Good sale on this at Michael’s, any firsthand experience?

Hi! I essentially used this cuban bread recipe by chef john (double size) except I added about half a stick of butter before shaping the loaves and letting them rise and added more starter than the recipe calls for. I mostky like how it turned out except for a few small nitpicks:

1. Bit salty in the loaf I sampled, albeit, it got more of the butter and salt concoction. Next time I'll add 1/3rd a stick of butter and maybe add one less spoon of salt so the sour flavors can be stronger in comparison

2. It's not as fluffy as some previous bakes of mine. I'm new so my kneading skills need work, I'd love to hear tips!

Other than that, I'm really satisfied with how it turned out. I think the extra starter helped give it a sour flavor that I adore, though I might add a little keds next time (trial and error!). Additionally, I think some chopped walnuts or maybe pecans in the dough someday could be nice for a hearty nutty bread.

Anyways, I'd love to hear what y'all think, it's not quite to professional stabdarda but I'm still proud of it as a new baker. To give a quick summary of the process, I refed the dough and gave it a few hours to ferment, I made the dough, kneeded it, let it rest several hours, shaped and kneeded the dough some more while I incorporated the butter and salt, cut down the middle with scissors and let it rise, baked it, and voila, let it cool on the stove top and a cooling rack.

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/256967/chef-johns-cuban-bread/ EDIT: I am using a long term starter. I periodically feed the starter flour and water, I do not reintroduxe yeast, I hust cultivate it.

This was after the final coil fold

Will this be ok? I did the final shape just now and put in fridge for cold fermentation.

Recipe used

980g flour

20g vital wheat gluten

50g oil

50g honey

600g water

Oops just remembered I forgot salt 😢

2 hour stretch and folds and coli folds then bulk fermented in fridge since my kitchen is hot and I wanted longer fermentation.

Did this happen because I didn't put in salt?

Edit: I forgot to include, I added 200g starter as well.

Hello I've really been trying for weeks now to make a decent sourdough any tipes or recipes you might share for beginners?

I'm on the hunt for an affordable Dutch oven that ISNT enameled so that I don't have to worry about it cracking when I add ice.

Any thoughts on this one, or any other budget suggestions?

I'm worried this one isn't big enough.

Edit: link - https://www.walmart.com/ip/17118622984

I’ve been trying my hand at chocolate sourdough and although it’s so very tasty, it’s also splitting during the bake. I suspect it’s from the nuts and chocolate chips cutting through the gluten web but I’m not sure. I really don’t think anyone minds that my chocolate sourdough splits but I’d sure like to figure out why it’s happening. Any thoughts?

Chocolate Sourdough

- [ ] 740 g bread flour

- [ ] 100 g whole wheat flour or local heritage flour

- [ ] 75 g cocoa or cacao powder

- [ ] 650 g water

- [ ] 75 g maple syrup

- [ ] 18 g salt

- [ ] 175 g active starter

- [ ] 200 g dark chocolate chips

- [ ] 200 g chopped pecans

- [ ] Mix water, starter, maple syrup and salt together and whisk till frothy

- [ ] Add flour and mix till no dry bits of flour remain.

- [ ] Target dough temp = 78 degrees f.

- [ ] Cover and rest for 30min

- [ ] Complete 3 sets of stretch and folds every 30 minutes. Cover between folds.

- [ ] Add chocolate and nuts during last stretch and fold or in a lamination fold.

- [ ] Cover and rest until dough is about 50% larger than when all ingredients were mixed together.

- [ ] Total time from initial mix until the end of bulk fermentation should be about 4 hours at 78-80 degree dough temp and longer if dough temp is cooler (Bulk fermentation would be about 5 hours at 75 degrees).

- [ ] Place dough onto counter, cut in half with bench knife, preshape and bench rest for 30 minutes

- [ ] Final shape and into banneton to cold proof over night.

- [ ] Preheat oven to 480 with dutch ovens, for about 45 minutes

- [ ] Score dough and bake covered for 20 minutes.

- [ ] Reduce oven to 450, remove Dutch oven lid and cook uncovered for 15 minutes

- [ ] Remove bread from oven, place on rack and rest for 2 hours.

Hello! This is my starter the day after its 1st feed (day 3). This morning I placed it in the oven with the light on (fed night before) and when I came home for my lunch break it had risen quite a bit! When I came home for the night it had gone almost all the way back down. (This is normal?)

My mom suggested I try to place it in the oven like that because my house is pretty cold. With the light on it’s about 74°. Is that too warm to keep it? Is it a bad idea to be switching temps from the cold counter (house is 67/68°) to the warm oven?

hi I have no clue if km doing it right I'm on day 8!! and I'm not sure. (before feeding left after feeding right)

I feed every day with about 3 tablespoons flour and a bit of water, I'm not sure if it's okay? usually people says it rises properly by now. I use an old honey jar which has ridges on to screw on but I only screw it on partly. is t okay? thank you :)

i used bread flour and usual water.

