I think I messed up every single step of trying to make sourdough. My starter was questionable, I didn’t let it rise nearly long enough, and it smelled like a wet dog. At least I tried!!
by panickypepper
39 Comments
RattyHillson
Don’t let it be your last. My first loaf looked the same and had a huge tunnel through it from horrible shaping.
That said, lmao that looks like a sandy brick.
RishiRishon
Don’t give up! My first was a total mess, and makes yours look like a 5 stars Cheff kiss bread in comparison haha. It’s a long way until you get it correctly but definitely it’s worth it.
AK_rex-asaurus
My first loaf looked exactly like this, here’s my second (and third and discard bagels for good measure) stick with it!!!
Don’t give up. My first loafs weren’t success stories either, and occasionally I produce some that have zero oven spring and come out flat as a carpet. But those that turn out nice are totally worth it. It’s rewarding enough to persevere!
Jessicasab16
I finally caved after a month of trying to start my own starter and bought a dehydrated one off of Etsy and it’s been smooth sailing ever since. Some might say it’s cheating, but it’s helped me learn, make delicious bread, and want to stick to sourdough since it’s so intimidating at first. Wishing you the best of luck and continuation on your bread baking.
Lost-Cantaloupe123
Where’s the recipe – you know how many times I’ve fed the birds with bakes that didn’t come out right
littleoldlady71
Congratulations! You’ve gotten the ugly loaf out of the way. Now, keep baking.
What did you learn from your first bake?
littleoldlady71
And it sounds like your starter needs a couple of weeks yet. Just keep going.
I made this wonderful pan cookie 5 years ago and kept trying. Don’t give up. It’s all part of the learning process. You’ll get there.
idspispopd888
Sourdough is NOT something you can perfect on a first try. Depending on approach, be prepared to read, study, experiment, succeed in part, fail again, etc. Eventually your results will be consistent.
LordOfCinderGwyn
I’ve done so much worse starting out. You’ll be fine!
kaginu96
Keep going! Don’t be afraid to try different methods and lower your pride sometimes. I had to make a new starter 6 times before it took and now I’m still working on making a loaf that isn’t gummy. It takes tons of practice and patience but it feels so good once u get it. Don’t give up!
AroPenguin
Hahaha, the exact same bread happened a few days ago. I think my starter was not ready
Edit: I also have to mention I’ve made beautiful loaves before! So sometimes it’s just fickle.
RubSalt3267
Keep trying!!!!! Nobody’s first loaf is ever anything special!
SilverLabPuppies
Everyone has their first or second oopses. Keep practicing. There are skills to be proficient in every step of the way. I am 5 months baking and just started scoring! Keep going. YouTube videos show each sour dough step. Too many to name Sourdough for Beginners is one!!
My first bread was a hockey puck/frisbee/biscotti looking thing.
jmlbhs
My first few bakes were bad. It took me until my third attempt to make one I was happy with and until many more loaves where I got consistent. Happy to offer up any advice if you have questions!
SilverLabPuppies
Forgot to say I baked once my starter was able (took 5 weeks). Every bake & every week got better. Extra steps that helped me: continue to feed starter on counter daily for another month, use thermometer to temp dough once mixed and follow bulk ferm chart, test bread temp 205-210F before removing from oven.
Diydweeb
How long was the bulk rise and at what room temp? Dutch oven? Thermometer? I’ve made similar before. I think it may be a little underbaked. I also recommend staying with it. It takes practice.
Facudemeco
Yeah i’m pretty sure no one knows what they’re doing at first, unless they already have some knowledge of bread making. Just keep watching youtube videos, trying to squeeze whatever info you can get from them and things will just start to click. Step by step
Valuable-Finding-735
I couldn’t even bake my first attempt it just turned into a puddle. Don’t give up
Iwannabakegoodbread
How old is your starter?
LadyoftheOak
Make croutons.
cocoa_boe
Don’t get discouraged, we’ve all had some bad bakes! It just looks really underfermented and when that happens it won’t brown either.
Keep feeding your starter and try again in a week or two. Also get a thermometer, a clear straight-sided container, and refer to this chart:
I did so much research before I baked my first loaf. I’m talking like a total dork. Took notes. Protected my starter like it was my last living family member. I watched over my proofing dough like a newborn baby on its first night home. It turned out wet and dry at the same time, crust so hard it cut my lip. I read that almost everyone’s first loaf is usually borderline acceptable to even feed to a rabid trash panda. I PROMISE it will get better.
