Hi - I tried Rustic Sourdough yesterday and got an absolutely gorgeous loaf with a good rise and chewy brown crust. Unfortunately the bread itself was quite dense and soft - my 10 year-old said it was doughy. We've been known to bring home a loaf of sourdough and have to force ourselves to stop scarfing it down. This, while good, wasn't *that* good. I use parchment on a pizza stone and stopped baking when the thermometer read 205. I followed the recipe very carefully with a few modifications: 1) I had to run out after making the dough so I put it in the fridge rather than leaving it on the counter. It went for about 3 hours and grew to about 3x its size. When I took it out of the bowl it deflated a bunch and got down to the 2x size I was aiming for. Was this the moment of doom? 2) I used 1/2 AP and 1/2 bread flour (both yours). Would this make it soft? 3) I put a pan of water on the lowest rack and misted the loaves before they went in. I didn't mist mid-bake. The exterior was stunning so I'm not second-guessing this. 4) I weighed carefully but added water to the mixer since the dough seemed very dry. Could this have been where I went wrong? I probably goofed since it ended up being very sticky. I'm never sure of how long to keep kneading. I never get the perfect round globe you show before and after the 1st rise. At best I get the surface you show in the 1st picture of 2 loaves - usually shaggier. Any ideas would be much appreciated! Thanks Dave Hi Dave, It sounds like a couple of things were just a bit off. Sourdough is usually a softer bread dough than regular white or wheat bread, but it shouldn't be super sticky. Just moist to the touch is good. Also, it sounds like it over rose on the first rise. That means that the gluten structure was over stretched, and while the bread will still rise after that, it never really fully recovers back to it's original elasticity and strength. So, try to keep an eye on the rise, and make sure the dough is just tacky to the touch, not sticky and I think you'll see improvement. ~ MaryJane

• Reply