4 Sourdough Mistakes You Can Easily Avoid

[@philme]

I like that "reading the crumbs" has the feeling of a peer review where another scientist has to make sense of and interpret the data. And yet it is also like an art critique, because merely pointing out flaws can be soul crushing for the creator if it doesn't feel like the criticism is "on your side" trying to help. This is a great communal way to learn.

[@miric6224]

What a great idea to critique commenters’ bread. Nice service you’ve provided to all of us. Thanks!

[@the_bread_code]

Thank you!

[@Wdelhagen]

Thanks Hendrik and thanks to all the folks who submitted pics. I'm always trying to be a better proof sleuth with my bread post-mortems and these examples help me calibrate my fermentation detection skillz. Please keep doing this!

[@the_bread_code]

Thank you! It was great fun to look at all the submissions. Thanks to everyone who submitted one!

[@mrgreenbudz37]

Good morning and thank you for all your videos and help. You are correct that even if your loaf isn't a masterpiece it is 100 times better than store-bought bread. My breads are slowly getting better and better with each one I feel. I still have a long way to go. Thank you again.

[@Adrian-ww2jj]

This is exactly the clinic I just needed. Thank you a lot for this video.💯

[@carolcheung876]

Thank you so very much for diagnosing various samples of sourdough bread. I have so many failures but I didn't give up.

[@ScrapHappy]

This is one of the most helpful videos I’ve found to help me figure out what’s been going wrong. Thank you!!

[@turuanu]

I've been watching videos on sourdough for more than a year, but you really only learn by hands-on baking. I bake with 100% whole grain by grinding my own soft wheat. It's the best I can find here in Costa Rica. I recently had a breakthrough with your video on stiff starter. Now, I just may have understood why my bread is not really domey, though delicious and fluffy. I revive the stiff starter at 9. By 11 it's doubled. I make the dough around noon. I do all the stretches and folds, let it grow until 6pm, then put it in the fridge until the following morning. I must say we turn off the fridge at night because we have problems with the solar panel batteries. Anyway, in the morning I shape the loaves, wait for them to almost double, I bake... and they're flat. Today I just used the starter straight from the fridge at 3pm, did the 3 or 4 folding, at 6 I'll put it in the fridge for more than 12 hours, then shape and bake it. I can't wait to see if it makes a difference!

[@newtkeeper]

Thank you for putting the Fahrenheit value!!! So cool.

[@clarabartha1737]

Love this style of video in reviewing bread submission issues!

[@ShathaAz]

I appreciate your existence. Thank you so much 🌷.

[@freeheeler09]

I’ve learned a lot from your videos! Thanks!

[@rlwalker2]

Thanks again for all the information and hints.

[@jakemitchell1671]

He says under fermented...the next guy says over fermented....next guy says starter isn't ready... another video says the starter sat too long. One video claims the timing of the feeding is the secret...another video claims the timing isn't a crucial factor. Someone will say we're over-feeding, only for someone else to say we are under-feeding. LOL. Just kidding...but it sure can be frustrating! But keep after.

[@Carydbster]

Exactly! I'm so confused. Just made my first loaf. Epic fail and I'm clueless as to what I did wrong. 😭

[@jakemitchell1671]

@@Carydbster I've been cooking for 40 years. I've never encountered anything as challenging as getting an excellent loaf of sourdough bread. I'm going to stay with it, but I'm losing hope.

[@Carydbster]

@@jakemitchell1671 - I empathize with you. This was my first attempt at sourdough, but the time invested to end up with a door stopper is disheartening. I can certainly understand losing hope, but hang in there. You'll get it eventually. ☺️

[@9weeds]

@@Carydbstermaybe

[@Carydbster]

​@@9weeds - 😟 My second loaf came out SOOOO much better. The third loaf never made it to the oven because I could not remove it from my hands. It was like a symbiote! 😂😐😭

[@j1303901]

I have baked that first loaf a ton of times. Flat and disappointing. My issue was using my levain before the peak. I now always wait until I see my levain start to fall and have never baked like the first loaf again. This would be my number one tip.