FerretAccomplished16
Cheer up. The way to make amazing bread is to make a lot of really bad bread first. Trust me I’ve tried and still mix amazing successes with so-so results punctuated by the occasional complete failure. It’s what makes baking interesting and fun. Specifically this loaf looks extremely overproofed and perhaps on top of that a little bit under baked. Not knowing how active your starter was or how long you processed things It could also be that you never got any rising action at all. It’s funny because unrisen bread and over-risen bread kind of end up the same way: flat, dense, no air in the crumb, pale crust, and pretty much a hockey puck. Try again. Make sure your starter is active and that a small amount of it floats on water showing it’s got lots of gas production. Then make sure you can pay close attention to the proofing and look for signs that it’s proved and ready to go in the oven. And lastly, while I don’t think this was the sole cause of your result, you might have worsened it if you cut that thing open while it was still warm because the crumb looks a little bit gummy as well which often happens when you don’t let the bread cool before slicing. So you basically gave yourself a PhD course in what not to do, so now just start taking away the mistakes and in the end you’ll be left with amazing perfect bread!
Ok_Preference7703
This is a common first loaf, don’t give up! Your main problem is that your starter isn’t strong enough yet. Take a break from baking but keep feeding your starter at high ratios (1:5 or 1:10) and feed peak to peak. It also helps to feed and acclimate your starter to room temp or colder, they’ll really take off when you proof in a warm environment that way.
ETA: “peak to peak” can take days sometimes, but it’s the best way. Don’t watch the clock, watch your starter.
Welcome to the first loaves club. Mine looked quite similair (top left), but it got better over time. Record your failures and note down the steps that will help getting to know the process. Or better yet: your process, because it’s different for everyone. Happy baking!
KickIt77
Ah … early days! Don’t give up. Unless you hate it.
Did you start your own starter? If you did and you don’t think it’s working, it’s ok to just order a frozen one. I did. It has been creating beautiful loaves for like 3 years, no problem.
For me, almost ALL published recipes have way too little bulk rising time. Especially in the winter. This is a loaf I baked yesterday. It is a bit denser loaf by design because it has cheddar in it (laminated, rolled into a spiral). My starter took 12+ hours to double. My bulk ferment was 14-15 hours. Not the prettiest loaf to look at but the spring and texture is fabulous.
I know this is the sourdough sub but try supplementing with yeast if you have to. Starting out with yeast loaves helped me understand each step of the process, what it should feel like and look like. You will get it!
99.99% of first loaves will not turn out. There is much to learn and it definitely teaches patience. Do research, find a method you’re comfortable with. Hell, even tweak it to your liking and keep trying! It’s very rewarding once you get it down 🙂
UberHonest
My first loaf looked like yours. But my second log was amazing! Don’t give up!
We all get flats it’s part of learning. I suggest to everyone new that they should feed their starter, mark where the top is, then watch it grow and keep a close eye on it once it’s doubled. You’ll learn to tell when it’s ripe and when it’s over ripe at that point. When you figure out on your jar where the starter rises to once it’s fully ripe, mark that too. Then you have good reference
MoonpieTexas1971
My husband offered to varnish my first dozen loaves for use as doorstops. The next dozen were used for croutons. I’m still hit-or-miss, but no longer afraid to try.
Dude, that is a pretty awful looking loaf. In twenty years of doing this, I have only had a half-dozen or so that were this level of flat, but surprisingly enough, not all of them were early on. As others have said, sourdough baking is all about trial and error, learning and improving. Getting to a place where you have a good feel and a mostly repeatable process takes time and practice. Trying different recipes and techniques may result in regression or discovery, or sometimes both, but there is no shame in a bad loaf because it is just a progress report. You can’t improve if you give up.
OptimisticSkeleton
I did this when I got back into baking and I previously worked as a baker. Sourdough is hard.
You didn’t fail. Your first attempt was off the mark. Adjust and try again.
It’s only a failure if you don’t learn. It’s only failure if you quit.
39 Comments
Don’t let it be your last. My first loaf looked the same and had a huge tunnel through it from horrible shaping.
That said, lmao that looks like a sandy brick.
Don’t give up!
My first was a total mess, and makes yours look like a 5 stars Cheff kiss bread in comparison haha.
