07/27/2025
310g water 450g Sam's club AP 200g starter 12g salt
3-hour autolyse (just flour and water) while starter "wakes up" (100g starter, 45g water, 55g AP)
2 S+F during autolyse (first at 2:00, second at 2:30)
Mixed in starter (bubbly and happy) and salt with a pinching and stretching motion
took starting temp and volume: 600mL @ 81F (starter was warming under the oven light, autolyse was on the counter)
45 min rest, then S+F until the dough resisted stretching, 75F temp (this was probably a misread)
45 min rest, then S+F until resistance, 78F
45 min rest, S+F until resistance, 78F
1 hr rest, S+F until resistance, 77F
2 hr rest, then volume check (800mL, was going for 1000mL)
1 hr rest, hit 1000mL, popped in fridge for 1 hr because I was too busy to shape in that moment
Floured countertop, stretched dough out into a rectangle, folded into thirds, rolled up, pinched the seam, then kinda scooped around the dough with my hands while turning it to try to create some tension
floured banneton, chucked the dough in there, no countertop rest (I was ready to go to bed)
9 hours later, preheated oven to 485F for 30 min. Transferred dough from the fridge to a cold DO, scored, baked with the lid on at 485F for 30 min, lid off at 465F for 40 min.
cooled for 5 hours before slicing right down the midde
Taste is great, texture is a little gummy (which I don't mind, but my husband doesn't like it)
Some notes:
Autolyse: Claire Saffitz told me to
S+F during autolyse: seemed like a good idea at the time
Choice to bulk to 1000mL instead of what the sourdough journey calc recommended for my average temp (78F, so 40%, which would be around 850mL): I thought my recent loaves had been underbulked lately despite following that calc, so I wanted to "push myself" to overbulk and 1000 seemed like a nice even number.
No bench rest: pure laziness and fear of overproofing
Cold DO and not ultra-hot oven: every loaf I've ever made has had a burnt bottom and I've tried EVERYTHING else (different DO, aluminum pan under the DO, steel pan under the DO, pizza stone under the DO, more flour on the parchment paper, two layers of parchment paper, even lower temps and longer bakes...all produced burnt bottoms)
Score right down the middle at 90 deg: I don't care about ear right now
I'm at my wit's end here. I've struggled with starter acidity (fixed that problem months ago, starter is happy and doubling in 5-ish hours on the counter with 10g water+15g AP feeds now). I thought I wasn't building enough gluten (hence the autolyse and a million S+Fs). I thought it was underbulking, but this loaf isn't all that different from my last one...
I will take any and all advice at this point. Thank you in advance!!
Credit: nicholas_underpants
