Hi Tawney, I'm so glad to hear that you got your sourdough starter up and running and are finally able to bake delicious sourdough bread! The combination of sourdough starter and yeast called for in the Rustic Sourdough Bread recipe does tend to deliver a denser, almost cake-like crumb, so I think choosing a recipe that is entirely naturally leavened is a good first step towards achieving the open crumb structure you're looking for. Of course, a lot of factors go into developing all those beautiful holes (it's never just one thing when it comes to bread). In addition to utilizing your Dutch oven for steaming purposes, you'll need to aim for a wet dough with adequate dough structure that is properly shaped and proofed. I know, a tall order for a beginning sourdough bread baker! And the Extra Tangy Sourdough Bread recipe can be particularly challenging in this regard because the rise times are so open-ended, which leaves it up to the baker to decide when best to shape and bake the bread. For this recipe I would be cautious not to add extra flour (weigh the ingredients, if possible), and once the dough is rising well and becoming airier in texture, proceed to shaping. It will helpful to allow the shaped boule to rise in a well-floured brotform or a bowl lined with a very well-floured cloth. Place the boule seam side up in the basket and cover well, so that the dough doesn't dry out as it rises. Bake a bit on the early side rather than allowing the dough to over-proof in the shaped form. When you're ready to bake, you can gently turn the loaf out of the basket onto a piece of lightly greased parchment, score the boule, and then carefully lower it into the preheated Dutch oven. If your Dutch oven is at least 4 quarts or more, you should be able to bake the entire recipe as one large boule. Remove the lid about 20 minutes into the bake and continue baking until done. Overall baking time will likely be 40-45 minutes, when baked at 450 degrees. I hope this helps! Let us know how it goes! 

Barb

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