My first sourdough. Learned a hard lesson today. But I won’t give up!
by Distressed_sheep
33 Comments
AutoModerator
**Hello Distressed_sheep,**
#**This bot comment appears on all posts.**
***
**[Rule 5](https://www.reddit.com/r/Sourdough/wiki/sourdoughrules/) requires all sourdough photos to be accompanied by the ingredients used & process (the steps followed to make your bake). The details can be included in a picture, typed text or weblink.** **Not all posts require a photo alongside your query, but please add details in your post, so we can help.** **Posts may be removed at any time, but you will be notified.**
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Sourdough) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Distressed_sheep
I followed this recipe: • 150g levain • 350g water • 500g bread flour (half einkorn half all purpose) • 10g salt
Instructions:
1. Prepare Your Levain (if you haven’t already) 2. • Make sure your levain has been fed and is bubbly and active before using it in the dough. This is typically done 4-6 hours before baking. • You will need 150g of levain, so if your levain is not yet at the correct amount, you can either feed your starter more flour and water to create enough levain, or you can discard some of the excess starter until you reach the right amount. 3. Mix the Dough 4. • In a large mixing bowl, combine 150g of levain with 350g of water. Stir to dissolve the levain in the water. • Add 500g of bread flour to the water-levain mixture. Mix until the flour is fully hydrated, and you have a rough, shaggy dough. • Let the dough rest for 30 minutes (this is called the autolyse phase, which helps develop gluten and makes the dough easier to work with). 5. Add Salt 6. • After the autolyse, add 10g of salt to the dough. Mix it in using your hands or a dough scraper, folding the dough over itself until the salt is incorporated. 7. Bulk Fermentation 8. • Cover the dough and let it ferment at room temperature (ideally around 70–75°F / 21–24°C) for 4-6 hours. • Every 30 minutes for the first 2 hours, perform a stretch and fold to help develop gluten and strengthen the dough: • Gently pull one side of the dough up and fold it over the rest. Rotate the bowl and repeat 3 more times, folding each “side” of the dough. • After the 2 hours, allow the dough to rest undisturbed for the remainder of the bulk fermentation time. The dough should rise by about 50% and feel airy and slightly bubbly. 9. Shape the Dough 10. • Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and shape it into a round or oval loaf. Be gentle to maintain the air bubbles in the dough. • Allow the dough to rest for 15–20 minutes, then give it a final shape, tucking in the edges to form a tight boule or batard. 11. Proofing 12. • Place the shaped dough into a well-floured proofing basket or a bowl lined with a floured cloth, seam-side up. • Cover and allow it to proof at room temperature for 1–2 hours, or until it has noticeably risen. Alternatively, for a more complex flavor and better texture, you can proof it overnight in the fridge (8-12 hours). 13. Preheat the Oven 14. • Preheat your oven to 475°F (245°C). If you’re using a Dutch oven, place it in the oven while it preheats for at least 30 minutes to ensure it’s hot when you bake the bread. 15. Score and Bake 16. • When the dough is ready, carefully turn it out onto a piece of parchment paper. • Score the top of the dough with a sharp knife or bread lame, making a shallow cut to control the direction of the rise. • Place the dough (with parchment paper) into the preheated Dutch oven and cover it with the lid. • Bake for 20 minutes with the lid on. • After 20 minutes, remove the lid and bake for an additional 25-30 minutes, or until the crust is deep golden brown.
I believe focaccia should have a couple more dimples
No-University3032
Was the starter used to make that discus, the discard starter that was supposed to be thrown away? Or used to make pancakes at best?
Aegon_the_Conquerer
Hmm, hard to judge without seeing the crumb, but I’d say you might have mis-measured one of the ingredients and accidentally used a frisbee. Easy mistake.
Jokes aside, definitely keep it up! I gave up after a few truly pitiful attempts before picking it up again years later with success. I fully regret not pushing through my initial failures the first time, because I would have 3ish extra years of experience otherwise.
Mediocre_Cut9682
Nice frisbee, looks like mine
PurpleyPineapple
That looks… Aerodynamic! 😅
We’ve all been there OP. Keep going. It gets better.
omaDeeWee
Looks like you already did that yourself!
