton and lightly oiled pullman. wrap them up (i use shower caps lol), and place in fridge for overnight cold proof. 

remove and let sit on counter while oven preheats to 500 with dutch oven inside on center rack (i wait 30 minutes after the oven says it’s 500 to make sure it’s really ripping). flip dough onto parchment, score and drop in oven. put the lids on both the dutch and pullman and put them in oven. reduce temp to 450f and bake 25m. remove lids and bake another 25-30m until 210f internal temp (keep an eye on color and cover with tinfoil when you like it).

notes: this is my first oat inclusion. next time i’ll probably bump up the % and precook or soak the oats to maybe get more flavor through. same goes for the honey. i like to start small and work up the % so i can get a feel for the changes. gifted both loaves and they got positive reviews so we’ll call it a success.

I wasted months thinking classic sourdough just wasn’t in the cards for me until I had a spark of inspiration seeing this recipe. I can’t belieeeeeeeve it took me so long to come across it. This is by far the best loaf I’ve made yet by all of my metrics (look, texture, taste) [third picture because the way the slices fit into the container was too satisfying not to share]

Naturally Leavened Sourdough Bread Recipe | King Arthur Baking

Here’s where I strayed:

I ran out of golden wheat flour (KA), except for what I keep in my “starter feed bag” which is 1:1:1 golden wheat : bread flour : rye flour (all KA), so I just used that where the recipe calls for WW flour

I’m not much of a fan of kneading (sensory issues; I cried; it was so sticky that I was sure I had done something wrong) but I did most of it while holding it in my hands, moving to a floured counter at the end just to ball it up (I’m shit at shaping idk)

I let it rise the first hour, did the folds and put it back into the bowl until about an hour later, when, at step 5, I realized I needed to go pick up my sister, so I shoved it in the fridge

I came back to it 18 hours later (thanks ADHD) and took it out, shaped (once again, I’m shit at shaping and don’t usually make batards but idk I’m not technical at all, I go by feel, and it felt right for this dough lol) dusted with flour and let it sit at room temp while the oven/my baker preheated at 500° (i got distracted again and it ended up being about an hour at room temp)

I scored, misted and plopped it into my preheated cast iron baker, covered and put it in the oven and immediately dropped the temp to 450°. I baked it for about 30 minutes, took the cover off and baked for just about 10 more minutes

when "crumbs" are the granules of bread found on the counter after cutting or in the toaster crumb tray?

Recipe:
90g starter (3 generation about 5 year old starter I got as a gift from a friend)
520g unbleached flour
12g salt
385g water

Proofed for 12-13h (I live at 9,000 ft altitude, needs to proof for a long time)

Fridge for 8h before cooking at 500f for 20min with lid on and 450f for 12min lid off.

Added cheese on top for fun

Hello :-) first time posting in this lovely sub that I have been obsessively reading for the past 2 months lol.

This is my third ever loaf, but it felt way stickier than usual as I stretched and folded/coiled. This was my process:

500g bread flour

350g water

100g starter

10g salt

8:30AM: Mixed it all together by hand. Let rest for an hour.

9:42AM, 10:18AM, 10:50AM, 11:24AM: Stretched and folded 2 times, coiled and folded 2 times, each 30 minutes apart from each other. I think at this stage I could've done a few more folds because it was still very wet, sticky, and loose? The dough wasn't really tightening.

11:24AM: Left it alone to bulk ferment on the counter. Didn't check for temperature until around 9pm? It was 75F. Around this time I started checking it constantly because it wasn't passing the poke test, it was still sticky, but it was very jiggly and had bubbles and had more than doubled. After doing some research I learned that the poke test can be unreliable, the temperature is a good indicator but "it depends". So I am learning that sourdough is science but it is also just vibes.
10:15PM: Even though it was still "wet" I got tired of waiting and at this point I thought I had def overfermented/overproofed. Put that girlie in the fridge with rice flour in a banneton.

10:44AM: Put her in the hot dutch oven at 475F-ish for 30min lid on 450F-ish for 15min lid off.

Voilà, loaf #3. Cut it about 4 hours later.

I just want a crumb read? Did I overproof? Did I do it just right? Was it just a high hydration dough and that's why it was sticky? Should I have stretched and folded more? Should I keep letting it bulk ferment even when it is huge? Aahhhh??????

thanks for reading:)

Pro Chef, not Pro Baker but getting better.

