I made this bread yesterday and have, what appears to be two very pretty, but very dense, loaves of bread. They didn't appear to rise much after I shaped them... maybe not at all. Question - between the second rise and the shaping, should I have punched down the dough at all? I simply cut the dough in two and shaped. Great questions, sourdough baker! With sourdough it's sometimes best to fold (in thirds like a business letter) instead of knead. Shaping the bread is also important. There are some great tips on the video page of our website (Baking Skills, Sourdough Bread: shaping and baking the bread). Happy Baking! Irene@KAF

• Reply