First Sourdough Attempt

Hi all!

Just made my first sourdough loaf ever and here’s how it turned out!

The middle was slightly gummy (photo 4, sorry for bad lighting) and the bottom crust was thicker and harder to cut through. Otherwise crust was quite crispy!

Any tips or tricks are welcome!

The recipe I referenced can be found here: https://alexandracooks.com/2017/10/24/artisan-sourdough-made-simple-sourdough-bread-demystified-a-beginners-guide-to-sourdough-baking/

Here’s what I used:

– 75g starter

– 375g warm water

– 500g all purpose flour

– 10g salt

When I mixed it all together it was quite wet so I found I had to add some extra flour. Not sure how much but maybe around 50g? It still was wet but i figured trust the process!

Once combined I let it rest with a damp kitchen towel on top and then waited 30 minutes before doing first of four stretch and folds. I then repeated the process until all four were completed. I then placed it in my oven (cold, no light) over night with the lid on and let it bulk ferment for 11 hours overnight.

Took it out in the morning and shaped it on a cutting board with some light flour and let it sit. Repeated again after 30 mins then placed it into a bowl lined with a dry kitchen towel dusted with some flour. Covered and placed in the fridge for 1.5 hours.

Preheated oven at 475 with my cast iron dutch oven inside. I was a little worried about damaging my pan so I didn’t go as high as the recipe called for. Once the oven was ready, took dough out by flipping over onto parchment paper and scored with an x using a paring knife. Then placed into Dutch oven using parchment paper, covered, turned oven down to 450 and baked for 30 mins. Then I removed from oven, removed lid, placed back in and reduced to 400, and baked for another 15. Once done, I placed onto a cooling rack for an hour before cutting.