5 Reasons Why You Don't Succeed At Sourdough Baking | Part 1

[@the_bread_code]

Moin and Gluten Tag fellow hobby bakers. This video will be part of a series that is still in the making. What are the mistakes you notice other people doing very often? What was the piece of knowledge you wish you had known when you started baking? Please drop a comment and I'll make sure to add it to the video if I see fit. You all rock, happy baking and may ze gluten be with you!

[@clynch8629]

Still having a sticky dough after bulk fermentation, where the dough does not leave the bench clean. I have only managed this a few times where it turned out well, but could not work out when it did not. Perhaps the dough was overworked or it was over fermented?

[@GT-of4ts]

@@clynch8629 Or perhaps like he said in the video. There just may be a bit too much moisture. Try playing around with a no recipe bake one day- doing that really helped me understand moisture levels. Hope it helps. And if not, well happy baking anyhow :)

[@GT-of4ts]

Thanks for sharing! Your bread knowledge and video shares are appreciated and wonderfully entertaining and helpful. Happy baking!

[@daisykee3980]

My biggest epiphany was after I watched your video about overfermentation - the average temperature where I live is 30c, so fermentation is accelerated. we have to do things like put the dough in the fridge, or keep it in an ice box or use cold ingredients for better outcomes.

[@LarVikCar]

I wish that I, as a beginner, would have realized the great adantages of using the oven as a dough proofer. The consistent temperature of an oven with only its light on is great , generally between 28 and 33 degrees depending on the oven. Although i prefer it to be closer to 28 than 33, but it is easy to get close to 28 degrees by not closing the oven completely. By having the same temperature during the different fermentation stages (I use it for levain making and bulk fermentation), one can easier understand the dough. For example, one can exclude the tempereature of being a factor for how the bread turns out, and instead investigate more reasonable factors, such as the lengt of fermentation or folding techniques. Another benefit is that the temperature in the oven is higher which makes the baking go faster. This tips is particularily good during summer since the temperature is less consistent then than during other seasons. Another related tips (since it relates to tempereature) is to always use the same temperature of the water, both for levain and the bread dough, for example 20-25 degrees. The benefints are the same as above.

[@UrbanSikeborg]

P.S. And many thanks for not having any background music while you are talking. So many KZbinrs drench their presentations in loud, monotonous music that only distracts and makes what should be a stimulating presentation an ordeal to try to listen to and learn from.

[@the_bread_code]

Moin Urban. Thanks a bunch. I so have done the same in the past haha. But many of you gave the feedback that you don't enjoy that. So yes, no more background music. Take care!

[@sh8736]

The Bread Code and your English is excellent, keeping putting in the odd German word so I can become bilingual as well as a baker 👨‍🍳😂

[@CarlaTudor]

Moin Hendrik! I tried your 1-5-5 ratio this week and it works! Thank's for the tip, I did not think 10 grams would work, but it worked great. I leave it overnight and the next morning it rises out of the pot. I think the temperature of the weather, I am your neighbour from The Netherlands, can be credited too. Keep up the good work, I love watching you and hearing a bit of German from time to time.

[@the_bread_code]

Dank Je Wel Carla :-). That's awesome and good to hear. I have visited the Netherlands many times and love the country. Happy baking and may ze Gluten be with you.

[@kristianseppanen]

I have watched a lot of sourdough videos last couple of years and your videos have the answer to so many questions that I had, like I've had success rate of maybe 70% but now I maybe know how to improve it. So thank you a lot! Greetings from finland

[@the_bread_code]

Moin Kristian. Thank you very much, that truly means a lot. Yes, I have been there too. Getting from 70% success to 95% success rate can only be done if you truly understand your dough. I couldn't agree more. Happy baking to Finland. I am yet to visit your country!

[@aaraguz]

I needed you engineering aproach to bread making. Maybe because I'm an engineer myself I couldn't get explanations talking about the "feel of the dough". I needed facts to understand the whole process, so I'm glad to have bumped into your videos. Viele Dank!

[@the_bread_code]

Awesome. Glad you are enjoying the videos. Feel free to reach out with questions at any time. Cheers!

