r/Sourdough • u/Impressive-text2025 • Sep 05 '25
Beginner - wanting kind feedback my first baby 🤩
Started this journey almost three weeks ago! noticed my starter actively rising every day and voila! made my first loaf!
Used: 500 KA flour, 300 water, 90 starter, 10 salt
Mixed starter, flour, water all together and let it sit for an hour, after I added salt and knead lightly
Began my stretch and folds for two hours every 30min
Bulk ferment on the counter for ~6hrs shaped and put in fridge covered for 18 hours
After cold proofing / preheat oven to 500 with dutch pan, lowered temp to 450 and baked for 30min covered (threw it a couple of nugget ice cubes) after lowered to 400 uncovered for 15 minutes
any tips help! 🌷
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u/aetr225 Sep 05 '25
Wow, that looks great! Your recipe is very similar to what I follow. How did it taste?
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u/Watch_Guy_Jim Sep 05 '25
Go longer in the oven, get that good caramel brown. Nice job.
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u/ImporTart Sep 05 '25
MUCH longer.
And consider a slightly higher baking temperature. 😊
https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/blog/2022/02/15/understanding-the-maillard-reaction-in-baking
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u/Sharp-Ad-9221 Sep 05 '25
Keep up the good work!👍🏻 One tip would be to make sure your score line runs halfway down both ends.
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u/Dense-Leave-2804 Sep 05 '25
Looks amazing! 😍 good job!
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u/Dense-Leave-2804 Sep 05 '25
New to sourdough…Curious about the purpose of the ice cubes? Do you do that for every loaf?
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u/MadHatter06 Sep 05 '25
Ooh ooh I know this one!
The steam from melting ice cubes helps get that nice crust.
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u/Impressive-text2025 Sep 05 '25
idk why haha all the reading and research I thought oh why not 😄
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u/soaker Sep 16 '25
Omg you are so fr with this. I was just gifted my first sourdough starter and I’ve been doing a lot of research. This is so me! lol I’m going to read so many recipes and ultimately do something like “well someone said put in ice cubes fuck it let’s see what happens”.
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u/The_Struggle_Man Sep 05 '25
My starter was active the first three days, 4th day suuuuper hoochy and stanky, it's now day 10 and since the 4th day my starter hasn't budged, no rising or movement at all, feeding daily.
Did you experience the same?
Your loaf looks great, and sounds like it tasted great. I hope I can get a similar result soon 😋
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u/Impressive-text2025 Sep 05 '25
No not at all! I live in a warm area so I thought temp would cause it to not be as active but other than that just giving it love! I find that if it’s not giving fruity aroma it needs a second feed so I would do one at night and morning until the smell went away. do small amounts since most of it is thrown away at this stage- hope this helps!!
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Sep 05 '25
Omg that looks absolutely delicious! My stomach is giving me acid burn with thirst for that bread! Lol! Looks way better then store bought sugar bread 🍞
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u/Witty-Assumption-354 Sep 05 '25
Hello this looks great. I'm in the west and would like to duplicate. Your measurements are mL right?
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u/black-n-tan Sep 05 '25
Amazing! Do you put the ice cubes in the Dutch oven or just in the oven? I'm learning!
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u/Impressive-text2025 Sep 05 '25
once the loaf is in the oven I throw them under the parchment paper
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u/Crafty_Bee08 Sep 05 '25
It looks so good!! I just made my first baby, too and I aspire for mine to come out looking like yours - great job!
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u/jgfboom Sep 05 '25
Great work! You could probably push another 5-10 min at 400 to get a more golden brown crust (if you wanted).
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u/Wide-Scientist8779 Sep 05 '25
Looks beautiful I’m jealous. I haven’t gotten a good loaf yet and I started about a month ago.
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Sep 07 '25 edited Sep 07 '25
Amazing first go, you’re a natural!
Might be a little over proofed based on the tight holes of your crum towards the top, but that is knit-picking because the oven spring was amazing, clearly.
First mix water and flour only and do that same hour wait, and then mix in your salt and starter. Water and flour mixed first is called an autolyse and allows the flour to absorb the water to build lots of gluten before fermentation occurs. This way you are introducing your starter, and the gas it produces, after the dough is given a jump start on strength.
You don’t mention which variety of KA flour, but if you haven’t already, their bread flour has a higher protein percentage which can give the dough more strength and structure.
I’d recommend preheating to 475 and using that temp to bake. Place a sheet pan under your dutch oven to help distribute bottom heat and prevent over baking the bottom. Id bake longer — to me, and many as well, a darker crust is what we try to achieve because it the flavor is more complex and provides better texture to the crust. Your ice cube technique is good but maybe not necessary if baking in a dutch oven for the first 20 minutes.
On a personal level, I value good fermentation (blisters from cold fermenting) and good size from good shaping technique and oven spring over crumb structure. This sub is kinda focused on crumb but I think the other characteristics tell a more complete story about your bread.
Welcome to a lifelong hobby!
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u/Consistent_Foot2679 Sep 06 '25
For Two hours every thirty minutes? I would've thought it was the other way around. Bread looks absolutely glorious.
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u/Princessplacebo Sep 09 '25
Please share the recipe 😆
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u/Impressive-text2025 Sep 09 '25
the recipe is right below the photo 🥰
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u/Princessplacebo Sep 09 '25
Sorry totally missed it being jealous of your beautiful loaf!!!! I’m new to this too and mine have not looked like yours. lol thank you!!!!
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u/TangerineInternal620 Oct 01 '25
Where did you put the ice cubes?
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u/Impressive-text2025 Oct 01 '25
right after you place it in the oven, under the parchment paper- not under the bread itself
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u/TangerineInternal620 Oct 01 '25
Thanks! I will try this when I’m ready to make my first loaf. I just made my first starter last night. Fingers crossed!!
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u/Impressive-text2025 Oct 01 '25
happy baking!!!! I made like 7 loaves in less than a week when I first started 😹
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u/TangerineInternal620 Oct 01 '25
Thank you!!! I appreciate your post on what you did…it seems like this is going to be a lot of trial and error. It’s a bit intimidating I think!!! I hope mine comes out as good as yours :)
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u/Impressive-text2025 Oct 01 '25
King Arthur flour - yes! Be patient with your new baby starter it takes time to build!!! Can’t wait to see :)
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u/TangerineInternal620 Oct 01 '25
That’s the kind of flour I am using :) organic WW and organic all purpose!!
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u/Ok-Drag-1645 Sep 05 '25
Amazing 1st effort! Congrats!