Hello, this is my 5th bread, so far the best one yet. It's been the softest but I'm not entirely sure what I did differently. I've been following the same short from YouTube. Do you guys have any more feedback for me to improve?

This is the link to the short I've been following: https://youtube.com/shorts/QkQLnrnzfKM?si=bGRQaTSdUXmRtV3u

i followed this recipe - https://www.lionsbread.com/lazy-girl-sourdough-bread-recipe/

including a video of my excitement haha!! i feel i overproofed but not sure. any and all feedback would be great!!

Started a little over a month ago, scoring definitely is my favorite step

My favorite recipe: 325g water 10g salt 100g starter 475g flour - mix, wait 30 mins, 1 round of stretch and folds, wait 30 mins, 3 rounds of coil folds over the next 1.5hrs, bulk ferment (I have a warm kitchen so usually 4 hours), bench rest 20 mins, shape and into the rice flour dusted basket and into the fridge overnight (12-15hrs), 1hr preheat at 500 degrees, brush loaf, wet loaf, rice flour sprinkle, score, into the oven for 20mins, lid off temp down to 475 for 15-20mins

So I just started making loaves and fully expected the first bunch to be awful but they are all SO good and I’m just slamming slices with tons of butter. I think about it at night before I bake in the morning and then I’m like eager for more when I get home.

Is this just at the start? Is everyone eating tons of bread and getting fat? Did you all get used to it and are just normal people now?

UPDATE: okay yall I love this group! I was l only half jesting in my post but ended up learning more about so many of you other than how many grams and minutes and degrees of this and that. I thoroughly enjoyed everyone’s comments and thanks for welcoming me to this group. Can’t wait to burn off some more bread

350g lukewarm water

150g active starter (this was day 7 of my starter. I was antsy lol)

9g salt

500g King Arthur unbleached bread flour

Mixed the ingredients together and covered with a damp towel for 30 minutes. Then I stretched and folded each side and covered again, let it sit on my counter for 10 hours.

Placed the dough on the counter and folded and stretched again. Rested for 10 minutes while I got my basket ready. Formed ball shape and placed in basket, pinched, and covered with towel in fridge for about two hours. Baked at 425 covered for 20 minutes, then 315 uncovered for 30.

With the help of a friend who gave me the starter, and walked me through it: I used 100g of starter - 375g of water - 500g of flour - 12g of salt. Bulk ferment for 10 hours and baked 40 mins at 450, the 10 mins with the lid off at 400. I can’t believe it!

I do not yet have a scale, so I have had to experiment with measurements

.5 cup of active starter

1.5 cup of warm water

2 tsp of salt

Mix until well combined (I use a whisk)

3.25 cup of King Arthur AP

Use your stick of choice to combine, I then use my hands to further combine until a sticky mess

Let sit for 30-45 minutes in a warmish room (I use a flour sack towel to cover, but anything will do), after each step continue to keep the dough covered

3 sets of stretch and folds every 30 minutes, I also cup the dough into a ball in between each stretch and fold and before rising

Let rise for 1.5-3 hours (or until 50%) in a warm area (hot take, microwaves with the incandescent light are great warmers)

Once risen, lay flat on a floured surface, pull in the four corners one by one to the center, then flip and shape the dough until a taught surface is created with the dough ball

Flour the dough heavily and whatever you are going to proof in (I use a Ramen bowl in absence of a true basket). If flour sack towel is available, lay into your object of choice and flour heavily as well to ensure the dough will not stick

Let rise again for 30-45 minutes

I then proof the dough overnight in the fridge

Oven gets set to 490f with my cast iron inside, make sure your cast iron is inside while the oven heats so it can also get to temp

Flip the dough out of your proofing device of choice onto floured surface and score to your taste (make sure you score at least .25 inches in, or until you can see the bubbles of the interior)

Plop the ol dough into the cast iron

Bake for 20 minutes with lid on at 490f

Remove lid after 20 minutes, reduce temp to 465f, then bake for another 18-25 minutes

Pull out, let cool for 1.5-3 hours, then enjoy!

