first loaf!

i’m really proud!! i think for my first loaf it came out fantastic. it was a little bit of a bumpy ride as i’m in the middle of moving so my timing was a BIT off but i spent a month strengthening my starter (procrastinating) and i’m really happy with how it paid off. i used a recipe from alexandracooks.com.

i did a water drop test with my starter after it doubled in size and it stayed afloat so i took my 60 g of starter and added 375 g of filtered water, mixed it a lil, added 11 g of kosher salt, mixed that a lil and then added 300 g of king arthur’s unbleached bread-flour, mixed that a little with a spoon, panicked at how much it was sticking to the spoon, added another 200 g of flour, and mixed it by hand, wetting my hands as i went. when it was all mixed i put it into a juice pitcher as it was the only straight sided vessel i had, let it rest for 30 mins. did a stretch and fold, repeated this 4 times (?) i kind of lost track. then i let it sit for 5-ish hours in a 77 degree fahrenheit kitchen by accident because i totally lost track of time and it DOUBLED in size oh boy.
i decided whatever and dumped it out onto an overly-floured surface and let it bench rest for 30-40 minutes (again, i’m terrible with time and i hate timers). scooped it up, shaped it a lil, and put it in my wood pulp banneton, covered it with it’s little shower cap, and put it in the fridge overnight. when i woke up and got to it 9 hours later i preheat my oven with my off-brand la creuset to 450 degrees F, took some parchment paper out and gently lifted my dough out onto it. gave it my best shot at a score, and put it in the oven for 30 mins, then uncovered for 15 more mins at 400. let it cool for two hours just to be on the safe side. it’s delicious!

the crust is a little bit hard to slice through on the bottom but it isn’t tough, the flavor is very mild with a light tang. very buttery. my boyfriend said i’m marriage material and all is very well.

thank god for beginner’s luck!!!
photos are after my boyfriend ate part of the ear off 🙄

any feedback would be very much appreciated, that little crack at the bottom is slightly concerning me. i also think i could have cooked it a little longer for sure.