First Sourdough Loaves

[heliman]

I started making sourdough bread last Sunday as per Reinhart's recipe and have had it fermenting in the fridge for the last 2 days. I took it out of the fridge and placed it in a slightly warm oven to proof for 2.5 hrs... and then in to the oven.

Was happy with the results - quite tangy! It really is a lot of work to make though... but certainly different.

[egalecki]

They look really good! Nice color and the texture looks quite good.

If you slash the loaves on top, you'll get some interesting oven spring.

[heliman]

Thanks Elizabeth ... I was going to do that, but forgot during all the excitement.

Didn't know that it adds spring though ... very interesting!

[dsgreco]

I made some sourdough this past week myself. My WFO is not ready yet so I did it in my home oven. I have been using my own variation of a no-knead technique and it has worked great. I am basically following Lahey's recipe but I am using my sourdough starter instead of dry yeast. I have been activating the starter for 12 hours, feeding it again and leaving it for another 6-12. Then I mix the final dough (salt included which has not been a problem) for about 30 seconds and leave it again for about 18 hrs. While the total time of waiting is many hours the actually hands on time has been minimal and I think the results have been great. I will post picks later. Has anyone else tried this technique using a sourdough starter?

[texassourdough]

Hi Rossco!

Slashing increases oven spring because it creates a weak spot for the dough to expand/break open. Your dough was on the verge of overproofed. Evidence is that it didn't "burst" (underproofed loaves will often burst if not slashed. NOTE: it appears the bread was probably very close to the peak. Your timing was good! However, if you want artisanal loaves with rip you will want to bake a bit sooner.

You got a really nice thick crust and good crumb. It also appears you did a good job while forming the loaves for it appears you closed the seam on the bottom so it did not open up (which is more likely to happen as the loaf expands when you don't slash).

Well done!
Jay