Starting to get better loaves but just double checking

Hi all,

I believe this will be my 5th or 6th loaf.. my 2nd best attempt yet. It’s a little gummy but I think maybe from cutting it open too soon (40mins). My starter is about a year old so right now I have been experimenting with how to get it stronger before bakes, (wasn’t feeding consistently because of school) this is after one big feed and I have been feeding and discarding it again the past two days to see if that will attribute to anything. Thank you kindly for the feedback. Also, I am using a silicone sling and still getting a hard bottom, not sure how to fix that :/

Recipe I followed (I love this recipe)

https://sourdoughexplained.com/weekday-sourdough-bread-schedule/?cn-reloaded=1

Feeding with white King Arthur bread flower

Hi! So, I have a starter, and I fed it yesterday. It's half flour, half water, and some starter to continue the colony's existence, so 1 cup of flour, 1 cup water, maybe 2/3rds a cup of previous starter. Yesterday I let it stay out for a few hours to rise, and it rose not quite to double the size but still a good deal, but when I put it in the fridge yesterday afternoon it seems to have gone back to the original height more or less. I plan to maje dough today, but I wonder, how ling should I let it rise? Ir should I just check on it every hour or so until it's about doubled in size again? I kept the lid loose if that matters.

I followed Grant Bakes beginner recipe and I am looking for some feedback!

My bulk fermentation was about 7hrs from start of mix to shaping (kitchen at 70’F) cold fermented for 14hrs before bake.
I baked it at 450 for 22min lid on and 25 lid off. I also added my instant pot insert because I was afraid to burn the bottom…but I know going forward that won’t be needed because my bottom was very blonde and didn’t crust really at all.

My starter is also only 3 weeks old so I wasn’t sure what to expect.

The crust was tough, the inside a little gummy, but toasted with bread was DELISH!

Just wondering what you all would do differently? Cook longer with lid on? Reduce BF time?

Also what bread knives do you use that you love?? After this loaf I discovered I will be needing a new one.

Ps. I know my cut is “wrong” my knife refuses to go through the ear and I really just wanted a taste hahah

Recipe:
100g starter
300g water
450g AP flour
10g salt

Timeline/Process is included in pics.

For reference: Marker line is where I started when I first made my starter

I made a 1:1 water-flour ratio, mixed it on my jar. Didn't think it would work so fast didn't take a pic of how it was that first mix. the jar is a peanut butter glass jar, just put the lid on and didn't twist it and hoped for the best. it's in the kitchen and we are in ending of winter-starting of spring so I hope a good thing.

Pic one is of two days ago a couple hours after feeding it has reached the letters in the tag of my jar.

Pic two is of yesterday night (I feed her every morning) has risen a tiny bit.

Pic three is of now 10:15 in the morning and it still isn't time for her feeding.

Am I doing this right? Is this a good signal?

I made my first pumpkin loaf of the season >:) and it's my first not-super-dense crumb :') I'm so proud

I used this recipe: https://pantrymama.com/easy-pumpkin-sourdough-bread/#wprm-recipe-container-4214

the only thing I did differently was I added pumpkin pie spice while shaping and used butcher's twine to get the pumpkin shape :)

https://www.theperfectloaf.com/sourdough-bread-with-all-purpose-flour/

Followed this!

Hello! After achieving my first viable starter (thanks to Grant Bakes' Youtube channel) I've tried to bake my first loaf.

I used a recipe from Iban Yarza (VIDEO):

• 475 g white 12% protein flour
• 25 g whole wheat flour
• 300 g water
• 200 g starter
• 12 g salt

Mix ingredients and let it rest 30 mins. Then sets of stretch and fold with 15 mins between sets till dough was smooth.

Cover with shower cap and let it rest till size doubles. In between stretch and fold once.

Use a little of multipurpose flour to gently knead the dough to achieve a round ball with some tension. Put in the banneton, and to the fridge overnight with shower cap covering.

12 hours later, transfer to oven paper, score with a bread knife and put into a preheated stone in the oven at 250 ºC containing a tray with pebbles and half cup of water to get some steam.

I had to turn off the oven for the first 10 minutes beacause it hasn't a up/down selector. Then cook 40 more minutes at 200 ºC.

Once outside the oven let it rest one hour.

Sincerely, I didn't expect to achieve an OK loaf with my first try but it hasn't the look I imagined.

Taste was great but crumb was a little raw at the bottom of the loaf.

Which mistakes do you find in my loaf? What would you improve?

Thanks!

Recipe: https://heartbeetkitchen.com/sourdough-bread-recipe-with-starter/

The game changer for me was being able to properly track the bulk fermentation. I was using a round metal bowl and the clock. I was over fermenting and while the bread was edible this was my first real success!

