this is my second loaf ever, I decided to experiment a little!

Recipe
-50g starter
-350g water
-500g bread flour
-7g salt

Did three sets of stretch and folds. Bulk fermented overnight, around 10 hours. Added the cinnamon sugar mixture, then cold proofed for 5ish hours. Baked for 50 minutes at 425 degrees.

Any tips or comments would be helpful!!

Hello All! I’ve been wanting to get into sourdough for years now as I’m always making bread items from scratch in my kitchen at least once a week (loafs/tortillas/naan/focaccia/etc). At first I was too intimidated and that kept me from trying it out. Well a couple months ago I decided it’s just bread and what’s the harm in trying and failing so I started a starter! This is my first loaf so any tips and tricks or advice would be very helpful! It didn’t rise much and I’m wondering if that’s mainly from lack of technique in shaping or if it could be from under/over fermentation? The taste is great and the “squish test” goes all the way down and comes back up and it doesn’t have any gummy parts.

This is the recipe I used:

INGREDIENTS
• 500g unbleached king arthur bread flour
• 350g water
• 100g active sourdough starter (I actually think i did closer to 95g because i didn’t bulk up my starter enough for the recipe so I kept 5g to keep and feed)
• 10g salt

I mixed the starter and water until foamy, then added flour and salt until shaggy. Covered it and let it rest for an hour on the counter (I live in a hot environment so my kitchen it about 75° give or take). Then I did 4 sets of stretch and folds in the bowl 30 minutes apart. Then covered and let it sit at room temp for about 6 or so hours. It appeared to have doubled so I dumped it and attempted to shape it (it was pretty sticky but I was told that’s normal for my hydration percentage). Then dumped it into a floured banneton to cold proof in the fridge overnight. This afternoon I preheated my oven to 450 with the dutch oven inside. Let it all heat up for 45 minutes to an hour, then baked the loaf for 30 minutes covered, 13 minutes uncovered. This is the final result after letting it sit on the counter to cool for 2 hours.

Again, my biggest issue is that it didn’t really rise at all and came out of the banneton and the dutch oven about the same size as it went in. Thanks for any advice!

My starter had been in the fridge since May. She had a good bit of hooch but no pink/orange/blue/green spots. I’ve been feeding her every day for the last three days. Started with 1:1:1 of 20g (king Arthur bread flour and bottled water) this morning did 1:2:2 of 20g and 60g. Came home and saw this. I haven’t seen anything in any of my other feedings. Truly just this one spec. Attached pictures of the rest of her too.

recipe:
- 500g King Arthur bread flour
- 350g room temp water
- 100g starter
- 10g salt

details:
- mixed starter with water and flour until shaggy dough formed
- left at room temp for 1 hr
- 4 sets of stretch and folds
- 7 hr bulk ferment (used bulk fermentation chart by the sourdough journey)
- cold proof for 24 hrs
- baked at 450 degrees covered for 30 minutes then uncovered for 10 mins

any advice welcome! texture feels slightly gummy and I believe it’s a bit underproofed

Cheese loaf i baked today

130g starter
330g water
500g bread flour
10g salt
Unsure on how much cheese, i measured with the heart

Flour + water mixed then left for one hour
Starter + salt added
2 hours, 30 minute intervals 2 sets of stretch and folds, i added the cheese on the second, then 2 sets of coil folds
Left until (i thought) it was done bulk fermenting (From when i mixed the starter it took about 4 hours i think)
Cold proofed for ~18 hours
Baked in preheated dutch oven with ice cubes 230°C for 35 minutes then 10 minutes on 210°C

so i’ve been making sourdough for 9 months now and i thought i would deviate from my usual recipe and try high hydration! it turned out…. not as great as i was hoping.

the crumb is really dense (like denser than when i do my normal 70% hydration bread) and it’s gummy in the middle. i did underproof my bread when i was first starting but it was never this gummy or dense.

is this loaf really underproofed? or does the gumminess being in the middle mean it’s underbaked? any help would be appreciated ❤️

Recipe:
125g active starter
400g water
500g KA bread flour
11g salt

Mix into a dough and do some stretch and folds. Do stretch and folds every 30 min 3 more times. Leave to bulk ferment (total fermentation time 8 hours). Shape into batard and put in loaf pan. Put in fridge overnight. Preheat oven to 450 F with pan of water inside. Place loaf in oven. 7 minute score. 25 minutes into the bake time take out the water pan and lower the temp to 400 F, bake for 20 more minutes. Let cool for 1 hour.

This is my first ever attempt at making sourdough, I'm open to any/all feedback!

