I just feel like being silly today. What's your most controversial sourdough opinion?

Mine is I much prefer the sandwich style loaves to something like a boule/batard.

by 99redfloatythings

40 Comments

  1. AutoModerator

    **Hello 99redfloatythings,**

    **I’M A BOT – I HAVEN’T READ YOUR THREAD & I’M NOT REMOVING IT. GENERAL [RULE 5](https://www.reddit.com/r/Sourdough/wiki/sourdoughrules/) REMINDER FOR ALL.** 🙂

    **Sourdough Bake photos & videos** are removed if **Rule 5** isn’t met (**include ingredients & process**). If yours is removed, we confirm by modmail.

    **Need help or feedback?** Be clear & specific, include a crumbshot. Read [ Rule 5 FAQ/TIPS & TRICKS](https://www.reddit.com/r/Sourdough/wiki/sourdoughrules/) 🙂 .

    ***

    Still have questions? [Modmail us :-)](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=/r/Sourdough).

    – #**[READING CRUMB GUIDE ](https://www.reddit.com/r/Sourdough/wiki/reading_crumb/)**
    [Wiki index](https://www.reddit.com/r/Sourdough/wiki/index/), & [FAQ Beginner starter guide](https://www.reddit.com/r/Sourdough/s/gnqFg7osBO)

    *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Sourdough) if you have any questions or concerns.*

  2. Some-Key-922

    BLASPHEMY!

    Jk, I’m here for the entertainment 🙂 interesting topic to follow

  3. Salty_Buffalo_4631

    That it’s possible to make gluten free sourdough. Gluten is the backbone of sourdough, and without gluten, all your get is a fake loaf.

  4. mrs_packletide

    That it’s really simple to make.

    People over-complicate it, or try to get at precision as if they are a bakery with time sensitive production schedules.

    Embrace that it is a biological process. Watch the dough, not the clock, and relax.

  5. PassengerParking5550

    That it’s not that hard doesn’t need to be exact or timed out properly

  6. ArtisticChemistry835

    I think we make sourdough too complicated 😅
    I feed my starter when I feel like it, and I go off of consistency for it rather than directly measuring my feeds. I also use tap water, and my starter just sits wrapped in a towel.

    I enjoy having it be at my convenience. 😊

  7. Content-Bathroom-434

    I wasn’t wearing my glasses and I thought I was being shown the naughty side of Reddit lololol

  8. beachsunflower

    I think really open crumb is overrated and only has a small use case in reality.

  9. Some sourdoughs can be too sour. I find it can throw the flavour off for sandwiches etc.

  10. yummyjackalmeat

    It’s boring to use the same flour every time, same temperature every time, same ratios every time, same timing every time. I prefer using whatever flour I have that was on sale, at whatever ratio feels good that day, at whatever temperature my kitchen is for whatever my schedule allows.

  11. Dismal_Eye_5733

    Currently? The croissant loaf trend is trash. Sorry Amy still love you.

  12. DwayneDaRockSwanson

    I much prefer the results from lower hydration (50%) and AP flour for sourdough. I do like higher hydration and bread flour for commercial yeast.

  13. tencentblues

    That there is a “best” way to do it. I feel like the trend on social media these days is to say don’t worry about the specifics, there’s no right way and wrong way, people who say there is are just uptight.

    And to be clear: I don’t think you *have* to follow the “rules” when you’re making bread, at all. But if you are trying to achieve a particular goal in your breadmaking, I do think that it really really helps to learn the science, listen to experts, and understand what factors contribute to a well-made loaf of bread.

  14. WorkedtoDeath2024

    You dont have to feed your starter every single day.

  15. AlwaysPlaysAHealer

    I’ve measured almost nothing since starting, bulk ferment, bench rest, and chill as my schedule allows, and my bread turns out delicious. There might be a best way to do it, but I also have a full time job with an inconsistent schedule and if I want bread I have to do what works for me. I’ve been very happy .

  16. Striking_Wrap811

    I prefer *making* boules and batards, but i prefer *eating* sandwich bread

  17. Serendipiteee_17

    It’s fine if you don’t have a scale or stick to a strict time schedule.