[@kellykinetic]

My new found piece of insight is to be gentle with the folds esp towards the end. We don't want to extinguish too many of those wonderful bubbles within the boule!!

[@the_bread_code]

Excellent point, thank you. This is 100% true. Especially when it comes to stretch and folding. You have to read the signs of your dough before giving excessive folds.

[@georgehibberd93]

Top tips for me was knowing that there was such a thing as over-fermentation and the great techniques of how to handle a high-hydration dough on this channel.

[@the_bread_code]

Moin George. Thanks a lot for the feedback. Glad I was able to offer some knowledge on those topics. I'll include some of them in the next video.

[@tsunami888]

Best advice from my experience baking sourdough bread is to be aware of your room ambient temperature. Fermentation is sooooo dependent on that. Most people will have a room temperature of about 70-75 degrees F, my room temperature is 82-85 degrees F. This drastically shortens the fermentation time and I learned I had to adjust for that or else my dough would overferment and get really sticky. Another piece of advice is what Bread Code said about the different hydration of various flours. I found adding whole grain whole wheat/bread flour to my dough allowed me to handle my dough better and made it less sticky.

[@the_bread_code]

Moin Eric. Thanks for the excellent comment. I fully agree!

[@harrypeacefulwarrior]

Bravo, Sir! Thank you! I'm a Beginner, just started last March. Your tip about reducing the hydration sounds like a key issue, with my almost good Oven Spring. I have slavishly measured everything, as you describe, but, only have one Facebook friend who also bakes sourdoughs and ryes. Thank you! Danke! I'm looking forward to more, shared this with a friend I just shared my Starter with.

[@the_bread_code]

Moin Harry. Thanks a lot for the feedback. That truly means a lot! Glad you enjoyed the tip with the hydration decrease. I feel that makes things a lot easier. Feel free to shoot questions my way any time. Happy baking!

[@isabelab6851]

The Bread Code i will try this as well!

[@jackiebeidler4592]

@@the_bread_code it's normal for low hydration recipes not to mix easily before the autolyse? Is it okay to work the dough some to make it "come together?" Or should we be gentle and just let it autolyyyysssse?

[@UrbanSikeborg]

Thank you, Sir, much appreciated. One thing that took some time for me to learn was why I couldn't just reuse all the starter I kept in the fridge and add flower and water to that. Felt like a waste to discard high-quality flour like that. I noticed the starter was a bit more sour but didn't know that this acidity had been breaking down the gluten net in the starter. In recipes with larger quantities of starter (like 250 grams instead of 50), reusing the entire starter (+ feeding) meant that the flour from the old starter couldn't develop much gluten anymore, plus the "acid load" from the starter was too high and inhibited the fermentation, so the bread degassed. I bake one wheat bread once a week. 24 hours before, I take just one tablespoon of the old starter, feed that spoonful with twice or three times the weight in flour and water. Once it's bubbly and happy after some eight hours, I repeat this process. The following morning the starter has tripled in sized, ready to use. I also appreciated that you emphasized how the properties of the flour used affect the bread. I've tried various recipes, in the beginning following them slavishly to the gram and minute, only to realize that the flour I use (an organic stone-milled wheat and ditto spelt, with 11% protein) demands various tweekings of the recipe in terms of water content, kneeding and prooving times. Oh, and I'd never throw away any starter discard! I store it in a separate jar in the fridge and make pancakes or other things with it occasionally.

[@jackiebeidler4592]

I'm trying to figure this out too. But I'm seeing that if I just keep a couple hundred grams of any one starter, I only need a tiny bit to make a fed starter. I have a mug different perspective on making sourdough at home now. I can save my various starters in the fridge and only need 10-20 grams of it to make a fed one for a loaf I plan to bake. Maybe I can slowly start scaling it down. I have about 6-one quart Ball jars half full of different starters in my fridge. I've seen many recipes that call for a huge percentage of starter for the recipe, but then it accounts for a lot of the hydration too. I don't want to waste starter, but some recipes that use like 200+ grams of starter have turned into good loaves. We shall see....