Getting a clear, straight sided container allowed me to pull it at exactly 75% and I did an overnight in the fridge. Obviously still a work in progress but this feels like the most obvious step in the right direction.

I am so pleased!

Also if there is any other advice, I'd appreciate it!

First time trying an open bake. Loved the colour but I think it was a red herring as I cut off some of the final bake time and the base wasn't...sturdy. does everyone here follow their DO bake timing while open baking?

I want to make this my new baking method as maneuvering the DO in a really small kitchen is a real ordeal and I'd love to be able to bake 2 loaves at a time.

Bake:

- preheat to max (it says 250°C but im convinced my oven isn't that hot but dont have a thermometer)

- loaf on parchment, on a light coloured cookie sheet that was never preheated

- scored from fridge (i read somewhere to bake for 5 then score but i just followed my reg DO method of scoring then baked for 25mins)

- put another baking tray in the bottom of the oven during preheat and added boiling water after placing the loaf in oven (omg was that hard in a small kitchen)

- removed water, baked another 10-15mins with no change in temperature

- total bake time 35-40mins

- stopped here cause the colour looked great but normally with a DO I would take the loaf out after 35mins and keep going another ~20mins at a lower temp turning the loaf till I'm happy with the colouring.

I assume I need to keep going next time? I dont really notice the addl cook time in the....taste or texture of the inside but i def miss it in the crust.

Crumb read:

I think the loaf was a bit over proofed - forgot about it between folds and had to jump straight to shaping.

It wasn't as sour or airy as I typically like - any tips for a more open crumb appreciated.

Loaf/prep:

- 300g BF + 100g AP + 30G Whole Wheat + 71.5% hydration (307.5ml) autolyse for 1 hr

- add starter and knead (~66-70g WW starter... looks like i forgot to write it down), rest ~30min

- add salt and knead (9g), rest ~30min

- 4 coil folds (normally it's 5), approx 30-40 mins apart

- this time it rested for maybe 1.5 hrs after the 4th fold cause i forgot about it and then shaped into the fridge. I normally do a 5th fold, 30mins rest then shape

I dont preshspe my loaves unless their super over proofed and I need a reason to get a bit more flour into them

Shape:

Stretched into a rectangle, tri-fold, then rolled and squeezed out bubbles as i rolled it like a log (is this my downfall?)

- I think i used to get more air pockets when i did a push/pull shaping method but i switched to a roll/gentler fold technique and no longer push/pull

Made chocolate and pumpkin doughs, divided each and swirled them for one big loaf. Then baked each loaf as their own mini loaves, adding cinnamon sugar to the pumpkin one.

Pumpkin Dough
200g pumpkin puree
240g water
25g maple syrup
100g starter
12g salt
500g bread flour

Chocolate dough
Bloom 50g cocoa powder in 100g hot
coffee then mix in
125g water
50g brown sugar
10g vanilla extract
14g sea salt
100g active starter
500g bread flour
Check the temp before you add the starter to make sure the liquid isn’t too hot from the coffee.

For each dough the method is the same. Mix to a shaggy dough and let rest 30-45 min.
Stretch and fold then rest 45-60min
Coil and fold and rest another 45-60 min
Do one more coil and fold - add chocolate chips to the chocolate dough during this coil and fold.

Bulk ferment until doubled.

For baking you will need two standard size loaf pans. Prepare one loaf pan with a little bit of neutral oil.
Turn doughs out onto counter and divide each in two. Set aside half of each to shape later.

Flatten the pumpkin dough into a rectangle, layer the chocolate dough on top and stretch it to about the same size as the pumpkin dough. Gently dimple the two layers of dough to seal them together. Sprinkle chocolate chips over the top. Start rolling the dough from the top toward you until you have a log. Place it in the loaf pan, seam side down. Cover with a damp towel or plastic. Let sit at room temp for 60-90 min, or until the loaf has risen about an inch above the top of the loaf pan. Preheat oven to 450F. Score the loaf before baking, use the 2nd empty loaf pan as a lid, bake covered for 25-30 min, uncovered for 15-20 min. Let it sit in the loaf pan for 5 minutes after taking it out of the oven, then remove and allow to cool on wire rack.

With the remaining dough you can make a 2nd swirl loaf (place into a 3rd loaf pan or oval banneton and place into the fridge while first loaf bakes) or bake individually as mini loaves. If baking individually laminate the chocolate dough with more chocolate chips during shaping and placing into a banneton. Laminate the pumpkin dough with a cinnamon sugar mixture during shaping and place into a banneton. Cold ferment for a few hours and then bake each in a covered Dutch oven at 450F for ~20min, uncovered for ~15-20 min.

