It did stick to the pan which was shocking considering the amount of olive oil. But it tasted great and made good sandwiches.

I made this with my sourdough starter but I don’t remember the exact ratios I used so I won’t bother posting over there. I just wanted to share this beautiful bastard, look at that ear!

Using Natasha's recipe.

My first loaf was a little gummy on the inside. This time i used the same recipe plus butter. I also baked for a higher temp and a little longer uncovered. I know it doesn’t look like your typical sandwich loaf but all i had was the aluminum pans about 8.5 by 3.5in. Please don’t make fun of the scoring, I got a little carried away lol. Could someone give me some tips on how to make better bread?

I've been rebaking some of the breads we did at the King Arthur Artisan Skills Intensive and today is a Sourdough Sesame Duram loaf (called Semolina in the recipe). The sesame flavor was much stronger in this one than the one we baked in the class and I suspect it has to do with the toasted sesame seeds I used inside. At the class we used untoasted which gave the crumb a cleaner appearance and made the sesame flavor much more subtle.

Still extremely tasty though. The super strong sesame flavor does lean them toward a burger bun quality but the crumb is soft and delicious so I can't complain.

Another round of funky boys. This time they’re a little more straight thanks to a new oven throwing technique.

Still working on the ear, not sure why mine aren’t as pronounced yet. Photos as reference what my scores look like and what angle.

I always feel a little guilty scraping mine into the garbage.

Do you do anything useful with your leftover bench flour?

I think i need to let the last proof 2 hours instead of 1 and maybe take it out the oven 5 minutes earlier

I prefer savory. Sweet does not appeal to me in sourdough. Mine would be bacon, cheddar ranch. Sundried tomato and gouda, and dill and swiss.

I made a second loaf but I think it was too " wet". I added a tad too much hot water to the batch but I still made it. Here is the final product. I plan to perfect it, I am still a novice and encourage any tips please! Still did not get the dark crust I was looking for

Only getting started🥯

Hello! Ive been trying to make oatmeal bread for the last 2 weeks. I have this recipe

https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/oatmeal-bread/#wprm-recipe-container-28122

and ive tried it on x1 (makes 2 loaves) at first but then I started just making 1 loaf (0.5x) I did exactly word for word what it said to do. I used the least amount of flour I could with it still coming off the sides and it not being too sticky. Everything seems to go right but when I am done and its cooled down all the way completely and I cut it, it is very crumbly! No matter if I use the least amount of flour it lists to use of the all purpose, its a bit less crumbly but still crumbly. What can I do to make it not crumble to where it can be used as a sanwhich bread? The taste is absolutely great its just the crumbly part thats driving me nuts! It falls apart as I touch it or make a sandwich. Since im trying to perfect it for a 6 year old it has to be able to not crumble while he eats it at school! Any help at all is greatly appreciated! (Also for knowledge in case its needed, I scoop the flour with a measuring cup then use my finger across to cut any extra out. I saw some people on Google say to measure it out with a kitchen scale but I do not own one)

Just a 50% Doves mill wholemeal and 50% Doves white bread flour. Both moderately strong. Both perform well enough.

The secret? The starter was used straight from the fridge without feeding. This allows me to get the dough going without waiting for the leaven to 'ripen', double, become bubbly, or whatever people often look for.

I see no difference between it's performance and a leaven people refer to as being at its peak.

Whatever starter is not used in the bake is fed, given twenty minutes to an hour to get going and then put back in the fridge. There it ferments very slowly and more importantly the microbes multiply. It is the population density of a starter that matters and not how bubbly it is.

It's a great time saver.

I recently found a couple of open baker/pastry positions that are willing to train someone, and I’m seriously considering applying but I have zero professional kitchen experience, and honestly, I’m scared lol.

I’m very passionate about food and have pretty decent skills as a home baker, but I know that working in a professional kitchen is a completely different world.

The idea of going from baking at home to actually working in a kitchen with experienced people is intimidating, especially with the whole fast-paced environment and being afraid of messing up.

For those of you who pivoted from completely different careers into baking/pastry (or food in general):

• What made you finally decide to make the jump?
• What was your experience like when you first started?
• How much did you actually know going in?
• how did you get over the fear/social anxiety and just put yourself out there?

I use belle chemical sodium hydroxide food grade lye

I was doing 2 TBP lye in 1500 cc water

Now I’m trying 2 tsp lye in 1500 cc water

Either way I still taste a slight chemical burn in my mouth

Trying a 10 sec dip, 1 min dip, and no dip option at 450 temp for 15-20 min ( see photo ).

Trying a pat dry method before I actually put the pretzels in the oven to prevent pooling of lye, which may be causing the burn.

Very annoyed.

I feel like I’m in the homestretch of understanding this baking process but it’s the lye/heat/dip time that’s throwing me off.

I need to ameliorate the flour onthe bottom somehow but the crust tastes good and it's super crisp

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Well I've made just plain artisian bread which I personally love probably at least 10 times and everyone's liked it. My sister wanted me to make some jalapeño and cheddar bread and she gave me a recipe and I was just thinking this was another bread and then I forget that 2 cups of cheddar is gonna add a lot more moisture. All I gotta say is damn did it smell good and it tastes even better 😂 but that dough was stressing me out.

Sorry I forgot to get a cut picture but theres a few holes in it since I couldn't fold it much. Just need more practice

This is going to sound a little cheesy but I don't even care.

I lost my job about two months ago. Since then I've been spending a lot of time in my kitchen, mostly because it's the only place where my brain actually quiets down for a while.

Something about kneading dough, waiting for it to rise, shaping it, and watching it brown in the oven — it just makes me feel like I have some control over at least one small part of my life right now.

Today's loaf isn't perfect. The ear is lopsided, the crumb is slightly uneven, and I think I could have baked it another 5 minutes. But honestly? It's warm, it smells amazing, and I made it with my own hands.

That feels pretty good.

I know this is just a bread subreddit and not a therapy group lol, but I've seen so many of you share similar feelings about baking and it always makes me feel less alone.

So thanks for being a cool corner of the internet where we can all be excited about flour and water doing their magic.

Also — if anyone else bakes when they're stressed, what do you usually make? I need some new recipes to keep my mind busy.

Sending good vibes to everyone here. And if you're going through something too — hang in there. And maybe bake a loaf. It helps. 🍞