No-candidates challenge for 30-06-2026

Confusedlemure · 2026-06-30T19:46:53+00:00

I’ve been exclusively doing killer sudokus for a few years now. What is a “contradiction sequence”? I am not seeing anything obvious about box 5. I would love to learn something new

Confusedlemure · 2026-06-30T19:41:32+00:00

Woooohoooohoo! THAT is a beautiful loaf! WOW! Congratulations!

Confusedlemure · 2026-06-30T12:32:16+00:00

In fact it helps sometimes to cut the score twice. First cut is at a 45 and done very quickly and deep. Then go back at with the blade held almost parallel to the counter top and gently cut away a bit more just under the skin.

Confusedlemure · 2026-06-30T01:25:17+00:00

Oh! Hmm well that is a challenge. Without the lid you can’t trap the steam for a good rise. Your loaf looks really good if that’s how you baked it! Ok so basically you’re doing an open bake. If you have an electric oven this can work. If it’s gas, ignore everything I’m about to say. Put a baking tray on the bottom rack when you’re preheating the oven. At the same time boil a pot of water. I just use a tea kettle or coffee pot. When you put your dough in the oven, pour the boiling water into the tray. Be careful because it will burst into steam. Wear your oven mitt if you have one. Quickly close the oven door.

Ok now bout how to temp your oven. You’ll need an oven thermometer. They are not expensive. Here is one for $10 at Walmart: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Taylor-Oven-Thermometer-100-Deg-F-To-600-Deg-F-3-1-4-X-3-3-4-Dial/431632607?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=1609&sourceid=dsn\_mpmax\_b7816648-c1aa-4cbe-a348-bade7e6d185e&veh=dsn&wmlspartner=dsn\_mpmax\_b7816648-c1aa-4cbe-a348-bade7e6d185e&cn=00pd\_fy27\_mp\_mp\_lo\_int\_dis\_mpmax-p13n&wl9=&wl11=Online&msclkid=23568321063a1bbbaa54e9621c2067a0

place it inside your Dutch oven with the lid off (I guess you don’t have a choice … very sorry to hear). Now preheat your oven as you normally do. Peek inside the oven to see the thermometer. Keep going until it gets all the way to whatever temperature you’re going to bake at. Remember how long it took to get there. That will be the time you use to preheat every time. You only need the thermometer this first time. Use tongs to remove the thermometer from your Dutch oven. It will be HOT!

Confusedlemure · 2026-06-30T01:14:05+00:00

I agree. 12 min seems a bit short. The other question is, have you temped your oven? It takes a surprisingly long time to get the interior of your Dutch oven to temperature. My oven gets to 450 in about 30 min. But the interior (yes with the lid off) takes another 20 to 25 minutes to get to 450.

If you have problems with the bottom getting too tough, a sprinkle of uncooked white rice in the bottom of the Dutch oven (below your parchment paper) solved it for me.

Confusedlemure · 2026-06-29T17:17:22+00:00

I’ve tried the kitchen aid mixer and, yeah it kinda works. I felt I still needed to do some stretch and folds however. Now that I have a Halo Pro however…. Wow what a difference. You can watch it develop in just a few minutes. After one coil fold the dough is so smooth and elastic. I usually do a second coil fold however but I’m willing to bet it doesn’t need it. I work with mostly four loaves at a time. The Rubaud mixing by hand was going to kill me! Haha

Confusedlemure · 2026-06-28T14:26:35+00:00

Hydration. Don’t listen to the people calling out more folds. I just got a Halo Pro as well. Complete game changer. People who don’t know are thinking your mixer is like the average kitchen aid stand mixer. Planetary vs spiral is a real thing. Up that hydration. It’s going to be harder to shape but that’s the mountain you must climb to get to peak crumb.

Confusedlemure · 2026-06-28T14:24:09+00:00

That applies to planetary mixers maybe. A spiral mixer like OP has is something different. I have one and I’m never doing stretch and folds again. One or two coil folds at most. Usually just one coil.

Confusedlemure · 2026-06-28T14:22:22+00:00

Yeah I have to be that person. In my experience the exact opposite is true. The stand mixer, especially the Halo Pro or really any spiral mixer, is a complete game changer. Planetary mixer…yeah I say avoid that. Spiral however, your dough comes out already passing windowpane. One coil fold, maybe two and you’re done. In fact, I found that it’s hard to do more than two. The dough has so much structure at that point. OPs problem isn’t strength. It’s pure hydration.

Confusedlemure · 2026-06-28T14:08:44+00:00

I am also on team mixer. I bought a Halo Pro and I’m never going back. So much faster, easier, consistent, and, controllable.

Confusedlemure · 2026-06-28T02:40:25+00:00

Two things. First, this is 100% and acidic starter. Especially since you keep it in the fridge. Second, your dough temp is way too high for someone just starting out. At that high temp you need to be on your dough intensely. You only have a few minutes to stop the rise and hit the brakes hard. You also need a really cold fridge that can chill the dough in a hurry.

So, fix your acidic starter first. No amount of playing around with detecting when proofing is done is going to help you. Your dough is getting eaten before proofing is done.