[@the_bread_code]

Moin Urban. Thanks for the excellent very thoughtful comment. I like to bake a discard starter bread out of all the discard starter that I accumulate: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bYeWd6yMr9-Ji6s. You can also make some discard starter crackers out of it, or the pancakes you mentioned. To me this is not discard, to me this is healthy fermented flour. It would be a waste to throw any of it away.

[@heyjethy]

same experience and sentiments here. I boost my 50/50 WW starter feedings with a small portion of dark rye flour (which is uncommon here hence I had to buy from a local specialty food store). that makes me feel bad about literally tossing out the discard. I was glad to know you could make a bread out of discards, except that I recently had found out that my active starter is highly likely too acidic. that was after I inoculated my focaccia dough and it just went from having a good gluten structure to getting very very sticky. good thing I wasn't trying to make a batard, else there might have been a shaping disaster. in spite that, I couldn't come to decide to discard the discard while I continue to try fixing my active one :)

[@UrbanSikeborg]

@@heyjethy : If the dough gets hopelessly overfermented and sticky like that, you can divide the dough into a couple of smaller pieces, dust them lightly with flour, flatten them gently and fry-bake them one by one in a hot and dry (non-greased) cast iron skillet (with or without a lid) on top of your stove. Turn them a few times until they have got a nice colour on both sides. That's one of the old traditional ways of baking various types of flat breads in northern Scandinavia, and it tastes great with butter and a good cheese. An elderly relative of mine uses to fry-bake her sourdough breads in this way. If you have a lot of old sourdough discards, you can mix it all with extra flour (until it becomes manageable) and some salt let the dough rest for a while, and then fry-bake it in the same way. You don't get the same oven-spring, true, just very tasty bread. I like to add a table spoon of cumin to the dough.

[@UrbanSikeborg]

@@the_bread_code : You are absolutely right - the fermented flour in discards has a good nutritional value and is easier digested than wheat bread made with conventional yeast. I'll definitely try making your crackers. And thanks for your videos; I like your unpretentious, slightly self-ironic style combined with great skills.

[@pjfreeman1067]

I had a sad failure this morning. 😢 After watching your video, I think my starter, even though it looked fine, it was not strong enough. Also, I didn’t strengthen my dough enough. Thank you so much.

[@the_bread_code]

Oh noes! What about the next attempts. What ddid you change?

[@jankuni]

Thank you for this video. It was very helpful. You covered topics that other bakers don’t cover. I hope one day I’ll be able to make beautiful breads like you.

[@the_bread_code]

Thank you very much. Don't worry, you will get there.

[@connect4king]

Yep..your English is better than my German👍

[@isabelab6851]

connect4king same here. I took it in college and all I remember is food !🤣🤣🤣

[@the_bread_code]

Haha sank you very much. I am trying my best.

[@the_bread_code]

Isabel - usefol thing to know: Ein Roggenbrot bitte. Haha.

[@isabelab6851]

The Bread Code danke!

[@markthomasson5077]

Living in Scotland it is a bit cool for getting the starter really active. This time I put the jar in a warm water bath, frothed up just like you show. Also good boy and weighed out properly. Though still not managed to stop it spreading, had to you a backing tin and it was fine. Thanks

[@the_bread_code]

Moin Mark. Try reducing the water % a little bit. That should already do wonders. Happy baking.

[@markthomasson5077]

I used 80%, which felt less wet than before. Yes I will try lower %, though was happy with the result

[@baileysizzle]

Vielen Dank! Ich habe viel von deinen Videos gelernt. Your English is so good! I wouldn't worry about it at all. Thanks again!

[@the_bread_code]

Moin Blay. Thanks a lot! Happy baking!

[@spqr701]

Gluten tag Hendrick! I am a novice sourdough baker and I have come a long way with credit due to you and your videos which I really enjoy. I'm getting consistent results in all areas but one. That area is getting a good ear on my loaves. Cant seem to get a good one to save my life. What would you recommend? What is the issue for me? Scoring? Cooking temp? Bulk fermentation? I am at a complete loss.....

[@chezaraeyothers5164]

Really been enjoying your contract, thanks for your work! It's Friday which means tomorrow is Sourdough Saturday!!

[@the_bread_code]

Moin Chezarae - thanks a lot for the feedback. That means a lot. Good luck and I hope ze gluten is with you.