It’s a long way until you get it correctly but definitely it’s worth it.
My first loaf looked exactly like this, here’s my second (and third and discard bagels for good measure) stick with it!!!
https://preview.redd.it/1vzm4h8noeae1.jpeg?width=5676&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8ac82e6fd9cd78d0faf57db61006caa02278f761
Don’t give up. My first loafs weren’t success stories either, and occasionally I produce some that have zero oven spring and come out flat as a carpet. But those that turn out nice are totally worth it. It’s rewarding enough to persevere!
I finally caved after a month of trying to start my own starter and bought a dehydrated one off of Etsy and it’s been smooth sailing ever since. Some might say it’s cheating, but it’s helped me learn, make delicious bread, and want to stick to sourdough since it’s so intimidating at first. Wishing you the best of luck and continuation on your bread baking.
Where’s the recipe – you know how many times I’ve fed the birds with bakes that didn’t come out right
Congratulations! You’ve gotten the ugly loaf out of the way. Now, keep baking.
What did you learn from your first bake?
And it sounds like your starter needs a couple of weeks yet. Just keep going.
https://preview.redd.it/tz3148aeweae1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=664c80445ae8a09835d8109bfef081acd9469c71
I made this wonderful pan cookie 5 years ago and kept trying. Don’t give up. It’s all part of the learning process. You’ll get there.
Sourdough is NOT something you can perfect on a first try. Depending on approach, be prepared to read, study, experiment, succeed in part, fail again, etc. Eventually your results will be consistent.
I’ve done so much worse starting out. You’ll be fine!
Keep going! Don’t be afraid to try different methods and lower your pride sometimes. I had to make a new starter 6 times before it took and now I’m still working on making a loaf that isn’t gummy. It takes tons of practice and patience but it feels so good once u get it. Don’t give up!
Hahaha, the exact same bread happened a few days ago. I think my starter was not ready
Edit: I also have to mention I’ve made beautiful loaves before! So sometimes it’s just fickle.
Keep trying!!!!! Nobody’s first loaf is ever anything special!
Everyone has their first or second oopses. Keep practicing. There are skills to be proficient in every step of the way. I am 5 months baking and just started scoring! Keep going. YouTube videos show each sour dough step. Too many to name Sourdough for Beginners is one!!
My first bread was a hockey puck/frisbee/biscotti looking thing.
My first few bakes were bad. It took me until my third attempt to make one I was happy with and until many more loaves where I got consistent. Happy to offer up any advice if you have questions!
Forgot to say I baked once my starter was able (took 5 weeks). Every bake & every week got better. Extra steps that helped me: continue to feed starter on counter daily for another month, use thermometer to temp dough once mixed and follow bulk ferm chart, test bread temp 205-210F before removing from oven.
How long was the bulk rise and at what room temp? Dutch oven? Thermometer? I’ve made similar before. I think it may be a little underbaked. I also recommend staying with it. It takes practice.
Yeah i’m pretty sure no one knows what they’re doing at first, unless they already have some knowledge of bread making. Just keep watching youtube videos, trying to squeeze whatever info you can get from them and things will just start to click. Step by step
I couldn’t even bake my first attempt it just turned into a puddle. Don’t give up
How old is your starter?
Make croutons.
Don’t get discouraged, we’ve all had some bad bakes! It just looks really underfermented and when that happens it won’t brown either.
Keep feeding your starter and try again in a week or two. Also get a thermometer, a clear straight-sided container, and refer to this chart:
https://preview.redd.it/u80nyvp1bfae1.jpeg?width=769&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5aa9369eb6698b4b9ecff0bb16cc3ec0e012dbaf
Undercooked
I did so much research before I baked my first loaf. I’m talking like a total dork. Took notes. Protected my starter like it was my last living family member. I watched over my proofing dough like a newborn baby on its first night home. It turned out wet and dry at the same time, crust so hard it cut my lip. I read that almost everyone’s first loaf is usually borderline acceptable to even feed to a rabid trash panda. I PROMISE it will get better.
Cheer up. The way to make amazing bread is to make a lot of really bad bread first. Trust me I’ve tried and still mix amazing successes with so-so results punctuated by the occasional complete failure. It’s what makes baking interesting and fun.