  18. greeneyedgarden

    You dont have to wait for your loaf to cool. Slice that baby up and eat it steaming hot

  19. ExtremeAd7729

    This one really is controversial: A 1000 year old starter is indeed different than a 2 month old one. Yes the 1000 year old one isn’t the same exact % of organisms as it was 1000 years ago, but it also has a different % of organisms compared to the 2 month old one. There are reasons why people bothered to maintain that one over many many years. Sometimes we hear of a brand new super active one, other times we hear of starters that failed to develop entirely or molded. It’s whatever we happen to pick up from the environment. And sometimes that combo is especially good, and yes they evolve and change but also keep something from the good characteristic and fight off the bad strains and mold better.

  20. ByWillAlone

    Most starter creation recipes are deeply flawed. Most starter maintenance routines are absurdly overcomplicated.

  21. That you don’t need to do all the over-complicated steps. I really just put all the ingredients in the mixer and mix it together. Let the machine do most of the kneading. Do a few stretch and folds if I’m making “real” bread. Otherwise pop it in a baking tin. I cook for daily use not for a cooking competition (or to show off on social media).

  22. A--Little--Stitious

    I purposely overfeed and make too much starter because I am very addicted to crackers. I like the discard crackers more than bread.

  23. bransanon

    Many of (if not most of) the artisan sourdough bakeries out there that people rave about are baking at a much lower hydration than anyone realizes, and many as well (particularly those who do larger volume) are getting their rise from dry yeast while mixing in starter for flavor.

  24. StateUnlikely4213

    You can buy a starter and be baking beautiful loaves in just a couple days.

  25. Algae_grower

    People that buy “x year old” starters on etsy are suckers, and the people that sell them are opportunists taking advantage of people’s ignorance.

  26. Iamsteepcreeker

    Sourdough is better in loaf form. As shown in post pic.

  27. Minasgul_

    Sourdough is a must for bread, not so much for brioche and croissants. I used to be a sourdough fanatic, but outside of bread making I really cannot find any truly compelling reason to bother. (Not talking about panettone, obviously, entirely different beast)

  28. CrystalLilBinewski

    Don’t bake for Reddit. Eat it warm slathered with butter as soon as you can if you want. Bread is not precious. You will bake another loaf.

  29. RoastedTomatillo

    whole wheat and heritage grains are much better than the standard white loaf most people make. If done right and fresh milled, the flavor is amazing and light and moist.

  30. DaHappyCyclops

    I’m very new to this community and only recently started making sourdough… but ive been learning from a chef who’s made sourdough regularly for 3 Michelin star kitchens. So I dunno how “controversial” my opinions are at this point, and my experience is exclusively in a commercial setting but here we go….

    You don’t need a proving cupboard that costs thousands of pounds. You can replicate it with a £20 seedling heat mat and thermostat and a large plastic box (with lid) humidity can be controlled with a £45 humidifier and regulator if you want to go full hog.

    Only two book folds at a time is not enough, though my chef friend insists it is, but I get much better results with more folds, even just adding one more and doing 3 folds I feel is noticably easier to work with.

    Quality Dutch ovens are overly expensive and can be replicated with an upturned gastronome and baking tray

    Hydration over 80% is mental, i cant deal with it! You people who go above 90% are just ridiculous. (In a good way)

    Making a passable loaf is actually very easy, making a perfect loaf is fucking really hard. I feel there is an element of luck to it, or maybe our starter culture isn’t mature enough and our equipment not optimal enough.

    While there are many comments here saying its better to not worry about timers and temperatures and focus on dough, in a commercial setting to ensure consistency it’s absolutely paramount to regulate every stage of the process as much as possible. It’s so helpful to dial in micro-details, and methodology needs to be tweaked for different kitchens, ovens, equipment and even the season! We keep a daily diary to record EVERYTHING, but especially any little errors we make along the way (like missing a timer by a few minutes or it being extra warm/cold etc) so if we accidentally make something better than our usual product, we know what to change to see if it’s consistently reproducible and incorporate it into the system. Then when we have it where we can’t improve it anymore, we’ll up the hydration and start again…but I’m dreading that bit lol 😅

  31. sawiba0001

    Measuring your starter ratio is a waste of time. Just add water and then flour, mix, and adjust if need be

  32. Zen-Zone-

    Pure wheat sourdough gets boring quickly.

    Might be the German in me, but I need more variety in my bread and bake different loaves every week. Rye, spelt, seeds and inclusions is where it’s at for me.

  33. Zen-Zone-

    Cutting your loaf in half for a crumb shot is unnecessary.

    It looks great, but: Why would I want two ends the bread is drying out from?

Write A Comment