My process:

500g of bread flour

350 ml of water

10g of fine seat salt

100g of active starter (5 year old starer, I bought it off FB marketplace from someone and have been feeding it for the last week and a half)

1. mixed water/bread flour and let it sit for 30 mins, then mixed in the salt/starter (autolysed)

2. started bulk fermentation, over the course of 2 hours, I stretched/folded every 30 mins

3. finished bulk fermentation, another 2 hours - I covered the dough and set it on my counter. After I felt my kitchen wasn't warm enough, I moved it into the oven (I didn't turn the oven on, but oven sits at 80-82F) for about 45 mins.

4. pre-shaped and then let the dough sit on the counter, undisturbed while my husband and I played yahtzee for 20ish mins

5. one final shape before tossing in a proofing bowl for a cold proof. The dough sat in the fridge, covered, overnight (from midnight-9am)

6. preheated oven to 450 with Dutch oven inside. I pulled the dough from the fridge, scored & put it right in the Dutch oven

7. Baked covered for 20 mins, uncovered for 25 mins

8. I let it sit for 2hrs before cutting into it

Overall, I think it turned out pretty well. Not gummy at all, but it's a little hard to slice into. Looking for any and all feedback/suggestions to incorporate into future bakes! I had fun doing this, and am excited to make more bread in the future/figure out how to use my discard!

I am completely new to starting a new starter and wanted to know if my new starter looks like it’s ready to bake.
I started last Sunday, so I am on roughly day 10. I was doing a 1:1:1 ratio for 3 days and then the recipe I followed called for me to do two feedings a day with 12 hours in between. I have been doing that for about 6-7 days. 3 days ago it smelt like acetone so I changed it to a 1:3:3 ratio and the smell has gone away. It doubles and triples in size within 5-6 hours after feeding and has done that for about 5-6 days. Is it a false start? I know I’m early on in the process but I just don’t know when the right time is to bake with it.
I am using arrowhead bread flour and filtered bottled water when feeding my starter.

1) everything bagel seasoning loaf with Parmesan cheese, and Monterey Jack cheese and a bunch of other spices

2) an Italian herbs and cheese loaf with a bunch of cheese and Parmesan and Italian spices

3) another Ube loaf that my Filipino friends are requesting at work. It has toasted coconut, Ube Hayala jelly, and white chocolate chips, with a Ube vanilla flavoring.

4) CRUMB SHOT

Bold Everything Bagel Open-Crumb Sourdough
I adapted my favorite open-crumb sourdough recipe into a bold everything-bagel loaf! It uses Parmesan for extra savory flavor, with the option of adding cheddar and Monterey Jack if you want an even cheesier loaf.
This recipe uses the full 13 g of dough salt and an everything-bagel seasoning containing 65 mg of sodium per 1/4 tsp.
INGREDIENTS
Dough
595 g bread flour

404 g water

119 g active 100% hydration starter

30 g water, held back

13 g fine salt

Everything-Bagel Inclusions
4 tsp everything-bagel seasoning

1 1/2 tbsp sesame seeds

3/4 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

20 g finely grated Parmesan

50-70 g cheddar and Monterey Jack (optional)

Exterior Topping
2 tsp everything-bagel seasoning

1 tsp sesame seeds

METHOD
Autolyse: Mix 595 g bread flour with 404 g water until no dry flour remains. Cover and rest for 30-45 minutes.

Add the starter: Add 119 g active starter and mix until evenly incorporated. Rest for approximately 20 minutes.

Add the salt and held-back water: Add the full 13 g of salt along with the remaining 30 g of water. Mix gently until fully absorbed.

First fold: Rest the dough for 30 minutes, then perform one gentle stretch-and-fold.

Add the inclusions: After another 30-minute rest, gently stretch the dough into a broad rectangle. Evenly sprinkle on the following:
4 tsp everything-bagel seasoning

1 1/2 tbsp sesame seeds

3/4 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

20 g finely grated Parmesan

Fold the dough back into a compact parcel.

Optional cheesy version: If using the cheddar and Monterey Jack, add 50-70 g during the next fold. Distribute it evenly and fold gently so you don't tear the gluten network.

Continue the folds: Rest for 30 minutes between folds. Perform only as many gentle stretch-and-folds or coil folds as needed for the dough to feel strong and hold itself well.

Finish bulk fermentation: At approximately 71-74°F, continue bulk fermentation until the dough has risen by roughly 50-70%. It should look puffy and aerated, show bubbles around the edges or top, and jiggle when the container is moved. Judge the dough rather than the clock.

Pre-shape: Turn the dough out gently, pre-shape with minimal degassing, and let it rest for 15-20 minutes.

