


I started this sourdough loaf with a 45 minute autolyse. I prepared the dough late on Sunday night because I had just returned home. My levain was nearly at its peak, having expanded about 4.5x. I incorporated 30% of the levain into the dough, adding salt and a little extra water shortly afterward. Since it was already 11:30 pm, I opted for a relatively warm bulk fermentation to speed things up, keeping the dough temperature around 27 °C. Bulk fermentation was intentionally short, with the dough increasing by only 35% in volume. After bulk, I preshaped the dough and let it rest for 30 minutes before shaping. The shaped loaf was then retarded at 3 °C for 16 hours. Sometimes late night mixes make the best surprises.
by AnStar24

30 Comments
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That’s beautiful!
Gorgeous
every time i think i’m getting good at this shit i see this guy who just blows everything i do out of the water. outstanding.
How long was your bulk at 27 C?
Does retard also mean proof?
Perfect!
Unless of course you like warm peanut butter on your sourdough. 🙂
beautiful! that crumb is *chef’s kiss excellent work!
wow pretty tripping zooming in to those HD dough bubbles!
well done, i think a little too bubbly for me but nice to see how changes effect the dough, id lose half a slab of butter in those holes!
although im actually using olive oil more these days after moving to europe
Absolutely stunning 🤩 As usual …
Can I get a recipe? This crumb looks soo good
That looks perfect.
Waoooo 😍
Ok that’s amazing.
Please make a video of your process start to finish!
That is a gorgeous loaf and puts everything I’ve ever baked to shame. Fantastic job!
You didn’t mention any SF/CF during bulk fermentation. Did you do any?
Hello!
Sharing the ingredient list here
300g flour
255g water
90g levain
6g salt
85% hydration!
Wow lovely! I did my second loaf around 84f unintentionally and then cold retard al basically at the same timing as you and ALSO got a bafflingly lacy and wonderful crumb (for my second bread ever) but I didn’t know it was these combination of factors that did it. Verrrrrry interesting! I’m so excited to try again.
As Siskel & Ebert used to say, 2 thumbs up, way up! This is what the many strive for, I’ve no doubt (including myself!). .
Looks awesome! May I ask, given that you arrived home late at night, how was it that your levain was at peak? Did you set it up earlier in the day or weekend for your later arrival?
Also, when you say you “incorporated 30% of the levain into the dough“, is that Baker’s percentage?
omg. Beautiful.
That crumb is scrumptious
How did you get and keep the dough temperature to 27 °C? How long did you bulk proof for?
Stretch-n-Folds or Coil Folds. These are used to build strength in the dough.
I’m obsessed with this. Excellent work. Crumb holes aren’t too big or too small in circumference!
Terrific! Glad to see the warm bulk worked so well for you.
Pretty ideal!
honestly I’ve learned from this sub that examples of open crumb like yours are due to very healthy and seemingly rare starters, BUT ABSOLUTELY NOT achieved through an individual dough making process on its own. i feel it gets overlooked or is a misconception that your example is achievable by anyone through more careful process. yours is similar to Culinary Exploration on YouTube in terms of consistent open crumb. but following instructions won’t result in the same level. it really seems all about the starter an individual has, but what eludes me is how to nurture a starter to such a condition.