Recipe:
– Mix 100g starter, 450g flour, 300g water, 1 tsp salt.
– Perform one set of stretch and folds.
– Forget you're making sourdough for 4 hours until you come down for lunch and see it on the counter.
– Perform 2 coil folds 30 mins apart.
– Leave to bulk for another 2 hours.
– Shape, banneton, fridge.
– Bake next morning- open stone 230°C 15 mins.
– Realise you forgot to add steam. Figure it's too late now.
– Reduce heat to 200°C for 30 mins.
So basically I did everything wrong and still had delicious sourdough ready for lunch.
Also, I used to find these sorts of post frustrating when I felt like I was doing everything as I was supposed to and my bread was still turning out way worse, so I attach one of my first (and worst ever) attempts at sourdough for balance.
by Square_Effective9651
5 Comments
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Yeah sometimes it seems like people think the sourdough police are going to come and arrest them if they deviate slightly from the established method.
The only certainties should be about food safety. Not using moldy or pink starter, not leaving vulnerable inclusions in the temperature danger zone for 4+ hours, and not using fabric or paper permeable lids because they harbor bacteria.
If it’s not going to make someone sick, just work with it as you can. No one is going to die if you as a home baker have a slightly overproofed dough. Everything can be turned into breadcrumbs or croutons if all else fails.
I’ve made so many mistakes and still ended up with good bread. My most recent fail was because I left a loaf in the fridge for probably 2-3 more days than I should have (life got busy and it was hot) and when I got around to baking it I forgot to turn down the oven temperature the second half of baking it. Very overproofed, and very well done bread – not a great combo.
I do get amused by people looking for advice with severely underproofed bread that say things like, “I was afraid it was going to overproof”. Like honey, you were probably, at minimum, 8 hours away from that fate.
This is one of the most helpful posts I’ve seen in this group. I was time crunched as I started a loaf last week. Mixed and did 2 stretch and folds. About 2 hours. Refrigerated overnight. Pulled out in am while I worked out and got ready for work. Two more stretch and folds. 2 hours then back to fridge. Baked when I got home. Not my best work but it was good enough.
“…I used to find these sorts of posts frustrating when I felt like I was doing everything as I was supposed to and my bread was turning out way worse…”
“…sometimes it seems like people think the sourdough police are going to come and arrest them if they deviate slightly from the established method.”
“I’ve made so many mistakes and still ended up with good bread…”
“This is one of the best posts I’ve seen in this group.”
Bravo to all!!! Beyond asking if I can get a big
**AMEN!**, all there is to say is
**Au bon pain, au bon chance!**
Happy weekend friends!