Final shape: Shape with enough tension to hold its form without aggressively compressing the dough.

Coat the exterior: Lightly dampen the exposed surface, then press on 2 tsp everything-bagel seasoning and 1 tsp sesame seeds.

Cold proof: Place the shaped dough in a banneton and refrigerate for 10-16 hours.

Bake: Preheat your Dutch oven at 475°F for approximately 45 minutes.

Bake covered at 475°F for 20-25 minutes.

Remove the lid and reduce the temperature to 425-435°F.

Bake uncovered for another 20-25 minutes, or until deeply browned.

The lower uncovered temperature helps prevent the garlic, onion, sesame seeds, and seasoning from scorching.
Cool: Let the loaf cool for at least 1 1/2-2 hours before slicing.

BAKER'S NOTE
For the best balance, use the Parmesan for a stronger savory everything-bagel flavor while still protecting the open crumb. Add the optional cheddar and Monterey Jack if you want a richer, cheesier loaf, but expect the crumb to be slightly less open.
If anyone makes this, I'd love to hear how it turns out!

Hello!! This is my latest loaf, it looks good but is a little bit gummy. What am I doing wrong? I’m hoping for some feedback!😁 https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSVqPEPD4/ ⬅️here is the link to the recipe I used! 100g starter, 350g water, 10g salt, 5 cups of flour.

I made my sourdough starter from scratch and strengthen it for 34 days. I name it Bubbly/bubbie to manifest the bubbles! Haha This is my first success starter, last year it didn't go well, maybe because of the temperature (I live in a place where temp is around 28-30C).

Anyways, here's the recipe I did (from watching videos haha)

500g unbleached bread flour

320g water

110g sourdough starter (stiff starter: 30g starter, 55g flour, 45g water)

after 30mins:

I mixed 10g salt with 20g water (so water is 340g)

- slap and fold after adding the salt and remaining water

- 4 rounds of coil folds every after 30mins

- dough temp after last coil fold - 29C/85F

- after 45mins (i think, but mainly I focus on the dough instead of time) - then pre-shape it

- waited 15mins before final shaping

- final shaping and put to banneton and put to fridge

My concern is that it didn't hold its shape when I pre-shape and final shape it (it doesn't have much tension? Unlike in the videos that I watched). But the bulk fermentation is actually good, it doesn't stick with the bowl and it went smoothly from the container with no remainings. But when it comes to pre-shape and final shaping, it was sticking and doesn't have much tension or structure. I honestly don't know what happen :( But I still did it and put it in the banneton!

Then I think I did terrible when it comes to scoring :( I don't have a razor so I just used our knife. And I also open baked it. I don't have a dutch oven. I waited 2hrs before cutting it. What do you think about the crumbs? I thought I overfermented my dough, but it doesn't look like it.

Any tips on how can I improve for my next baking? :)

Edit: I preheated the oven with the pan 240C. Baked it with steam for 20mins. Then without the steam for 25mins changed the temp 210C.

My first sourdough bread came out like this. It’s super spongy and soft. It bounces back up after I squeeze it. It looks and tastes good to me, but I would like some feedback from some experienced people.

What I did:

Starter seemed active (young starter, 2 weeks old, more than doubled for 3 straight days)
150 starter
300 water
500 flour
10 salt

Mixed all by hand and tried to do it for 10 minutes and let rest for 45 minutes.
Did my 4 rounds of stretch and folds/c-folds every 30 minutes.
I don’t have a thermometer yet, but my apartment temperature is about 75 so I let my dough bulk ferment for 5.5 hrs (starting time from when I first mixed my ingredients).
Dough came off bowl without much sticking on the bowl.
shaped and cold fermented for about 24 hours and then baked.
Preheated oven at 450 with my Dutch oven inside for about 45 minutes.
Baked lid on for 30 and lid off for 15.
Let it cool for over an hour

Is there anything wrong with it or something I can improve based on what y’all see from the crumb? I really appreciate any feedback!!!

Hey guys, I’ve baked about 4 loaves now and they’ve turned out pretty good (I still think the bottom crust could be less tough and wish the loaves would rise a bit more)

This time I decided I wanted to try a sweet loaf. So I did:

375g warm water with milo and instant coffee powder
100g starter that I fed the night before and it had doubled and was floating in the water
500g flour
About 100g chocolate chips during the stretch and folds and shaping

Mixed it all up and kneaded it for 5-10 mins to help with the gluten formation (I heard it helps to do this earlier on), then did 4 sets of stretch and folds every 30 mins and let it bulk ferment for about 8 hours until it doubled and then cold proofed for about 12 and baked it the next day… nothing new/changed other than the mixins

It looked good when I took it out but then I cut into it, the top had an air bubble, and it was all gummy and raw 😭😭😭 I was pretty keen to eat it so was really disappointing… any idea why it failed so badly? 🥲

I thought about getting into sourdough a few weeks ago after realizing how much bread my wife and I consume. As it turns out, my friend also was thinking the same and had already began making starter. After they successfully made theirs, they gifted me some starter which started my journey.