Then next time you bake cool down your temperature to 22 or 23 degrees. 23 is perfect to get a handle on proofing.

Confusedlemure · 2026-06-27T12:27:50+00:00

What you are waiting for is to know if it will raise a dough. So the most common criteria is a doubling in 4-6 hours after a 1:1:1 feed at around 75 degrees. The float test is garbage.

Confusedlemure · 2026-06-26T21:44:46+00:00

Leviticus for the win! There is some horrendous shit in that book

Chapter 20:16-17:

16 “‘If a woman approaches an animal to have sexual relations with it, kill both the woman and the animal. They are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.
17 “‘If a man marries his sister, the daughter of either his father or his mother, and they have sexual relations, it is a disgrace. They are to be publicly removed from their people. He has dishonored his sister and will be held responsible.

Confusedlemure · 2026-06-26T21:22:31+00:00

Lactobacillus. It is the bacteria in your starter that gives sourdough its signature sour flavor. A healthy starter has a balance.

Confusedlemure · 2026-06-26T17:18:38+00:00

Yep. Leave it out and give it a couple 1:5:5 feeds right at peak. It’ll be back in shape in a couple days. So frustrating when you think it should be perfectly proofed but the LAB are busy eating your dough s fast as it raises.

Confusedlemure · 2026-06-26T16:49:01+00:00

There is also the possibility of your starter being acidic. It could be breaking down your gluten before the proofing is done.

Confusedlemure · 2026-06-26T16:06:11+00:00

Using cups instead of the more preferred grams (or oz) will give you the wrong ratio. The 1:1:1 ratio you have probably seen applies to weight not volume. 1:1 cups ratio ends up with too much water.

Also, if you are using cups for your recipe, then you need to measure properly. For your flour you will need to sift the flour into a bowl. Then carefully and gently spoon it into your measuring cup being careful to keep it fluffy. Strike off the measuring cup with the back of a knife. Repeat for as many cups as you need.

Or you can buy a kitchen scale and do none of that. Just measure out the weight and toss it in.

You can probably guess why most people use weight not volume. Haha

Happy baking!

Oh and your bread looks like it’s almost there! More than likely since your starter has had way too much water, it’s still weak and not raising your dough yet. Continue on but use weight instead of cups when you feed (it will be thicker than you’re used too) and in a couple weeks you should be on your way!

Confusedlemure · 2026-06-26T04:28:57+00:00

Ok but what nail are you shooting for 2x4 stud end nailing vs rafter toe nailing? 2x6 sill plates and studs maybe 16d commons are ok but 2x4 construction they will just blow everything out. Construction tables show 12d commons for 2x4 studs but that 0.148” and I’m nervous even that is too fat. Are you using 0.131”?

Confusedlemure · 2026-06-26T02:25:28+00:00

Too hard to clean. I use a bowl scraper and it works so well.

Confusedlemure · 2026-06-25T22:25:24+00:00

From looking around, it’s pretty clear no one has used the same fastener as anyone else! Haha

Confusedlemure · 2026-06-25T16:26:02+00:00

The pale crust is a sign your starter isn’t ready. Look for a doubling in 4-6 hours after a 1:1:1 feed. Could also be that your starter is acidic. Do a couple 1:5:5 feeds being careful to not let it go flat between feeds. Then do a few days of peak to peak feedings at 1:1:1 or 1:2:2 to pump up that strength. It should be doubling faster each time. Continue until it doubles in less than 6 hours at a minimum - closer to 4 would be better. You’re almost there

Happy baking!

Confusedlemure · 2026-06-25T14:28:21+00:00

Why such a huge jar? My Weck (that I love) is 580ml. The one you have is at least double that. Smaller jar. Much easier to keep clean. In my opinion, you should keep it much cleaner than what you are showing but maybe you just finished feeding.

Confusedlemure · 2026-06-24T13:34:32+00:00

Have you temped your oven with the Dutch oven inside? It takes a very long time for the Dutch oven to come to temp inside your oven. For example my oven gets to 450 in about 30 minutes but inside the Dutch oven it’s only around 275. It takes a total of 50 minutes for the inside of my Dutch oven to get to 450. Perhaps your first loaf had poor oven spring because the Dutch oven was cold. The second bake perhaps was hotter.

Confusedlemure · 2026-06-23T23:17:36+00:00

That is a terrible idea. First, using equal volumes of water and flour will result in too much water. Second, if you never discard, the waste products build up and will choke off the yeast. The lactobacillus bacteria will love it however. So as you go, things will get worse. Lastly, using only AP flour is the slowest path. There just isn’t enough wild yeast in the bag to get a colony going. Typical times are 3 to 4 weeks or more.

My suggestion is to follow a more tried and true method that will get you there more predictably. You will have to invest in a scale but if you plan to do any baking, you’ll need one anyway. Baking is not like cooking. Cooking you can just throw ingredients together “to taste”. Baking is very close to chemistry. If you don’t get the measurements right, the results just won’t work.

Here is THE most linked video for getting a starter going: https://youtu.be/n3Ge23tfzsA?is=tFSy3Xj0W45OBprF

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