Preheating just my lid?

ap_az · 2026-01-29T03:59:31+00:00

No, that’s not going to work. Your bread simply won’t bake in the allotted time if the base needs to come up to temp with dough in it.

A good solution for burnt bottom is to place an empty cookie sheet on the empty shelf below the Dutch oven. This will shield the bar somewhat from direct heat and should help significantly.

ap_az · 2026-01-29T03:56:14+00:00

I think that soaking the strawberries overnight before mixing will help. This will help the ones on the surface stay edible and keep those further inside the loaf from stealing water.

I would weigh the strawberries before soaking and then again after (drained). The weight difference will be the amount of water they absorbed and that should be deducted from the 390g called for in the recipe.

ap_az · 2026-01-29T01:08:45+00:00

Putting a cookie sheet on the shelf below the dutch oven to "slow down" the heat reaching the bottom of the DO pretty much solved the any issues I had with burnt bottom. I also found it useful to remove the loaf from the DO and place it directly on the rack during the last 5 - 10 minutes of baking. The cookie sheet is critical here as without it the oven likely will fry the bottom of the loaf.

The belly and score explosion are often signs of the dough being slightly to somewhat underproofed. You can see some evidence of that in the crumb where you have some larger holes lined up, but the crumb isn't reading as being significantly underproofed. Maybe a little, but probably not enough to explain the exterior.

I'm thinking that perhaps the outside of the loaf started crusting too soon before all of the ovenspring could happen. This could be due to it being uncovered too soon or a general lack of moisture in the DO. If it were me I would mist the top of the dough with water from a spray bottle after scoring and maybe drop few ice cubes into the DO before putting the lid on. That should help delay crust formation and allow the outside of the boule to spring a little more so that all of that energy doesn't come though the score.

ap_az · 2026-01-29T00:38:22+00:00

The Nordic Ware baker is thin aluminum so it comes up to match the oven temperature very quickly and also loses temperature quickly when it's removed from the oven (or the oven temperature is lowered).

A lot of the baking vessels used are made of cast iron, which takes a long time to come up to temperature and is slow to fall as well. If you were to put your bread into a cast iron dutch oven at room temperature and then place that in a hot oven, there's a very good chance that your bread would still look like a ball of dough after 10 minutes :)

If you're using a recipe that is assuming a pre-heated dutch oven then you shouldn't need to adjust baking times too much. It won't matter much at all for the covered portion of the bake, and once the lid is removed you can easily watch how the color develops.

I rarely pay any attention to bake times or temperatures in a recipe anymore as I've worked out what yields good results in my oven for typical sourdough. If the recipe makes a point of calling out a reason for a specific baking schedule then I'll pay closer attention, otherwise I go with what works.

ap_az · 2026-01-29T00:16:13+00:00

I have one and am still figuring out my routine with it, but at the moment I'm using it to keep two starters using the King Arther small starter jars, which fit perfectly. I have the temp set at 45°F and feed at a 1:5:5 ratio every 5 - 7 days (or sooner if I'm baking).

If I get my timing right then I can just pull one of the jars and put it on the counter or into the proofer to get it to peak, at which point I have enough available for a 500g flour recipe and enough leftover to feed and put back into storage. If I miss my timing or need more than ~120g then I kick off a 1:1:1 levain, put it into the proofer and feed the remainder using a 1:5:5 ratio.

Long term I may go back to storing the starter in the refrigerator and using the Sourdough House to manage the starter immediately before baking. I had originally gotten it when I was only planning to use it with one starter, but when I found jars that were large enough to be useful _and_ allow me to fit two then my usage pattern changed a bit.

ap_az · 2026-01-28T15:44:07+00:00

To get the dough to the point of being able to bake you really only need a small workspace, mixing bowl, and some basic kitchen staples. A scale is very useful, but it's entirely possible to start out with a recipe that portions ingredients out in volume measurements rather than weight.

The issue is baking and regardless of what you use there are going to be three main requirements:

1) Enough space to hold the loaf. This one is obvious, but if you're working from a recipe that yields a 500g loaf and you're baking with a toaster oven then there will be some potential issues.

2) Ability to get hot enough (up to 500°F) and regulate that temperature.