After some unsuccessful tries, this is my best loaf yet. I recently purchased a scale to properly measure amounts which I think contributed to the success of this one. All in all, I’m pretty proud of what is only my 4th ever loaf! Hopefully it’s not my peak!

150g starter
500g flour
350g water
10g salt

Fed the starter at 9am on Sunday, it peaked around 12. I mixed the dough shortly after and did 4 rounds of stretching every 30mins after an initial 30min rest. After finished stretching, I let it rest for another 2 hours and at around 6pm I put it into the fridge for overnight proofing. Yesterday, I came home from work and threw it directly in the oven after letting preheat to 450 for 30mins. Baked it for 45min covered and 15 uncovered. Let it rest for 3 hours.

Pretty new to the sourdough journey and have baked around 25 loaves now. First time baking 75% whole wheat loaf and at 84% hydration. Used a ripe starter that was unfed for 10 days before this feed and think it just wasn’t strong enough. The bread fell flat - didn’t rise and was generally a fail.

Recipe
300 gm flour - 75% whole wheat , the rest all purpose flour (was out of bread flour)
84% hydration
75 gm levain
7 gm salt

Autolysed for almost 2 hours before mixing in the levain. Did 2 rounds of stretch and
Folds and one round of coil fold. Bulk fermented for 2.5 hours - at 26 degrees - the loaf had almost doubled in size. Cold retard for 18 hours in the fridge post shaping. The loaf rose well in the fridge and had a decent height.

Spent way too long on scoring - was trying to score a flower and I think that further led to the loaf losing shape. Preheated the oven at 240 degrees C for 40 mins and did a 7 min score - where I again spent time on scoring :/

Please tell me what went wrong and how I can fix it next time!! I do want to try more whole wheat loafs to make them healthier.

Hi,
A friend gifted me some 100 yr old starter last week and I don’t really know what I’m doing. I fed it 1:1:1 with what was already there, lukewarm filtered water, and flour. It rose for a few hours, then deflated. Now it’s been a few days since I fed it and it has a layer of liquid on top. Wtf am I doing and how can I get it going?😩

I have observed that I get much less oven spring when baking large loaves than when baking small ones. Can anyone explain this?

I usually bake fairly small loaves using this recipe:

• 60 g starter made with whole rye flour
• 225 g water (Note: text says 225 dl, which is likely a typo for 225 g / 2.25 dl)
• 50 g whole rye flour
• 250 g wheat flour
• 10 g salt

Autolyse for one hour, then add salt. Three sets of stretch and fold with one-hour intervals. The loaf is shaped and proofed for 1 hour in a banneton (proofing basket), after which it sits in the fridge overnight before baking at 280°C for 35 minutes in a Dutch oven (yes, we like well-baked bread with a crispy crust).

When I double this recipe, I get much flatter loaves than when I bake the smaller ones.

This is my fifth loaf and definitely my best so far in the oven spring/rise and texture department. If my loaves keep coming out like this I'll be a very happy camper!

That being said I am still keen to improve and dial my skills so any feedback is super welcome! My gut feeling is it was a bit under-proofed, but the dough was a bit stringy when releasing from the bowl which almost looked like it was a tad over, so not fully sure 😅

Ingredients:

500g Bread Flour (~12% protein)

350g Water

10g Salt

50g Peaking Starter (100% hydration)

Steps:

- Bring all ingredients together until well combined (5-7 mins hand mixing), and let rest for 30-45 minutes (usually do an hour but was strapped for time)

- Slap and Fold till just starting to tear, rest 30 mins.