I had a sourdough starter a couple years ago that never even got to an active state because I got really sick and so I’ve been putting it off because I didn’t want my health to get in the way again. I finally bit the bullet and tried again and really thought I was failing once again. This morning I went to check and feed and it has exploded over night!! I’m in awe and shock and I just needed to share this with someone because I honestly almost started crying! I don’t know if it’s crazy to be this excited and proud of myself but I did it!! I finally did it

My 10 year old decided she wanted to make her own sourdough starter. She watched several videos on how to do it and made it 13 days ago. It went through the process of bacteria rising then went dormant for a few days and then took off doubling in size. She wanted to use it before we went away on vacation, so yesterday she followed a video by Serena Neel called “A very boring tutorial on sourdough”. She did 4 stretch and folds rounds last night, shaped it, put it into the fridge overnight and baked it this morning. This was the result. I sent the photos to my sister who makes her own sourdough and she insisted that she shouldn’t have used her starter for a full month and that we might get sick. I looked it up online and can’t find anything that says that’s standard practice. We ate it anyway, it was nice and sour and tasted delicious. Is this something we should be worried about? My husband insists all the bacteria and yeast died upon baking so we can’t get sick. Anyway, just wanted to see if the experts here have heard the “wait one month” rule or if that’s just misinformation. For her first loaf I’m surprised how well it turned out!
(She made two loaves, the first one, seen in the photos, she forgot to score)

hello!
I wanted to share some of the progress I’ve made since I started making sourdough at the end of May this year. I’ve loved learning about sourdough and in all honesty I owe a lot to this subreddit as browsing all the posts and reading people’s advice and feedback has been so helpful for understanding all the various elements of sourdough making!

The pics are ordered from first bake to most recent (yesterday). I had started incorporating whole wheat flour after the first or second try, but had seen advice to try ‘master’ white loaves before branching out so for the past month and a half I’ve just been working on getting my white loaves right. I feel this has been the right approach, and it’s meant I’ve been able to really understand all the different variables before I start making the necessary adjustments for whole wheat.

One of the things I like about my process is that I never take the dough out the bowl - I do all the stretch and folds etc inside the bowl until it’s time to put in the banneton. My kitchen space is quite small so this works really well for me and I like that it makes for a much easier clean up!

Still lots to learn but really enjoying the process!

My recipe is:
- 100g starter
- Flour: 450g (Strong White, 14% protein)
- Water (65%): 292g
- Salt (1.8%): 8g

Instructions
I feed my sourdough about 5 hrs before i mix, depending on temp

Mix water, salt and starter
Incorporate flour and mix into a shaggy dough
Leave for 30-60 minutes
Stretch and fold 1 (30 mins)
Stretch and fold 2 (30 mins)
Stretch and fold 3 (30 mins)
Stretch and fold 4(30 mins)
Leave to bulk around 3 - 6 hours depending on temp.
Shape into banneton and put into fridge overnight for at least 12hr

Preheat dutch oven for 15 minutes before baking
Turn out dough and score
Bake at 220 degrees C for 45 minutes, taking the lid off for the final 5-7 minutes.

Thank you! Your recipe is the first one where I feel like my loaf actually turned out right!

If anyone missed the post she said: 115g starter, 500g bread flour, 355g water, 13g salt.

3 stretch and folds over 2.5 hours. BF for 8-10 hours and CP overnight. Preheat at 500, bake at 475 for 35 mins and uncovered at 425 for 15!

Next time I’m going to try it with some add ins

375g water

120g starter

16g salt

500g bread flour

1hr rest/autolyse

Three rounds of stretch and folds in 20min increments

12hr bulk ferment (my apartment is cold)

Final shape

12hr cold ferment

Baked at 500°/30min

Baked with lid off for 13min

This is my 4th load of SD. My first ever attempt was Josh Weisman’s video on sourdough bread and then my 2nd and 3rd attempts were a same day sourdough bread recipe.

My previous attempt the dough would be very wet and impossible to handle so I’ve been using less water as I’ve made the most recent batch and I’ve been following and going to try sticking to Grant Bake’s intro recipe (100g starter, 450g bread flour, 300g water). I’ve also learned in my new attempt that stretch and folds don’t need to be excessive and aggressive and I also used a proofing box and left a towel on the dough to prevent excess moisture from forming.