[@kallebuchholz2156]

Das ist das Video was ich brauche. Ich habe vor drei Jahren angefangen zu backen und seit circa einem halben Jahr (chinesische Quarantänenzeit) versuche ich mich an Sauerteigbrot. Zu Beginn folgte ich blind Internet Rezepten und das Ergebnis war mal so mal so. Die Information die ich brauche, sind also genau diese: welche Variablen gibt es und wie ich sie meinen Umständen an. Einer meiner Umstände ist zum Beispiel, dass es dir jeden Tag um die 35° warm ist. D.h. alles fermentiert hier wie eine Rakete.

[@the_bread_code]

Moin Kalle. Danke für das Feedback! Das bedeutet mir sehr viel. Auch sehr cool, dass Du in China backst, du bringst etwas heimische Kultur mit. Bei 35°C oh weia, da muss alles super schnell gehen haha. Aber - du züchtest mit jeder Iteration einen Sauerteig der besser an deine Umgebung angepasst ist hehe. Es wird also immer besser.

[@richardfenngriffin2406]

The video is so informative - thank you! I made a sourdough last night/this morning but it came out looking like a flat tyre. I think your video has pointed m me to the problem which is my starter is too acidic. In now going to change the ratio to 1:5:5 and see if that produces something better looking. Love the videos they are very informative.

[@the_bread_code]

Moin Richard Fenn Griffin, you are most welcome! Feel free to reach out with more questions at any time. Happy baking and cheers from Hamburg.

[@TechforSenior]

Great Video. I have problems with lack of oven spring and too acidic taste. I will change my feeding ratio. Thanks.. I subscribed.

[@the_bread_code]

Moin Ronald. Awesome. Glad you found this helpful. Feel free to reach out with questions at any time.

[@karenlee005]

I read a tip somewhere to use ice cubes in the water tray instead of hot water to create the steam in the first 20 minutes of the bake. What do you think? Do you also recommend spritzing the dough with water before you put it on the stone? I can’t seem to get those nice bubble blisters on the crust or a shiny crust.

[@the_bread_code]

Moin Karen. Thanks for the excellent comment! I have seen people doing that but I can not see the advantage of that compared to using a bowl of water. You are also cooling down the oven slightly? Spritzing is a great way to get those bubbles, yep. Make sure you brush off all the other excess flour before the bake as well :-). I should make a video on this :-D

[@karenlee005]

The Bread Code yes please! A video on this would be great to see!

[@lichoalba8675]

Morning from Argentina, just baked a nice orgánic sourdougth i did yesterday using your tips and looking great! Thanks

[@the_bread_code]

Moin Licho. Thanks for the comment! You are most welcome. Hope it was very yummy.

[@lichoalba8675]

@@the_bread_code as a begginer i can say it was one of the nicest ovenspring i had, used lamination wich i never did before , should i do it always or it depends on What? Thanks again!

[@mikequorn]

Hey, BC! First, thanks _very_ much for sharing your expertise. I like that you explain things, it gives me confidence. My suggestion for a future video, please: show how the process works for a novice where you use lower hydaration (you suggest 65-70%) and maybe no folding? Time is my enemy. Thanks again, and keep up the good work!

[@the_bread_code]

Moin Mike. Thanks for the nice comment. I have a video where my dough has around 65% hydration. Hope this helps: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hH7KnZutpZefhNU. Happy baking!

[@joycetpw]

Thank you for sharing this! As a fairly new baker, that whole point about understanding your flour was so interesting to me. I started out using rye + unbleached bread flour and always end up with super sticky dough. Doesn’t help that i live in the tropics (super near the equator) so things can get really warm and humid. If anyone here has tips on baking sourdough in the tropics please send them my way! Looking forward to more of this series! :)

[@mywebfoot72]

Tropics baker here :). Try the hydration test on your bread flour to get to know your flour. In most recipes the bread flour is the main component anyway. Make little bowls (50g flour) and water at 60,70,80 and 90% hydration. I even added a drop of starter and salt to simulate the whole process. I stretched and folded with one finger! I got my answer that at 60 and 70%, the dough is easy to handle using kneading and stretch and folds. At 80-90% I will have to use coil folds and other wet dough kneading techniques. Also, in the tropics, sourdough yeast grows MUCH faster. I have done 6 hours from inoculation to baking and the crumb was good. One good tip I have is to feed up the starter after inoculating the bread. Keep it wherever your bread is fermenting. When the starter bottle shows double the volume, your bulk fermentation is done. Starter bottle goes back in the fridge, and I start pre-shaping.

