Thank you so much for this blog and the recipe. I read everything I could find before my first attempt at a sourdough only risen loaf! My poor starter has been used for quite a few unfed recipes (the soft rolls are my favorite), but eventually I just got lazy and missed several weekly feedings. So.... more reading to refresh my mind and out on the counter it came to be "rebooted." Since I spent 3 days feeding it twice a day, that seemed the perfect time to try this recipe since my sourdough was vigorously overflowing the crock! I followed all your directions. I was terrified when I had to "gently form loaves" but I soldiered on. My overnight was more like 18 hours, my next rise was 4 hours, and my last was also 4 which brought my to bread being ready for dinner - which was just a lucky coincidence! 2 ? though: Hopefully I didn't miss of forget this from my reading, but since I can't find the answers I'll ask: 1: Why do I have to wait for the bread to cool completely? Warm is so much more fun! :) 2: I used a loaf pan for one of the loaves. The crust is, of course, not as hard, but the shape is much more convenient. Since the crust is softer, would that affect storage? Should it be wrapped, bagged, or still just left with the cut side down on the counter? Thanks so very much for all this help. I decided to tackle yeast baking about 8 months ago. I'm disabled so I can only bake when my body allows my too which is a problem with multi day recipes. Still with every recipe I have tried, and there have been a lot, THIS IS BY FAR THE BEST!! Oh sorry, another question: Where is your sourdough starter originally from? Since I know they taste different from all different places, I was shocked when this bread tastes exactly like SAN FRANCISCO sourdough bread! Thanks again, Suzanne Great questions Suzanne. Here are my responses: 1.) Waiting for the bread to cool completely allows the crumb to set fully. When the loaf gets pulled from the oven, the starches have fully gelatinized but haven't had a chance to cool and set into their shape. Thus, when you attempt to slice the warm bread, you often "mush" the bread down and it can turn out squished pretty flat! Best to cool completely and then slice it up (warming them after if you wish) or cool the loaf, re-warm a bit and slice to serve. 2.)The bread baked in a pan will show a sign of softer crust because the pan insulates the dough as it bakes, trapping in more moisture. If this moisture remains in the loaf after you pull it from the oven, you will have a soft crust and perhaps a pretty damp bread inside. Next time, you may want to tip the loaf out of the pan when it is done baking, and place it in the turned-off oven to dry it a bit and set the crust better--I'd keep it in for 5-8 minutes, being sure to check that it doesn't burn if the oven was really hot! The softer crust (i.e. damp loaf) will mold quickly, especially if you store the loaf in plastic. I always keep my bread loaves cut-side down in a heavy paper bag (a clean paper grocery bag is best!). 3.) Our sourdough starter comes from a starter first created in the 1700's in New England. I was told it actually belonged to one of the former owners of King Arthur Flour, the Sands family! The starter will certainly take on the yeast spores of your home environment, so do be aware that it will evolve over time as it gets fed and used. Best, Kim@KAF

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