My first sourdough starter based loaf!! I’m so happy with how it turned out!! I think I over proofed it a little (can someone confirm?) but it’s very yummy. Is this what the crumb is supposed to look like? Open to any advice on how to make it even better next time.
Thanks for the feedback! Would you recommend finishing outside of the tin or just leaving it in the oven longer?
I'd suggest a different metal if possible, as the aluminium foil seems to insulate while shaping.
It looks amazing. I was looking at the pics and thought 'blisters on sandwich bread??' Then I had to click to read - Sourdough! Nice!
Great! Does not look over-proofed to me. Looks like it doubled in the tin and then had some oven spring on top of that. Overproofed loaves don’t get true oven spring. Looks like you might have cut it while it was still a touch warm though 😃
Well done and gift yourself a nice heavy loaf tin for a reward!
Do you have a tip for how to know when it’s proofed? Also would that change the crumb a lot?
Oops, toddler distraction!! Forgot to answer 2nd half of the question. Sandwich loaf recipes, even sourdough, will typically have a closer/finer crumb based on proofing, handling and bake temp/vessel. Personally I prefer the texture you have since it is better for holding sandwich contents and toasting.
If you are looking for the variable open crumb you often see with boules, then you want your dough to be able to hold it’s own shape (through kneading or stretch & folds) and bake on a pizza stone/baking sheet or in a dutch oven of sorts. You might want to increase your hydration a touch, but honestly I can get nice varied crumb at 66-75% hydration without any trouble.
Thanks so much! This is so helpful:)
When I put dough in the loaf tin I gently press it down to fill to the sides, then I look at how high the dough goes up the tin and estimate where it would grow to in order to be doubled. Usually about an inch over the top of the tin for the size of dough I make and a 9x5 loaf pan. When it is close to double I preheat the oven, so it goes in at double size.
How far up the loaf pan your dough goes will depend on your total dough weight (add up all ingredient weights) and size of the tin. For my 9x5 loaf pan I like to have 800-850 grams of dough to get a nice looking loaf in a size that fits my toaster.
It was very good:) do you have tips for knowing when a dough is proofed? I left this one in the fridge overnight after having it double on the counter.
I found that the poke test works well when checking the proof. There are tons of sites on the internet to describe how to do it and what reaction to look for. Others might tell you about dough temp peaks and such but the home cook just needs a simple human way to tell when it's proofed enough. Poke it!
Pretty
Congrats. I have been growing my first starter from scratch. I have kept it going for 2 weeks now, which was my initial goal, so I am now ready to bake my own first sourdough this weekend.
The top crust looks awesome, and the crumb looks equally good. You need a better bread pan for a more even bake , as noted by others. USA Pans make great pans. Nearly indestructible, and not too pricey. Happy Trails.
Looks like it's BLT time, well done!
bottom might be a little underdone - the pan might be keeping the bread from cooking properly. very thin crust and beautiful crumb. 8/10 from me