2manyteacups
I made a bread like this when I was trying to make my own starter…now my bread is much better since I got an active starter lol
GIS_LORD69
Looks like you’re the one that did the roasting
Miserable_Emu5191
Were you making bread or dung patties?
crud16
I did one just like it yesterday 🧑🌾. I suck at it, but will try again.
Ok_Nothing_1819
Can’t even feed it to dogs.
You can not make your own disk for disk golf.
Over sized hockey puck.
Door stopper.
I’m not sure if it is biodegradable at this point.
Don’t give up.
petewondrstone
It’s nice for 2-d
Soft_Delivery_3889
What, no crumb shot?
InksPenandPaper
Why’d you sit on it?
littleoldlady71
Have you baked with einkorn before?
Newmoney_NoMoney
Scone pretty good so far!
reikipackaging
there are some excellent bread pudding recipes floating around. 🙂 that’s what I do with my failures. it has enough fat and sugar to make it tasty
hotandchevy
Sell it to the Olympics as a discus.
non-cha1ant
Flat bread? 😂
Tekko50
I would but you seem to have used them all up!
babbellot
A bakery near me sells loaves like that as German rye bread and charges an insane amount! 😂 Having said that: keep on trying! We’ve all been there! I recently tried a new method and almost ended up with a similar result 😂
Next_Bar_9720
Throw it like a frisbee and see if it breaks!
IngenuityPuzzled3117
I’m not saying anything, if you get mad and throw it at me serious injury may result
4-6 hours is way too long for a bulk ferment. 2 hours is perfectly sufficient, with folds taking place at 45 minute intervals. Your dough was bulking for so long it had completed its life cycle and was essentially turning back into levain.
palpitation_station
The Blackhawks called. They want their hockey puck back.
HTTP11_403_Forbidden
Frisbee Golf starts in the Spring.
subtlefine
Interesting
MiG_Pilot_87
I don’t know what I’m supposed to roast, sourdough crackers are delicious! Congratulations on a fine batch!
33 Comments
**Hello Distressed_sheep,**
#**This bot comment appears on all posts.**
***
**[Rule 5](https://www.reddit.com/r/Sourdough/wiki/sourdoughrules/) requires all sourdough photos to be accompanied by the ingredients used & process (the steps followed to make your bake). The details can be included in a picture, typed text or weblink.** **Not all posts require a photo alongside your query, but please add details in your post, so we can help.** **Posts may be removed at any time, but you will be notified.**
***
#**Being polite & respectful**
**are both extremely important in our community.** **[Read rule 1 in detail](https://www.reddit.com/r/Sourdough/wiki/sourdoughrules/).**
**Please be respectful, kind, patient & helpful to posters of all skill & knowledge levels and report offending comments/posters, or [drop us a modmail](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=/r/Sourdough).**
***
**Thank you** 🙂
#**[Overproofed or underproofed?](https://www.reddit.com/r/Sourdough/wiki/reading_crumb/)**
***
#**[NEW Beginner starter FAQ guide](https://www.reddit.com/r/Sourdough/s/gnqFg7osBO)**
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Sourdough) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I followed this recipe: • 150g levain • 350g water • 500g bread flour (half einkorn half all purpose) • 10g salt
Instructions:
1. Prepare Your Levain (if you haven’t already)
2. • Make sure your levain has been fed and is bubbly and active before using it in the dough. This is typically done 4-6 hours before baking. • You will need 150g of levain, so if your levain is not yet at the correct amount, you can either feed your starter more flour and water to create enough levain, or you can discard some of the excess starter until you reach the right amount.
3. Mix the Dough
4. • In a large mixing bowl, combine 150g of levain with 350g of water. Stir to dissolve the levain in the water. • Add 500g of bread flour to the water-levain mixture. Mix until the flour is fully hydrated, and you have a rough, shaggy dough. • Let the dough rest for 30 minutes (this is called the autolyse phase, which helps develop gluten and makes the dough easier to work with).
5. Add Salt
6. • After the autolyse, add 10g of salt to the dough. Mix it in using your hands or a dough scraper, folding the dough over itself until the salt is incorporated.
