My second attempt and I am over the moon!

Just baked my second-ever sourdough and I’m honestly so proud of it I could cry. My first one was tasty but super flat — still good, but I didn’t expect this much improvement in just one more try. The crust is crispy, the crumb is soft and open, and the whole thing feels like actual magic.

Here’s exactly what I did, in case anyone wants to try it:

500g flour
320ml water
100g active starter
10g salt

Mixed flour and water first and let it autolyse for 30 minutes. Then I added the starter and salt, and kneaded it in my stand mixer for about 5–6 minutes until the dough was nice and smooth.

Bulk fermentation was about 3.5 hours at 26°C. I did two stretch & folds — one after 45 minutes, another after another 45 minutes. The dough rose really well and felt airy, so I shaped it gently into a round and placed it seam-side up in a floured bowl.

Then I let it rest for another 2hrs covered with a damp towel. I preheated the Dutch oven to 230°C for 45 minutes, flipped the dough onto parchment, scored it, and baked it for 25 minutes with the lid on, then 20 minutes with the lid off.

I let it cool a bit, wrapped it in a towel, and left it overnight. Sliced into it this morning and — I’m in love.
If your first loaf flopped a bit, don’t stress. Mine was flat too. My starter only needed one extra day to be ready. This one gave me all the joy. Totally worth it.