So, yesterday, I learned a very important lesson: sourdough is shockingly forgiving.
I accidentally left my proofing box on top of the oven while it was preheating for another bake. Harmless, right? Wrong. The dough hit 88°F during autolyse and started cooking itself. Yep, lightly cooked dough before I even got to bulk fermentation.
After staring at it for a good minute (because obviously that fixes things), I pulled out the cooked bits, threw the rest in the fridge to cool, and just… kept going. I added a couple extra sets of coil folds to build back some strength, shaped it, and tucked it into the banneton for an overnight cold retard.
This morning, I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect, but the bake turned out solid. The crust is dark and cocoa-rich (no, I didn’t burn it), and the crumb is soft, open, and shiny with streaks of melted chocolate. The flavor isn’t overly sweet—just enough from the chocolate chips to balance the richness.
A little bit of heat, a whole lotta panic, and somehow…. bread!
Recipe by: Breadstalker: Rich Chocolate Chip Sourdough
https://www.breadstalker.com/blog/i8ck0i66a7s6ate0ysg0zq1o7z8zoi
by TheUnfollowedLife
8 Comments
**Hello TheUnfollowedLife,**
**I’M ONLY A BOT & CAN’T READ/REPLY. BEEP BOOP**
**TO AVOID POST REMOVAL**,
please review [our rules wiki page](https://www.reddit.com/r/Sourdough/wiki/sourdoughrules/).
Posts of **Sourdough Bake photos** are removed without notice when **Rule 5** isn’t met
(**including ingredients & process** in your main post/comment section).
**Need help or feedback?** Post a clear question, include a crumbshot, be detailed & specific. **NEW** [ Rule 5 FAQ/TIPS & TRICKS](https://www.reddit.com/r/Sourdough/wiki/sourdoughrules/) – WIP 🙂 .
***
Still have questions? [Modmail us :-)](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=/r/Sourdough) – this message will self destruct.
– #**[READING CRUMB GUIDE ](https://www.reddit.com/r/Sourdough/wiki/reading_crumb/)**
[Wiki index](https://www.reddit.com/r/Sourdough/wiki/index/), & [FAQ Beginner starter guide](https://www.reddit.com/r/Sourdough/s/gnqFg7osBO)
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Sourdough) if you have any questions or concerns.*
That looks gorgeous!!! And delicious!
Wait im confused, do you mean 88C? Dough doesnt cook at 88F…
For anyone else questioning,
I have a middle griddle on my stove. I placed my box towards the back directly where a piping 450 -500 degree oven with 2 pans of lava rocks was going strong releasing heat.
My timer went off to coil fold and immediately I realized what I had done. Did a temp check and it climbed to 88, but on touch found the back bottom was cooked (uneven cook). I had to cut the rock solid cooked part out. I didn’t finish the coil fold, put it right into the fridge for 30/45mins to cool to about 72 because new I’d have to perform extra coil folds to get that gluten going.
Apparently, it worked.
I mean it looks phenomenal! I think it was a good accident 🙂
Looks fantastic! And you’re right.. Staring at stuff miraculously fixes it
Holy guacamole, you must be a great baker. Even your mistakes are better than my best.
Wow!!!! 🤩