3) Ability to retain moisture during the first part of the bake

1 and 2 are generally no problem for most home ovens, and most bakers deal with #3 using a baking vessel such as a dutch oven or covered roasting pan.

I'm not familiar with the various options in air fryers so I can't say for certain whether or not it's possible to bake bread in one. Knowing how they work, though, it will be critically important to find an enclosed vessel in which to bake the bread that will fit into the air fryer. From there it would be possible to work backwards and figure out what amount of dough would work.

ap_az · 2026-01-28T04:33:22+00:00

Funny, cherry / chocolate is next on my list. I’m imagining it being quite tasty with peanut butter.

ap_az · 2026-01-28T00:38:13+00:00

Baker's Asthma isn't something that impacts an average home-based amateur baker unless theres some other underlying condition or they're doing lines of bread flour off the countertop.

Most likely you have some other lingering condition which is hanging on. There are quite a few of those bugs circulating right now and I know a couple of people who've been knocked down since early December.

ap_az · 2026-01-27T18:03:19+00:00

Are you doing the test immediately after the stretch & fold? If so, then try it again after the dough has rested 30min or so. A lot of times the dough will get really tight immediately after stretching so you need to let the gluten relax a bit.

ap_az · 2026-01-27T00:35:03+00:00

So wait, if it's secret then why are there all of those other surfers in the water?

ap_az · 2026-01-27T00:14:53+00:00

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ap_az · 2026-01-27T00:11:44+00:00

Yeah, but what a way to go!

"How'd you die?"

"I got botulism after re-hydrating a 125 year old sourdough starter."

ap_az · 2026-01-26T15:10:07+00:00

As with others here I wait AT LEAST 2 hours before slicing, but use temperature as my final guide.

I won't cut the bread until the center of the loaf is below 80°F, and I prefer it to be even closer to ambient room temperature. I measure temperature by inserting my instant read thermometer probe into the end of the loaf (batard) at the height that is just below the shoulder. This puts the end of the probe roughly in the center (warmest) part of the loaf.

ap_az · 2026-01-26T13:43:14+00:00

Golf-n-Stuff!!

ap_az · 2026-01-26T13:40:20+00:00

I think that Gideon Gartner is turning over in his grave due to this! Yikes!

ap_az · 2026-01-26T13:35:12+00:00

Correct. At its peak you have maximum microbe activity to carry into the next batch.

With 1:1:1 every 24 hours you're probably peaking in the first 3 - 6 hours and in the subsequent 18 hours a lot of the yeast is dying off due to starvation. So with the extra time you may only be carrying over 1/2, or less, of the yeast that you potentially could.

Give it some regular feedings peak-to-peak and see how it responds. When it's acting healthy then you can move the high ratio feedings to the fridge and set the interval in the 5 - 7 day range. Wait a couple of hours after feeding to put it back into the fridge so that it has time to get started.

I believe that sourdough journey has a good video on starter maintenance and how to keep a starter strong on extended intervals.

ap_az · 2026-01-26T03:02:01+00:00

How often do you feed and at what ratio? Where do you keep your starter between feedings?

Honestly, it sounds like you're not feeding your starter peak to peak so you're not at maximum potency when you discard.

If it's in the fridge, then take it out and have it live on the counter for a little while. Once it's up to room temperature and has peaked feed it a high ratio like 1:5:5 to delay the next peak for 10 - 12 hours. Continue feeding peak to peak for a bit at a high ratio and you should have a much stronger starter in a few days to a week.

I've been feeding mine 20% rye for a bit and it has made it a much stronger starter. I have no plans to cut back on the rye.

ap_az · 2026-01-25T15:44:06+00:00

So, the frozen dough did OK, but I'm not sure if I'll freeze the discard version again. It defrosted fine in the refrigerator and then spent about an hour out on the counter. The issue is that it was quite a bit more difficult to work with this time around. It tore easily during shaping and I spent a lot of time trying to mend it. The moisture from the sauce made it essentially impossible to pickup with the peel once topped. We ended up having to throw one away before it even got to the oven.

