Dining and Cooking
Best loaf so far! Lacy but balanced
In Sourdough

Best loaf so far! Lacy but balanced


I’m super happy with this one! It’s tall and has a really nice lacy crumb at the same time. My goal now is to see if I can maintain this height and maybe get an even more uniform crumb. If anyone has tips that could help with that, I’d love to hear them!😮‍💨

Recipe:

70g (pretty) stiff starter that has not quite peaked yet

300g water

350g 00 flour

7g salt

——

Autolyse for 4 hours

Add starter

Wait 30 minutes and add salt

Wait 30 minutes

1st coil fold

2-3 more coil folds with 45 minute intervals

Let it ferment

shape gently with no preshape

Total BF a little over 7 hours at 24-24.5c dough temp

Cold proofed for 18 hrs

——

Preheat DO for 40 min to 1 hour at 260c

Pull out dough out of fridge and score it

Bake covered for 20 mins at 260c, remove lid and bake for 20 mins at 220c

by TheSilverPoop

15 Comments

  9. faithlessfish

    What percent bulk do you usually go for? It looks fantastic!

  13. tanrock2003

    I make sourdough too, but it’s bread meant to be eaten, usually with something on it. I don’t understand the obsession with ultra-open crumb full of giant holes where everything just falls through. It’s impractical. Call it heresy if you want. I’m fine with the downvotes.

    That loaf is technically well executed – great fermentation, oven spring, nice crust – but it’s optimized for an aesthetic, not for eating.

    At some point, open crumb stops being a feature and starts being a flaw. Those big voids destroy structure. Try putting butter, jam, or olive oil on that and half of it ends up on your plate.

    Bread should have balance – light, yes, but with enough integrity to actually function. A tighter, more even crumb still delivers all the flavour and texture without turning every slice into a sieve.

    If the goal is something that looks good in a photo, fine. If the goal is bread you actually use and enjoy, this isn’t it.