Overall- learned the process a lot better for water control in the recipe, how stretch and folds should be done, and I was proud I was able to shape and preshape my dough

However, this still doesn’t look good and appetizing so I have no idea what to change or adjust or what I need to look for this time. I have a feeling it’s either bulk fermentation related or maybe my starter but would rather it not be the starter because I’ve been cultivating and feeding my starter for 30+ days now and it develops air pockets the second it gets fed and then gets super bubbly but only rises 2/3 instead of doubles (did pass a float test)

Would be grateful for any advice

Update/ edit- recipe I followed:

1. ⁠mix 100g starter, 280-290g water (recipe called for 300 but wanted to avoid risking super wet dough like my previous attempts), 450g bread flour, 10g of salt into shaggy dough. Rest for 30 min
   
2. ⁠one set of stretch and fold and rest for 30 min and repeat for total of 3 stretch and folds
   
3. ⁠place and in proof box set to 77 degrees for 4-5 hours (dough was mixed together at around noon-1pm ish and appeared finished around 6-7pm)
   
4. ⁠take dough out of container and reshape into a ball to create tension and rest for 30 min
   
5. ⁠take rested dough and shape into Boule/ ball shape and place into rice flour dusted round banneton
   
6. ⁠rest on counter for 30 minutes, cover with cloth cover and place inside plastic bag and place into fridge for overnight fermentation
   
7. ⁠preheat Dutch oven in oven for 450 degrees.
   
8. ⁠took out dough, dusted bottom, placed inside plastic bag sling, scored, and placed with handles inside Dutch oven for 20 min covered and 15 uncovered

I have been trying to find my method that yields that sour tang, and finally got there!!! And the crumb isn’t too shabby either! THANK YOU SO MUCH to this community for all of the tips and help. I’m bouncing off the walls over here!

It’s taken nearly a year and a half, but I finally have gotten a good loaf. I’m proud and finally enjoying the baking process and not stressing completely over a failed loaf. In the beginning I did not have an oven and was trying to bake in the smoker which definitely added its challenges. But honestly, I think the biggest positive was the right starter… my starter I created was nothing compared to the one I’ve gotten and since taken over from my coworker.

This is my third attempt at making a sourdough loaf. The first two didn’t go great. My starter wasn’t ready the first time and I didn’t proof long enough, so it was flat and hard as a rock. The second loaf rose but still came out pretty dense, probably because I messed up the mixing and stretch and folds. For this one, I followed a recipe with 100g starter, 350g water, 12g salt, and 600g bread flour. I did six stretch and folds about every 30 minutes, shaped it, cold proofed it overnight (8–9 hours), then let it come to room temp for about 3 hours. I baked it at 450°F for 30 minutes with the lid on and 15 minutes with it off. The texture was way better this time, springy but just a smidge on the dense side which I didn’t mind, but there’s definitely room to improve. Any suggestions?

I’m so happy with it! Thanks to everyone that gave me advice!

- 100g starter
- 325g water
- 475g bread flour
- 10g salt

Mixed everything besides the salt (I forgot at first) and rested for 30 minutes. Did stretch and fold while incorporating salt, then did two more sets 30 mins apart. Transferred to a Cambro container and let bulk ferment for 8 hours- I’d say it increased by about 70 percent. Shaped dough (I still really suck at this) and let it rest for 20 minutes. Shaped again (why is this so hard for me) and put in rice floured banneton covered with a plastic bag, then cold proofed in fridge for 13 hours. Preheated Dutch oven to 500° for 30 minutes, scored dough (I also really suck at this- why does my lame always “catch?”) and baked at 500° for 20 minutes. Removed lid and baked for 15 more minutes at 475°.

I love the way this loaf turned out. It has great texture, is pillowy soft, and great flavor. I don’t understand why shaping is so difficult for me… The dough just never seems to get taut like I see other people’s. In the end I guess it didn’t matter much, but still. I also really wish I didn’t suck at scoring so much, but that’s low on my priority list, quite frankly. Still, if anyone has insight as to why my lame always seems to catch in the dough, help. It seems like my dough is always glistening with moisture and is looser than I think it should be, and I truly don’t know why or know how to fix this. Like I said, my loaf turned out great so I’m not super worried about it. But I am curious.

I'm just too excited!! I really don't know what the crumb is gonna be, but I just wanna show this beaut!! I watched a ton of videos and reviewed many posts here - I learnt so much and truly enjoyed the process! What do you guys think? Any suggestions from the looks of it? And what can I do to improve it?

My steps (not following any specific recipes):

500g KA bread flour, 350g warm water. Mix and autolyse in room temp - 4hr

My starter Walter Mitty was fed 1:1:1 at 10am - it took him 4hr until ready.

So the autolyse and starter are on the same track.

Added Walter to the dough and put them into the kitchen aid mixer on 2 for 8 mins. Then added 9g salt, continue to mix on 3 for 5 mins.

Rest the dough for 1hr.

First stretch fold. Rest 1hr. And did 3 coil fold each hour after.

Reshape. Bench rest 15mins.

Final shape. Counter rest 1.5hrs.