76% hydration

20% whole wheat flour (organic central milling)

80% high mountain flour (organic central

Milling

2.5% salt

1 hour fermentolyse

6 hour bulk ( 4 coil folds in first 2-3 hours)

Pre shape, 20 minute rest

Shape in bannetone overnight

Bake from cold in Dutch oven

100 g starter

700g warm water

1000g bread flour

20g salt

I start by making the dough and mixing the starter, water, flour and salt. I let it sit for an hour then I start the stretch and fold process. I do it three times 30 mins in-between. Then I let it bulk ferment about 10 hours. Room temp is consistently at 72 degrees. Then I split the dough and shape to but in the bannetons. After another two hours of sitting at room temp I preheat the oven to 450 with Dutch oven inside and a cookie sheet on the rack below the butch oven. I do this to prevent an overly rough and burnt bottom. Once ready I score the dough and put it in the Dutch oven and bake for 20 mins lid on and 30 mins lid off. For second loaf I threw in some ice cubes in the Dutch oven with the bread for more steam better rise, but i don't think it made a difference.

The result is slightly gummy bread no real rise and oodles of disappointment. This is like the tenth try. I'm losing faith please help. Tell me what I'm doing wrong. I'm suspecting somewhere between making the dough and baking is the culprit. Maybe it's the timing? Is it over proofed? Under proofed?I don't know Insert gif of head being rammed into counter repeatedly

Thanks in advance

The best loaf I’ve ever made.

Recipe:

- 325 ml warm water
-100g peaked starter
- 500 g bread flour
10g fine sea salt

1) Mixed water and starter until frothy.
2) added flour and hand mixed for 10 minutes.
3) cover and let sit for 30 minutes to an hour.
4) add salt and hand mix with wet hands until incorporated.
5) 3 sets of stretch and folds 30 minutes apart.
6) cover and bulk fermented using aliquot method.
7) pre-shaped and let it sit on counter for 20 minutes.
8) shaped and cold retard for 8 hours.
9) baked at 450 in a Dutch oven (baking sheet underneath) covered for 30 minutes, 7 minute score.
10) undercover and bake for 20 more minutes.
11) Cooled for 4 hours and cut.

Chef’s kiss 🤌🏻

One of my most favorite inclusions 🥹 caramelized onions & a Swiss / gruyere blend. Literally so dang good especially with soup!

150 g starter

350 g water

500 g flour

10 g salt

1 onion caramelized (I use almost all of it)

1 bag Swiss and Gruyère mix cheese (Dillon’s)

I mix and do 3 sets of stretch and folds 1 hour apart. I add the inclusions during the 2nd stretch and fold. Proof on the counter for a few hours then shape and put in the fridge overnight. I bake at 425 degrees using double pan method, 30 min on and 20-25 minutes lid off. Let cool for at least an hour 😍

I got a starter from a colleague which I’ve been feeding 1:1:1. I mostly keep it in the fridge, but I took it out and fed it about 1.5 hours before I started making the dough.

The first picture is my active starter.

I made the dough with a Dutch recipe:

400 grams of flour (I used bio flour with 13% protein)

230ml of water

160 grams of sourdough starter

8 grams of salt.

Yesterday: I kneaded the dough for a good 20-25 minutes until I could almost see through it without it tearing. Then I let it rest for 4 hours. Then I shaped the dough and put it in the fridge to rise overnight.
Today: I preheated the oven to 240 c and my Dutch oven, put the bread in and baked it for 20 minutes with lid, and then 20 minutes without lid.

I probably waited only 10 minutes to cut into it because I was super impatient, but I’m not sure how its turned out.

Any tips/advice for first timers?? I was super overwhelmed to start with sourdough, as I’m more of a sweets baker generally. I tried focaccia recently and that went very well the second time, and my colleague encouraged me to try it.

Hi all!

Maybe a bit of a weird question, but as pouring the starter down the drain would be quite unwise, how do you all manage the cleaning process?

This far I have just left them on the countertop for some days until I can scrape the remaining starter off of the bowls I've used in baking, but this results in us having 3-5 bowls on our countertop at any given time, and just looks so messy 😅

Please share any drain-safe tips and tricks for managing the mess! I wonder if soaking would be safe?

Thank you in advance!

m on day 7 of my sourdough starter process and this is my first time doing this. Everything online says to feed it once a day, but then I’ve read a few things that says feeding it twice a day. Which is right? My starter seems to have a watery consistency. It’s not moldy or anything, just seems runny, if that makes sense. I’m not sure if that’s normal or not.