[@joycetpw]

mywebfoot72 thanks for the great tips! I’ll definitely try it out!

[@isabelab6851]

mywebfoot72 great tips! I would like to learn more about coil folds and wet dough kneading techniques. Thank you

[@mywebfoot72]

@@isabelab6851 You're welcome. I think this one is the best video on that I've seen: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rITRcp16f96SatU

[@isabelab6851]

mywebfoot72 thank you so much!

[@hudaghassan5912]

Hello. I have a question: do i have to feed my starter with the same type of flour that i made it from? And i hope that you can show a video of bread using semolina flour..

[@jackiebeidler4592]

I've had great results with using a wheat starter to make a rye starter. I didn't use rye for a while, so when I wanted to make some rye starter I just used the little bit of wheat starter from the fridge to make a rye one. Over time and feeding it just rye, it will become pretty much all rye. It worked fine for me : )

[@jackiebeidler4592]

I've never used semolina, so I look forward to a response on that, perhaps I can expand my starter collection that's already taking up half the fridge!

[@hudaghassan5912]

@@jackiebeidler4592 semolina contain more protien than all purpose flour, in my country, i can only find all purpose flour and semolina due to quarentine..Thank you

[@jackiebeidler4592]

@@hudaghassan5912 let us know what you find out about semolina starters! : )

[@hudaghassan5912]

@@jackiebeidler4592 I used the same wheat flour starter for semolina dough, it worked really well more than with all purpose.

[@shakierismail9874]

Amazing video! Thank you for all the tips. My main problem occurs during bulk fermentation. I do you know when the dough is ready for shaping? Some people say it has to grow double or quarter in size but some tips around that would be very useful.

[@florianmutschler1338]

He showed a trick in his other videos. Just take a small sample of the dough after before bulk fermentation, put it in a small container and mark the high. When the sample doubled in size your good to go

[@shakierismail9874]

@@florianmutschler1338 thanks a bunch, I'll give that a try next time

[@txpepper]

A straight-sided shot glass or one of those small votive candle glass holders works perfectly for this method of measuring your dough rise. Then, when the dough has done its proper rise, you can add that small test sample back into your bulk dough so it doesn't go to waste.

[@the_bread_code]

Moin Shakier. Excellent question. @Florian @Tx - thanks for joining in here and answering, you guys rock. If you want to be save, finish bulk fermentation at a 75% size increase. That way you definitely don't run into overfermentation. Sure, your crumb won't be as open, but it's the safe option. If you like the danger and want to max everything out, wait until you hit that doubling point. You will have a more open, fluffy crumb that plays excellent with your crispy crust. But yeah, you can quickly overferment. If that happens, just use a loaf pan to bake your bread. You can add the probe back like Tx said, or just store it in your discard starter jar. That's what I like to do. I make yummy crackers out of that every week, or use it to bake a nice bread.

[@shakierismail9874]

@@the_bread_code thank you so much for the response. Il definitely use this trick in the future. It will save me the effort of wondering has it doubled or not yet

[@funkygawy]

Your bread tips are the best, theory and practice together. My starter jar broke and so I made a new batch this week, the first loaf is in the refrigerator and I'll bake it early tomorrow before it gets hot (I'm here in the Netherlands). I have a question about hydration: I used 500g flour, 350g water, but then added 100g of 50/50 starter - is that still 70% hydration or do you also consider the 50g of water and 50g of flour, for a total of 400g water/550g flour, i.e., 73% hydration? My bread tip is this: practice with regular yeast dough. I spent a couple of weeks just making loaves/boules/baguettes using high-hydration (80%) yeast dough (instead of sourdough) to get used to handling wet dough. The fermentation itself isn't as long, and in the end I end up with a nice loaf even when I mess up shaping, since yeast is more forgiving. But I'm still struggling to keep my scraper from sticking to the dough when I'm preshaping... the scraper always seems to stick to the sticky part of the dough, unless I really load the bench up with flour, which means I don't get those nice beautiful tight dough balls :(