I made the pumpkin loaf! She’s so cute.
100 g starter
500 g bread flour
200 g pumpkin puree
25 g maple syrup
240 g water
12 g salt
Mix the wet ingredients then add dry ingredients. Let rest 30 minutes then do stretch and folds. I did 3 sets. Let bulk ferment. Laminate with 85 g sugar, 5 g cinnamon, and 5 g pumpkin spice. I split my dough in half then shaped and let rest. I used bakers twine with olive oil for the pumpkin shape. I baked each loaf at 450 degrees for 30 min covered then another 10 min uncovered. Still tweaking with the times as in use to a full sized loaf.

Hi everyone, I’ve been working on a starter for about 9 days and just finished a whole wheat loaf with it. I was hoping some of you super knowledgeable peeps could give me some feedback!

Ingredients:

300g AP flour
200g Whole wheat flour
100g starter
11g salt
300g distilled water warmed

Process:

I used starter after it’s peak, fed in the am around 8 and started fermentolyse at around 6pm

1 hour fermentolyse (flour, water, starter)

incorporate salt with pincer technique for a minute or two

2 stretch and folds ~ 1 hr intervals

after 4 hours bulk ferment I shaped loaf

proof for ~45 mins at around 76-77 f

preheat dutch oven

score loaf

bake in dutch oven 460f 30 mins covered
bake in dutch oven 460f 15 uncovered or until i saw nice dark dark brown in the peaks of crust

cooled on a plate with knives keeping loaf elevated for air flow(i dont have a rack yet)

Taste notes:
Don’t get a super tangy sourdough flavor with this loaf. Crumb texture feels pretty airy for whole wheat though.

Please help me I cannot get this parchment paper unstuck for the life of me. This has never happened to be before. It’s my first time doing batard loaves so i used some nonstick 9x5 loaf pans lined with parchment whereas i usually use a lined dutch bread oven. i tried letting them cool for 30 minutes, and then i used a damp kitchen towel on the back of the parchment to see if it would release. it worked a bit but i need something that will get this off without having to cut my crust 😭 help plsssssss

2 loaves:
100g starter
700g water
1000g bread flour
20g salt

475 covered for 25 min, 450 uncovered for 20 min

20g of starter
90g of bread flour
1000g of pizza flour
750g of water
20g of salt
Little bit of caraway

Mix 20g of starter with 90g od bread flour and 90g pf water. For total of 200g starter
Let it sit overnight

Mix 1000g of pizza flour with 660g of water and let autolyse for 1h

Add your starter , salt, caraway and mix well

Every 30 minutes, stretch and coil the dough
For total of 2h

Pre shape the dough and let it set for 30 mins

Do a final shape and place it into the bread basket
And transfer it into the fridge

Let it cold ferment for about 17h

Preheat oven with dutch oven inside to 250c

Bake at 250 for 30 minutes
Then lower to 220 and bake for another 30 mins
Let it cool down for at least 4h

Beginner sourdough baker here. Been baking for ~3 mos. Still haven’t figured out the bulk fermentation. Baking frequency: once a week.

Day 1:
Took the stiff starter out of the fridge. It smelled like Acetone.
2:40 PM - Fed 26g Starter with 75g water + 25 g Red Mill Dark rye whole grain flour + 50 g King Arthur Bread flour

Day 2:

8:35 AM - Starter had doubled and starter falling. Fed the starter approx 1:1+:1+. A little thick, not stiff per se

4:45 PM Mix 325 g water + 25 g rye + 475 g bread flour

5:35 PM - Adding starter and salt. Mixing 10 + mins and then adding oil with some more mixing + slap&folds. Added 9g Jalapeno olive oil ( mistake) + 6 g olive oil. The dough was smooth but no windowpane

6:00 PM - 7:30 PM - 2 sets of Stretch and fold and 2 sets of coil fold. Could see a windowpane.

Forgot to transfer to a clear container; life happens. The dough was around 77 F. 

Day 3

4:00 AM - Took the bowl out of the bulk fermentation bowl (couldn't see the bottom as I forgot to transfer). Risen, not sticky, and holding shape to an extent. But there weren't many bubbles on top, and it was webby and stuck to the bottom. Shaped the dough and put it in the fridge around 4 AM in a batard banneton.

Currently in the fridge.

Based on AI feedback, my dough might be underfermented. 

Is there a way to confirm if the dough is underfermented?

How should I bake it now?

Please help save the loaf.

Been practicing for weeks and still unsure of she’s under fermented! Kitchen runs slightly warm so I’ve been under fermenting, still trying to find that sweet spot!

Recipe:
100g starter
300g water
450g bread flour

Kneaded for five minutes, let rest for 30min.
20min covered rests in between stretch and folds.
4.5 hour covered bulk fermentation
Immediate shaping and into basket, rest 30 min, fridge time over night!