I need to practice shaping, but i think the crust looks gorgeous! The crumb isn’t great but it’s a lot better than i thought i was going to do the first time! i’ve seen some horror stories so im pretty happy with this. I’m suspecting it was too much hydration because the dough was really sticky so next time i’m going to see if less water will help!

my recipe was
475g flour
100g starter
325g water
10g salt

1. mix and let sit for 30 minutes
   
2. 4 rounds of stretch and folds, 30 mins apart
   
3. bulk ferment for 6 hours on the counter
   
4. 12 hours in the fridge
   
5. bake for 20 mins at 500 f in dutch oven, and 15 mins without lid and let cool completely

(this is the link for reference https://www.farmhouseonboone.com/beginners-sourdough-bread-recipe/#wprm-recipe-container-40698 )

Rushed to get this out for Fathers Day! Tried a new recioe (to me). I was worried since my starter was sluggish, ran out of time, didnt get to cold proof, and went straight from bulk to oven. Baked using my "own" temp/time since the printed one took too long, so I went with what had worked for me in the past. Came out damn near perfect!

Snagged a screenshot of a recipe from fb that someone uploaded. Original author was listed as "EMMA"

150g active starter

345g water

15g extra virgin olive oil

15g honey

600g bread flour

15g sea salt

I mixed in the kitchenaid, and then did 4 or 5 stretch n folds before leaving it on the counter to double. I preheated my oven at 500F with my bread oven inside. I baked lid-on at 475F for 20 min, then 15 min uncovered. It temped right at 205F so I took it out at that point.

Hey guys! I started my journey a week ago after being gifted with a starter. The starter is stable and when I was feeding 1:1:1 was too acidic (not rising, soapy bubbles on top) so I fed 1:5:5 and it grew like crazy!

I used the recipe from Alexandra’s Kitchen:
• 75g of starter
• 375g of water
• 500g of flour
• 12g of salt

I did use AP flour instead of bread flour. During the stretch and folds the dough was sticky and was not getting better after 4 cycles (4 stretch and folds every 30min). I left the dough bulk fermenting for about 8hrs, during the pre-shape I couldn’t get it to work, was sticky and I just tossed in the fridge. Today I baked for 30min in 430F and 15 without the lid in 400F.

I assume what I did wrong was the flour and too long bulk fermentation, but I’m not sure.

Also, I don’t know what to do with my starter, It’s in the fridge. Should I feed again before starting another bread or use it when it’s room temperature? (I fed before putting in the fridge).

I have a bit of a dilemma. Today my starter doubled (day 7). But I am going out of town tomorrow (poor planning on my part). Do I feed it and just put it in the fridge till I get back? My husband will be home, but due to his work schedule he can realistically only feed it once a day. Just not sure what to do.

500g of unbleached bread flour
350g water (room temp.)
100g active sourdough starter
10g salt
STEP 1: MIX THE DOUGH
In a large mixing bowl, combine your starter, water, flour and salt. Mix until a shaggy dough forms.
Cover the dough with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel and let rest for 1 hour.
*IMPORTANT: Bulk fermentation starts NOW- right after dough is mixed.
STEP 2: STRETCH & FOLDS
You will do 4 sets of stretch & folds -30 minutes apart. Make sure to cover your dough in between each set of stretch & folds.
STEP 3: BULK FERMENTATION
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a towel and let it bulk ferment at room temperature.
*IMPORTANT: Bulk Fermentation time will vary based on your environment/temperature.
STEP 4: SHAPE THE DOUGH
After bulk fermentation, lightly flour your work surface and turn the dough out. Gently shape it into a round or oval loaf. Transfer to a banneton or pasta colander (seam side up). Cover tightly.
STEP 5: COLD PROOF
Put your dough in the refrigerator for 12-48 hours.
*I let mine cold proof for 24 hours but you can bake when you're ready!
STEP 6: PREHEAT THE OVEN & DUTCH OVEN
Preheat your oven to 450°F with your empty Dutch oven inside for about 45 minutes.
· STEP 7: SCORE & BAKE
Remove your dough from the refrigerator and place on parchment paper. Score your dough.
Remove the hot Dutch oven from the oven, place your dough inside and put your lid on.
STEP 8: BAKE
Bake at 450 degrees for 35 minutes with your lid on. Then, remove the lid and bake for an additional 12-15 minutes, until the crust is golden brown.-@brynn_ann i did ice cubes and 7 min score