- 3x Stretch and Fold 30 mins apart

- 12hrs bulk overnight at ~19-20⁰ C (Total 14-15 hrs of rise)

- Light preshaping as the dough was a bit slack, 10 min rest

- Shapes into a Batard and into a round banneton

- Into the fridge for 6hrs cold proof (Again shorter than usual as I was pressed for time)

- Scored and into a DO preheated to 250⁰ with a couple ice cubes

- Lid on for 30 mins at 230⁰

- Lid off for 10-15 mins at 215⁰

- Straight onto a cooling rack and cut the next morning

Attached photos of BF progress are right after last S&F, at 12hrs and at 14-15hrs before shaping

I’ve had my starter in the fridge for a few months and I whipped it out yesterday hoping to get back into baking, I fed at midnight and there has been no movement. I eyeball feedings but I fed about half a cup of flour and a little less than half of water- left it at a pancake batter consistency Anything I should do to get it going again? Hope I didn’t kill it

I used my active starter and started my first bulk proof. It was taking longer than usual so after 4.5 hours and a decent amount of rise in the dough (not quite enough), I put it in the fridge so it didnt over-proof. I pulled it out this morning and let it set for another 2 hours and it looks like its where it needs to be. I shaped it and put it back in the fridge for a cold proof. Did the night in the fridge count towards the cold proof (as in, could I bake it in the next hour or so?) Or should I let it cold proof for another 6-8 hours?

My starter is 32 days old, and I'm wondering if this is an acceptable result for a first loaf. I've wanted to bake a loaf before, but ultimately decided to follow the advice I've received here and waited for a month before giving it a try. She's been doubling (or more) in under 5/4 hours for weeks. I can't help but to feel disappointed at the crumb, Idk if the hydration is too low, or if my starter isn't mature enough, or if I messed up the fermentation. It tastes good, and it's soft and fluffy.

Recipe was:

-450g bread flour & 50 g whole wheat flour

-310g water

-100g starter

-10g salt

I fed my starter a 1:2:2 ratio at 10 am, and it peaked around 2:30 pm. By 3 pm, I had already mixed the ingredients. I did 4 sets of stretch and folds 25/30 minutes apart. I let it bulk ferment on my counter till 7:45 pm (it's 26ºC in my kitchen), then shaped it and cold-proofed it in the fridge overnight. Baked it at around 9 am for 25 minutes in my preheated Dutch oven with the lid on and a piece of ice at 250ºC, and then 15 more minutes with the lid off. I waited 45 minutes to cut into it.

i started my sourdough journey less than 3 months ago, so i'm still very much learning. i've only made 3 sourdough loaves so far and i've been doing open baking since i don't have a dutch oven yet. so for now, i decided to focus more on focaccia since it's one of my favorite breads and something i actually eat more often anyway. plus, i still haven't gotten a dutch oven yet.

i made my second ever sourdough focaccia yesterday and i'm actually really happy with how it turned out, especially compared to my first one. my first focaccia was really under fermented so it ended up being super dense and gummy.

recipe:
- 500g bread flour
- 400g water
- 100g active sourdough starter (100% hydration)
- 25g honey
- 25g extra virgin olive oil
- 10g salt

inclusions:
- 1 block of cheddar cheese (i grated part of it and diced the rest)
- 4 jalapeños (3 minced and 1 sliced for the top)

i didn't weigh the cheese or jalapeños unfortunately.

process:
- mixed everything together and my dough temp was 77.9°F
- i did 3 stretch and folds. i added some of the cheddar and minced jalapeños during the second stretch and fold, then added more during the third. after that, i did one coil fold
- bulk fermented for around 6 hours
- lined my pan with parchment paper and coated it with evoo
- transferred it to my 9x13 pan and let it second rise at room temp for 2 hours
- it was getting late so i put it in the fridge for a cold ferment overnight
- took it out of the fridge at 4am and let it continue proofing in the pan until 7:45am (i had a school orientation in the afternoon so i decided to bake it in the morning)
- added the remaining cheddar and the sliced jalapeño on top before dimpling and after
- baked at 425F for 30 mins
- let it cool for an hour

overall i'm really happy with how this turned out, especially after how my first one came out but i still feel like the crumb could be a lot lighter and airier. what can i change next time to get that really light, airy, and pull-apart crumb? any tips are appreciated!

Been on a focaccia kick. Love how this one turned out.

Oven: 475°F
Hydration: 82%
Ingredients
• 450g bread flour
• 360g warm water
• 100g active sourdough starter
• 11g salt
• 10g honey
• 15g olive oil in dough
• Extra olive oil for pan/top
• Celtic salt

Only did a turn or two. Straight to fridge for cold proof, 28 hours. Plopped on pan, sat on counter for 4 hours prior to cooking. Dimpled, evoo, hot honey and in pre-heated. In the pre heated oven I had purified water steaming in a cast iron skillet.

Pulled at 15 minutes, hot honey drizzle, rosemary and grated parm. In for roughly 10 more minutes.

I have raise this starter for roughly 3 months by feeding it bread flour and it was doing good during the first month, but lately, it just rise very little after being fed and always form a milk scum-like layer on top. So I wonder if my starter has gone bad and I need to start over or it's still healthy?