Bread

A fresh loaf from the challenger. There is a slight low point nearest camera from bad shaping or scoring, I'm not sure. I end up putting a almost half length piece of shaped dough in the middle of the basket so that overnight it spreads to fill it about 3/4

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I get some good results with this. My sourdough isn’t amazing but that’s poor starter and technique. I also fill a tray with water as the bread is going in to create steam.

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What’s the opinion on this starter. Lots of tiny bubbles but no big ones

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I use the fifty quid lodge low sided skillet and lid.

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I just don’t understand what I’m doing wrong. Almost all of my loaves burst open at the top instead of ‘hinging’ around the score. Not enough dough strength? Cack handed shaping? Scoring technique? I’ll chuck the next one in the kitchenaid for five minutes after autolyse before doing the folds as usual just to see what an overworked dough might look like.

Looks quite watery, my old starter used to produce much bigger bubbles but my new seems to do smaller, could be the flour...I gauge it’s happiness on how much it rises over 8 hours, if it doubles I’m good to go.

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Did you put it seam side down in the banneton?

Yep.

If you are going to score it then put it seam side up, that way the bread will only break on your score rather than the other weak points from the seam.

Yeah it’s doubled in size so I consider it to be ready.

I’ve been using doves flour recently and don’t think much to it.

Oh wait that’s what I did, upside down in the banneton so I score the non-seam side.

Your crust could be forming too quickly, essentially sealing the score and causing pressure to burst out of other places. You could try more steam to keep the crust softer and allow the score to continue to open up as the bread cooks?

Another cow pat today

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How long are you pre heating your casseroles / pizza stones? I preheated the oven to 250 for over an hour with the heavy pot in the oven but the loaf took over an hour to cook and didn’t turn out well and on the pizza stone the bottom was raw while the top burned. I’ll be getting a zappy thermometer tomorrow what temp do I need?

If I'm in a rush then half an hour pre heat is all it gets but ideally an hour. I guess better ovens would need less time. Mine is just a basic elec fan jobbie.

Are you sure you're not on some grill setting? Fan ovens should heat pretty evenly so maybe your fan* has died? They are easy to replace if that's the case.

Temp wise I was told (by the guy who runs Thoughtful Bakery in Bath) that around 95°C internal temp is what you are after. I used to check my breads but never had one that wasn't cooked after 35mins so stopped bothering.

*There are normally two fans - the internal one that makes the oven an even temp by circulating hot air around the inside and one that circulates air around the back (outside) of the oven to stop the units burning/elecs overheating) so simply hearing the fan going isn't good enough to check. You need eyes on the fan.

Thanks, so I’m not under heating it then. I’m preheating on the fan oven, it’s all working as it should, I even had it apart the other week to change the fan element and gave it a full check over then.

When I tried the casserole it was hot as fuck, water sizzled inside it instantly and I was frit to burn myself handling it with a tea towel, but the loaf was really pale and flat at 30 mins. On the pizza stone it was as if the stone had sucked the heat out of the base of the dough, it didn’t really form a crust at all on the bottom, just barely sealed the dough.

I’m going straight at it in a preheated thin metal tin this time, see if that confirms pre-heating problems.

One by one.

I preheat cast iron pot for 50 mins at 250. 40 min bake.

La cloche is 20 mins only at 220. 1hr bake.

Thought I'd so some loaves this weekend and turned into flat ones; bulk ferment was fine, starter OK and everything. Think it's just my oven and being unable to get it past any higher than 220c with the dutch oven as well; might just look at doing some enriched sourdough stuff for the time being

higher than 220c

Yup- so we changed ovens and this superpowered one goes all the way to 300- which is insane.
But it has meant consistently good spring at 260->230 20:20 for a kg loaf, aimed internal 93+

Have you got access to a BBQ?

a successful fig and walnut sourdough
dried homegrown figs and foraged walnuts added in the last fold

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Stunning..!

and the obligatory sliced shot

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Oh lovely, can almost taste it.

Ooof that looks amazing