[@the_bread_code]

Hi Jake. If I use my starter before a peak I can use a little more. But the fermentation is slower. After the peak it's better to use less starter :-)

[@katecreates7]

Ooo good tip! Love that, I’ll have to try that! (If I can ever get a starter to survive my new homes “extreme” environment. 😒)

[@ExperimentalistBrewing]

I loved this and miss your videos reviewing the sourdough reddit! Also your URL is genius, and really made me laugh. 😀

[@the_bread_code]

🤣 thx. I love URL hacks like that

[@janetkl8172]

Thank you 😊 👏

[@Joeygoestohollywood]

Mehr davon! I think anyone can learn a lot comparing the different loafs and textures! ❤

[@kanyiskitchen3331]

Gluten tag 😆. I love your content sir!

[@the_bread_code]

Hi Kanyis. Thanks a lot!

[@Carydbster]

😂 Great pun!! 👏🏼😄

[@candywalker483]

When you say “underfermented” do you mean after the flours, water, salt and starter are mixed, you’ve done your stretch and folds or coil and folds? (I assume). You don’t mean not letting your starter rise/work long enough. Thanks for all your help!

[@the_bread_code]

Hi Candy. So you mix all the ingredients together. This starts the fermentation process as you put some of the starter into your dough. This process is over at some point. That's the moment when you shape the dough and place it in a banneton. The question is when is it over? In case of underfermented the process should have continued for longer.

[@francinekeane9900]

Thanks once again Hendrik great video. One question not related. Would adding malt syrup molasses or honey add to overall hydration?

[@the_bread_code]

Thank you! Yes a bit. But I wouldn't worry too much about it. I now typically go with a base hydration. If I feel the dough is too wet or too dry I either add more flour or water.

[@francinekeane9900]

@@the_bread_code Thank you

[@leafster1337]

i like mixing everything with a spoon or whatever then covering and coming back to knead well after 10-15 minutes

[@oscaribf0101]

I'm the first one thumbing It Up! 🤗

[@the_bread_code]

Thank you Oscar!

[@innik77]

Hello! So based on the big air pockets, does it mean that chiabatta bread is also underfermented? Thank you.

[@MichaelRei99]

Gluten Tag! Can you do a video showing the correlation between ambient temperature and percentage of rise necessary to properly ferment the dough. Thanks

[@the_bread_code]

Gluten Tag Mike. It's hard to generalise. It depends on your flour and your starter. I'd try to aim for a 50-100% size increase of your dough during the bulk fermentation. That's the most reliable indicator :-)

[@maly4hard]

Hello! How to known when stiff starter is ready / active? I converted my starter to a stiff according to your scheme then i made two loafs with my regular starter and stiff. I used 20% regular and 15% stiff. After 7 hours on my regular starter dough doubled in size but with stiff maybe 10-15%. After 9 hours i couldn't wait any longer so i put in into fridge. Next day i wanted to end bulk fermentation in room temperature and after 3-4h my dough was overfermented and gluten has been eaten but the sample showed maybe 30% incrase. I was feeding starter 3 days and after last feed i used it after 5 hours. Maybe too early? BTW. My yesterday's breads would fit this thread. They was without strength and came out flat but with pretty good ears. :D

[@the_bread_code]

Great comment, thank you! It sounds like your stiff starter could have needed a bit more time to properly propagate! It seems to have been a bit less active. Maybe try to go for 50-60% hydration on your stiff starter rather than just 50%. Hope it helps! Cheers.

[@BenMyerson-um8me]

New content from Bread Code!!!

[@yua-piano-family]

amazing contents

[@jdfi1403]

Hi from near Toronto, Canada. What is the process of getting your hardcover version to my area?

[@katecreates7]

Thanks for the video! Very very helpful! I have a question about my starter. I recently moved and Every time I try and start one this summer it’s okay for a day or two and then right after it starts to fall it starts getting hooch and then even if I pour that out and feed it, it doesn’t work. And in the winter it’s so cold Where I am I can never get it going. I can’t seem to find a warm enough spot in the fall and winter and cool enough spot in the spring to summer… help pwease! 🥺🥺 I miss making my sourdough…

[@the_bread_code]

Hi Kate! Temperature isn't that important! I hope maybe my starter video can shed some light on the topic: kzbin.info/www/bejne/lYGUc2qGraaqoZI

[@katecreates7]

@@the_bread_code oh, I always thought it did. I never had trouble in my previous places. Thanks! I’ll check it out!