7. Bulk Fermentation
8. • Cover the dough and let it ferment at room temperature (ideally around 70–75°F / 21–24°C) for 4-6 hours. • Every 30 minutes for the first 2 hours, perform a stretch and fold to help develop gluten and strengthen the dough: • Gently pull one side of the dough up and fold it over the rest. Rotate the bowl and repeat 3 more times, folding each “side” of the dough. • After the 2 hours, allow the dough to rest undisturbed for the remainder of the bulk fermentation time. The dough should rise by about 50% and feel airy and slightly bubbly.
9. Shape the Dough
10. • Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and shape it into a round or oval loaf. Be gentle to maintain the air bubbles in the dough. • Allow the dough to rest for 15–20 minutes, then give it a final shape, tucking in the edges to form a tight boule or batard.
11. Proofing
12. • Place the shaped dough into a well-floured proofing basket or a bowl lined with a floured cloth, seam-side up. • Cover and allow it to proof at room temperature for 1–2 hours, or until it has noticeably risen. Alternatively, for a more complex flavor and better texture, you can proof it overnight in the fridge (8-12 hours).
13. Preheat the Oven
14. • Preheat your oven to 475°F (245°C). If you’re using a Dutch oven, place it in the oven while it preheats for at least 30 minutes to ensure it’s hot when you bake the bread.
15. Score and Bake
16. • When the dough is ready, carefully turn it out onto a piece of parchment paper. • Score the top of the dough with a sharp knife or bread lame, making a shallow cut to control the direction of the rise. • Place the dough (with parchment paper) into the preheated Dutch oven and cover it with the lid. • Bake for 20 minutes with the lid on. • After 20 minutes, remove the lid and bake for an additional 25-30 minutes, or until the crust is deep golden brown.
https://preview.redd.it/xe8jig5wndzd1.jpeg?width=4284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f607bf8b7e69a5a755f411eb01c5b52dbf20f158
I believe focaccia should have a couple more dimples
Was the starter used to make that discus, the discard starter that was supposed to be thrown away? Or used to make pancakes at best?
Hmm, hard to judge without seeing the crumb, but I’d say you might have mis-measured one of the ingredients and accidentally used a frisbee. Easy mistake.
Jokes aside, definitely keep it up! I gave up after a few truly pitiful attempts before picking it up again years later with success. I fully regret not pushing through my initial failures the first time, because I would have 3ish extra years of experience otherwise.
Nice frisbee, looks like mine
That looks… Aerodynamic! 😅
We’ve all been there OP. Keep going. It gets better.
Looks like you already did that yourself!
I made a bread like this when I was trying to make my own starter…now my bread is much better since I got an active starter lol
Looks like you’re the one that did the roasting
Were you making bread or dung patties?
I did one just like it yesterday 🧑🌾. I suck at it, but will try again.
Can’t even feed it to dogs.
You can not make your own disk for disk golf.
Over sized hockey puck.
Door stopper.
I’m not sure if it is biodegradable at this point.
Don’t give up.
It’s nice for 2-d
What, no crumb shot?
Why’d you sit on it?
Have you baked with einkorn before?
Scone pretty good so far!
there are some excellent bread pudding recipes floating around. 🙂 that’s what I do with my failures. it has enough fat and sugar to make it tasty
Sell it to the Olympics as a discus.
Flat bread? 😂
I would but you seem to have used them all up!
A bakery near me sells loaves like that as German rye bread and charges an insane amount! 😂
Having said that: keep on trying! We’ve all been there! I recently tried a new method and almost ended up with a similar result 😂
Throw it like a frisbee and see if it breaks!
I’m not saying anything, if you get mad and throw it at me serious injury may result
You made a [trencher](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trencher_(tableware)#:~:text=A%20trencher%20was%20originally%20a%20flat%20round,be%20given%20as%20alms%20to%20the%20poor.)!
4-6 hours is way too long for a bulk ferment. 2 hours is perfectly sufficient, with folds taking place at 45 minute intervals. Your dough was bulking for so long it had completed its life cycle and was essentially turning back into levain.
The Blackhawks called. They want their hockey puck back.
Frisbee Golf starts in the Spring.
Interesting
I don’t know what I’m supposed to roast, sourdough crackers are delicious! Congratulations on a fine batch!
You’re flatter than a 6 year old girl.
Hard Tack?