Totally new at this- read some articles, but that’s it. My starter is only 7 days old. I did my first bake today. My crumb is missing large bubbles. Should I have left it on the counter longer during the first rise?
I followed this recipe online: https://www.pantrymama.com/bake-sourdough-in-a-loaf-pan/
Only difference is I cut in half, put in loafs pans (I’ll invest in a Dutch oven, but I don’t have one yet) and put a pan of water in the oven while baking. Bottom of bread is a little pale, so I probably should have cooked a hair longer (?)
Any helpful thoughts? Excited to learn more! (Side note, I learn best by doing- so I kind of wing it until I figure things out lol)
by Glittering-Effort-79
8 Comments
Sorry! I lied it was this recipe: https://www.farmhouseonboone.com/beginners-sourdough-bread-recipe/
Just gotta wait for your starter to mature, that’s all.
7 days seems too young for a starter. I used the rule that it was doubling in 4h with a 1:1:1 feed for 3 days in a row before baking my first loaf, and that took 14 days. Many starters will take longer than that to mature. At 7 days mine definitely wasn’t growing quickly enough to make bread. I would wait a week before trying again.
A fine crumb is not a bad crumb. Its just different from an open crumb and in some bread its exactly what is desired.
That’s a beautiful bread. I prefer this kind of crumb, but if you want a more open crumb, adding more water is a short-cut.
Your crumb looks pretty good, especially for a first-timer.
Your rise time is based on how long it takes your dough to double. This may be hard to determine if it’s rising in a round bottom bowl. If you invest in anything, get a straight sided, flat bottom food container like a Cambro. I use a large elastic band to mark my starting point on the container.
This is how my first two loaves came out and I learned that I was proofing too long. However, as others have shared some people look for this crumb and it’s good no matter what
Solid effort bet it’s yummy you will go far 👊