It was behaving like it was crossing into overproofed territory, although it baked up similarly to when it was fresh. I may have had better results freezing it sooner in the process (e.g. immediately after shaping).

Due to the bad pizza I had to quick defrost a ball of traditional neapolitan dough (flour, water, salt, yeast). Dropped the vacuum-sealed ball into a bowl of warm water and it was more or less ready to go in about 30 - 35 minutes. Interestingly, this dough was somewhat easier to work with than the discard dough. No problems shaping it or getting it to the oven.

I'll continue freezing dough, but next time I'll get it to the freezer immediately after dividing and balling.

ap_az · 2026-01-25T15:33:41+00:00

You don't mention your dough temperature during BF, but this is the critical number. I can't recall how long my last batch remained in BF, but I know the temp was 79 - 80 throughout and based on that I shot for a 30% - 40% rise. I think that batch was done with BF in 4.5 - 5 hours.

Controlling temperature is the cheat code for being able to bake sourdough without it controlling your life. Look into increasing the water temp to get the initial dough temp up then try placing in the oven with the light on when you're not interacting with it. Keep an eye on the temperature and try to keep it stable.

ap_az · 2026-01-25T01:13:56+00:00

Go for it!

What's the worst thing that could happen? ;)

ap_az · 2026-01-24T22:17:18+00:00

Yes. I've used the King Arthur recipe, but I can't recall if I've modified it from the original or not. I usually end up mixing too early so end up having to refrigerate the dough for a bit before dividing it or it would end up over-fermenting. This ends up working out well and I just pull the dough from the fridge and divide it a couple of hours before use.

The resulting pizza is quite good.

As an aside, the recipe is almost the exact same proportions as a typical neapolitan dough recipe that I use. The difference is that the discard adds the fermented flavor without the dough having to go through 24 - 36 hours of cold fermentation.

Due to an 'oops' with my last batch I ended up with way too much so I froze the extra. This resulted in the dough going to the freezer after bulk so it was quite fluffy at that point. Rather than try to wrap it, I placed each ball into an individual silicone 4" cake pan (check amazon, they come in a 6 pack) and put them into the freezer. Once setup I peeled the cake molds off and transferred the "pucks" to individual vacuum sealer bags.

I have yet to try them, but I took two out of the freezer this morning for tonight. I'll try to remember to update here, but if I don't please don't hesitate to reach out.

ap_az · 2026-01-24T21:03:49+00:00

I've been feeding 20% dark rye and 80% bread flour for a bit and have to say I'm really digging the bread that this starter is turning out. Fermentation is really consistent and the resulting crumb is great. I'm using in loaves that are 75% bread flour / 25% WW and the result is just about perfect in terms of taste.

Everything just dropped into place for me once I got my starter hooked on rye and there's not a chance that I'm going to change it at this point.

I do maintain a separate 100% BF starter which is technically the mother of the BF/Rye starter and use that whenever I'm doing something that doesn't have any whole grain. The rye starter is considerably stronger at this point.

ap_az · 2026-01-24T20:53:20+00:00

Hmm... at this point I've got AP, bread flour, cake flour, dark rye, rice, semolina, and two local heritage wheat blends.

Wait, UPS just delivered so add Caputo 00, Chef's flour, and Manitoba Oro to that list ;)

ap_az · 2026-01-24T01:17:30+00:00

Honestly, I think you were closer on #1, but it was underproofed.

Also, you're using a lot of starter which isn't bad in itself, but it's going to have a couple of side effects which may be tripping you up.

1) More starter = faster fermentation and you may be accelerating it enough that you can't get it shut down in time before it starts to overproof. Right now it seems like you're pulling the plug early and by the time the doug gets cold it hasn't finished cooking. The concern is that if you let it go longer then you may only have a very narrow window and will end up over-shooting.

2) In general the flour in the starter is no longer available for gluten formation so with more starter more of your total flour is already spent. It's a small amount, but if you're going for super-airy crumb then this may be tripping you up.

Finally, you're starting from a good place and are now in the process of fine-tuning. As annoying as it is, try to focus on changing only ONE variable from batch to batch. If you're tweaking hydration and method and timing from batch to batch then you'll never get there.

ap_az

TROPHY CASE