Specifically this loaf looks extremely overproofed and perhaps on top of that a little bit under baked. Not knowing how active your starter was or how long you processed things It could also be that you never got any rising action at all. It’s funny because unrisen bread and over-risen bread kind of end up the same way: flat, dense, no air in the crumb, pale crust, and pretty much a hockey puck. Try again. Make sure your starter is active and that a small amount of it floats on water showing it’s got lots of gas production. Then make sure you can pay close attention to the proofing and look for signs that it’s proved and ready to go in the oven. And lastly, while I don’t think this was the sole cause of your result, you might have worsened it if you cut that thing open while it was still warm because the crumb looks a little bit gummy as well which often happens when you don’t let the bread cool before slicing.
So you basically gave yourself a PhD course in what not to do, so now just start taking away the mistakes and in the end you’ll be left with amazing perfect bread!
This is a common first loaf, don’t give up! Your main problem is that your starter isn’t strong enough yet. Take a break from baking but keep feeding your starter at high ratios (1:5 or 1:10) and feed peak to peak. It also helps to feed and acclimate your starter to room temp or colder, they’ll really take off when you proof in a warm environment that way.
ETA: “peak to peak” can take days sometimes, but it’s the best way. Don’t watch the clock, watch your starter.
Dont worry we all make pound cake at least once
https://preview.redd.it/shuyspzsefae1.jpeg?width=1000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4f9062ab6fe0367bebab381b9419272a5db042cc
Welcome to the first loaves club. Mine looked quite similair (top left), but it got better over time. Record your failures and note down the steps that will help getting to know the process. Or better yet: your process, because it’s different for everyone. Happy baking!
Ah … early days! Don’t give up. Unless you hate it.
Did you start your own starter? If you did and you don’t think it’s working, it’s ok to just order a frozen one. I did. It has been creating beautiful loaves for like 3 years, no problem.
For me, almost ALL published recipes have way too little bulk rising time. Especially in the winter. This is a loaf I baked yesterday. It is a bit denser loaf by design because it has cheddar in it (laminated, rolled into a spiral). My starter took 12+ hours to double. My bulk ferment was 14-15 hours. Not the prettiest loaf to look at but the spring and texture is fabulous.
https://preview.redd.it/ylytczvtgfae1.jpeg?width=4080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=705cbbfdb5a130c3e53d8be95bbb385c4605c75e
I know this is the sourdough sub but try supplementing with yeast if you have to. Starting out with yeast loaves helped me understand each step of the process, what it should feel like and look like. You will get it!
this guide has not done me wrong and all my loaves have been, at the very least, edible. https://www.theclevercarrot.com/2014/01/sourdough-bread-a-beginners-guide/
99.99% of first loaves will not turn out. There is much to learn and it definitely teaches patience. Do research, find a method you’re comfortable with. Hell, even tweak it to your liking and keep trying! It’s very rewarding once you get it down 🙂
My first loaf looked like yours. But my second log was amazing! Don’t give up!
https://preview.redd.it/wd5u70w2qfae1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=73de17f842986986b7f9ce1c10e4ad7fe7d80978
We all get flats it’s part of learning. I suggest to everyone new that they should feed their starter, mark where the top is, then watch it grow and keep a close eye on it once it’s doubled. You’ll learn to tell when it’s ripe and when it’s over ripe at that point. When you figure out on your jar where the starter rises to once it’s fully ripe, mark that too. Then you have good reference
My husband offered to varnish my first dozen loaves for use as doorstops. The next dozen were used for croutons. I’m still hit-or-miss, but no longer afraid to try.
https://preview.redd.it/glutim5nsfae1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d2cbdc4ccfff29b344bdcfa75270f24d9a6e24f2
This was my first lol! I was proud of it though…
Dude, that is a pretty awful looking loaf. In twenty years of doing this, I have only had a half-dozen or so that were this level of flat, but surprisingly enough, not all of them were early on. As others have said, sourdough baking is all about trial and error, learning and improving. Getting to a place where you have a good feel and a mostly repeatable process takes time and practice. Trying different recipes and techniques may result in regression or discovery, or sometimes both, but there is no shame in a bad loaf because it is just a progress report. You can’t improve if you give up.
I did this when I got back into baking and I previously worked as a baker. Sourdough is hard.
You didn’t fail. Your first attempt was off the mark. Adjust and try again.
It’s only a failure if you don’t learn. It’s only failure if you quit.