[@tnasr3254]

Are you refrigerating your starter after it peaks in the summer? Do you let it come to room temp and discard most of it before you feed it?

[@LearnToLure]

What thermometer do you use?

[@abs9593]

What do you guys think about whether or not there is a relation between how long it takes your starter to double after a feeding and how long it takes your dough to bulk ferment? Everyone I see says that my bulk fermentation should only be about 4-5 hours based on the temperature, but my starter has always taken 8-10 hours to double.

[@ginavargak.23]

It worked ❤ 😅

[@ginavargak.23]

How can I send you a picture?

[@eunyoungcho9814]

Oh how do I submit mine for diagnosis? 😊

[@cliffcox7643]

Beginners, ,, If after the autolyse and you do your first and second stretch n folds, your dough is slack and sees wet, continue, but on the final pre-shape, if it's still slack, FORGET about baking it.. you'll waste your oven energy and time and it will come out gummy and terrible. . Just throw it out and work on making the starter super strong.. I've failed so many times and learned that baking will just make you disappointed and literally waste time and energy.

[@notlandon1108]

What I learned. All my loafs look great, if I don’t use whole wheat I’ll have a more open crumb. Am I correct?

[@jasonkh4]

So, my bread smells, tastes, and toasts amazing, but possesses the "fools crumb" large air pocket signs of underfermentation while wanting to turn into a frisbee as if overfermented. I'm actually ok with the crumb being what it is since the flavour, smell, and texture are there, but I am at a loss as to how I can achieve that nice round loaf (since it will be sliced) without the aid of a pan. Since I only have access to the kitchen at my work from 8am until about 4 or 5 in the evening, there's always the 16 or so hours where I have to leave either my mother or levain (which I've switched to using of late) or my loaves in bannetons in the fridge unattended, so it's a bit difficult to know what changes to make within the time constraints. I've tried feeding one jar of mother/levain at the start of my shift, and there does seem to be peak activity before I leave, so just curious whether to feed my mother or levain at the start of my shift, make the dough once I notice that peak activity, and put loaves in the fridge after say, 4 hours bulk ferment in the 30 degree kitchen, during which I perform a series of 4 or 5 stretch-and-folds at 30-min intervals. Not sure how to get around having to leave my loaves in the cooler from 4 pm until 8 the next morning if cold over-proofing is indeed my issue. Any insight is appreciated! Love your channel, cheers ! 🍞🙌

[@EightLegz]

Servus Hendrik, da haben meine missglückten Semmeln (aka „Brötchen 😉) tatsächlich gewonnen. Freut mich. Zum Glück waren das alte Bilder und solche Missgeschicke passieren so gut wie überhaupt nicht mehr. Da hat mir Dein Kanal wirklich geholfen - mir war bis dahin nie bewusst, wie wichtig der Proteingehalt meines Mehls ist. Dank 16%igem Manitobamehl klappen nun auch Brioche Buns. Wie kann ich Dich denn am besten kontaktieren? Grüße aus München Markus

[@frankoptis]

1:52: For me Stephanies image on the left looks like she also forgot to slice her loaf on the top before putting it into the oven? That also prevents rising...

[@dineshnegi8136]

I am a baker and pastry chef but I somehow I have a combi steam oven and I have to figure out perfect heat and steam for baking sourdough

[@WhyDoYouCare6503]

hi👋I have a question if you don’t mind.😊 I tried my very first time baking Sourdough bread the other day but I was SO disappointed because my sourdough is kinda wet inside and the crust is very hard like a stone🥹😩 After the final shaping I put my sourdough in the fridge for 2 days because I was working so I baked on the 3rd day.🤦🏻What happened to my sourdough? PLEASE help.🙏🥹 Thank you. Appreciate it.

[@lydzphens]

❤️❤️❤️

[@BabyBoomerDad64]

The difference betweeb dough and bread is heat. While fermentibg and baking...

[@anthonyman8008]

Say no to gluten, I can handle flat bread!

[@MereCashmere]

😊

[@jessicagoss8030]

When are you kneading? My recipe doesn't say to do that

[@_primalpilatesprincess]

I didn't even see it rise a bit. I was hopeful 😢

[@Jan46]

👍🍞

[@jordhuga271]

My first sourdough was flatter than flat.

[@BobeDole]

I kinda feel like he's making this up....