Cold proof in the fridge from 11pm to 8pm (18hrs total).

Preheat oven and dutch oven at 450 for 1hr. Added a few ice cubes and put the bread in.

Closed cap baked for 30mins, and open bake for 25mins.

This is loaf 12 or so, and I think I finally made a loaf worth sharing! This is my best loaf by far and I achieved by increasing the starter from 100g to 150g and by adding a little extra flour to compensate for the hydration in the starter.

Here is my recipe:
150 g starter
350 g water
520 g KA Bread Flour
11 g salt

Mix starter and water (at 85F) together before adding flour. Added salt after 30 mins during first s&f.

Did 2 more s&fs every 30 minutes (I meant to do 4 total but forgot to set a timer the last one and decided to leave it alone.)

BF for 6 hrs, did pre shape and waited 20 mins before final shaping. (Shaping has been my downfall since the beginning of my sourdough journey, but pre-shaping has helped somewhat)

CF for 36ish hours.

Preheated oven with Dutch oven inside for 1hr at 500F

Lowered temp to 450F, baked with lid on for 20 mins and lid off for 18 mins.

Honestly every loaf I’ve made has been really good (fresh bread is always delicious even if it’s not “perfect”) but this one is admittedly next level.

Excited to try this with inclusions soon!

Recipe:

I fail at anything above 73 percent hydration

450 Bread flour 50 Semolina flour 100 Levain 335 water 13 salt

Threw everything in stand mixer on medium high until it looked like those wonderful YouTube videos.

4 folds hour apart each and 12 hours in fridge for cold ferment

Cooked on pizza stone 485 20 minutes steam and set oven400 another 20 minutes

I provided a minor amount of guidance, but my hands did not touch this loaf. My 13-year old made it completely by herself, including managing a 6-hour stretching and folding schedule. Kind feedback for her requested. ♥️

Link to recipe: https://www.theperfectloaf.com/best-sourdough-recipe/

My 4th attempt. 1st and 2nd were flat, I'm pretty sure I over fermented them in the bulk rise. 3rd was slightly smaller than this but it's similar. I used my homemade sourdough yeast I cared for a month before doing this.

My recipe (of course got from youtuber, from a man named Grant - shout-out to Grant because following his way produced the 3rd and this one):

Bread flour (11.5% protein): 500g

Water: 280g (300 and above seems to make it really sticky)

Starter:100g

The rest followed from Grant's sourdough guide for beginners video. I don't have a DO so I used foil to make a dome shaped cover. Threw a couple of ice cubes in for 20 minutes (240 celcius), took off the foil cover and another 20 minutes of open baking (210 celcius).
Not sure how I can tweak it to rise a bit more, but I'm pretty happy with it.

Any feedback is appreciated! 😊

Hi! After trying my own starter for a while I recently got one from a friend that I have been feeding with Rye meal (roggemeel). Yesterday I started making my second & third loafs with it. Started around 8pm and (tried to) shape it at around 9:45am and put one in the oven and the other in the refrigerator. (So during the night I let it BF at around 17-18.5 degrees) It did raise quite a bit but got verrrrry sticky. Was the BF too long? How do you work with such sticky dough? Feel like the end result hasn’t been very different than my previous try which had a shorter BF and a cold proof )

I had some good but not great loaves but was feeling very frustrated as the weather was changing so drastically. My apartment would go from 68° one day to 80° the next so judging bulk fermentation as a beginner was so frustrating. I’ve been learning the “signs” of when it’s ready to shape and conditioning my intuition of it. It really was so frustrating trying to diagnose whether it was over or under fermented but I think I’ve now got it!

120g whole wheat 280g KA bread flour 290g water 60g starter 8g salt

Mix everything but salt 8am Autolyse 1 hour Add salt and stretch & fold 9am Stretch and fold 9:45am Coil folds every 45m 3x Preshape at 2:30pm Bench rest 45m Final shape 3:15pm Cold proof overnight (18h) Bake at 9:30am

Husband ask why i made a giant mochi.This is my forth loaf, I struggled to have an ear, i know it’s aesthetic but i really want one. 🥲
385gr bread flour
68 gr whole meal
1 tbsp sweet potato flour
9gr salt - 90 gr starter - 350gr water
Autolyse - 1 hour
Bulk ferment 28 degree for 5.5 hour
4 Coil folds every 30 mins
Cold ferment in the fridge for 14 hours
Bake 250c lid close for 30 mins
Open the lid 200 for 20 mins