[@the_bread_code]

Moin Gary. Excellent question. Yes, you are correct in theory. In practice however most bakers ignore the fact that the starter adds a little bit of hydration. It makes the math a little more complex and that's why they already set a base hydration that will be okay with the added starter. So in my case, 65% hydration would be the base hydration, plus then a few % added by the starter. Not very scientific I know haha. But yes - it is just a rule of thumb in general. The actual value has to be figured out and tested with every flour individually. So yes, I appreciate the comment, very good point you brought up there. I do myself have wondered about this when I got into bread baking. @Simon - thanks for the comment. Yes, you are right 100%.

[@funkygawy]

@@the_bread_code Gluten tag! Alas my loaf was not a success this morning, not enough spring and so the crumb is a bit dense with a few big holes :( I am sure the starter was super active, and not too acid, and the dough felt strong, but maybe my timing was messed up with the heat. I'll try again!

[@isabelab6851]

I too have had issues with the dough being so wet that it even sticks to the scraper. I switched from all purpose to bread flour and with doing some of the fermentation in the fridge overnight seems to have helped ...but still learning so, I am not sure that until I get several repeated successes

[@jackiebeidler4592]

@@isabelab6851 I'm getting the feeling that a lower hydration is better for beginning because I have the same problem. I wet my hands to handle the dough as in his videos, but obviously it will only add moisture to your dough. It's easy to handle with wet hands. I think I will do even a lower hydration tomorrow when I try another loaf to see if it works for me. Last night I started with about 72-75% hydration, but now I am going to try lower. Maybe 65% hydration and hand knead or use a mixer for ease. Then all of the added folding with wet hands will make preshaping and final shaping easier?

[@gregorysakal8492]

Guten Abend! (in Boston). Two Questions: 1) In another video (I can't remember which), you suggest a feeding ratio of 1:1:1. In this video, you recommend a starter feeding ratio of 1:5:5. I've been feeding 1:3:3. I tried 1:5:5 this morning, and my starter more than tripled in about 8 hours. Is this your recommended routine feeding ratio, or only when you're planning to bake? 2) It appears that you don't create a levain before you bake. Any thoughts as to pro or con on this? I haven't been, as I always have more than enough starter remaining after I bake to keep it going. Thanks!

[@the_bread_code]

Moin Gregory! Hope all is good :-). I guess this has changed a little bit. The summertime has me overfermenting. So the 1:5:5 and even 1:10:10 ratio has me baking better bread currently :-). I typically have my starter in the fridge and only remove it when I am about to bake. I remove it around 2 days before. Regarding 2) - I don't fully get the question. Could you elaborate please? I like to completely empty the jar. That's enough to regrow the starter. Even if the feeding ratio is 1:50:50. It does wonders and you will have a less acidic starter which is perfect for making open crumb bread. Happy baking!

[@gregorysakal8492]

@@the_bread_code Re. my first question, thanks for the clarification. Re. my second question, I've noted that some bakers will make a levain -- that is, a separate starter cultured from their "Primary" starter that is used specifically for that particular bake. I tried this yesterday. I've been feeding my "Primary" starter 1:3:3. I made a levain from this, calculating the exact amount needed for the bake, using mostly whole rye, with 1:1:1 ratio. I got a greater oven-spring and finer crumb than with previous efforts. Thanks for your response, and thanks for your really fine KZbin channel!

[@lchen3213]

Which video did you do the test to see what hydration level your flour was? Thank you! I actually find this to be the hardest part of bread making bread at the moment cause I don’t know if my dough is considered too sticky or if that’s the way it should be.

[@the_bread_code]

Moin L Chen. Must have been this one: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qWLKfpKgr86Lmas. Happy baking!

[@WhichOrThat]

Thanks for your videos, they’re very helpful. I had a 1987 GTI 16v. Lots of fun.

[@the_bread_code]

Moin WhichOrThat. Awesome - that's the car which I have on my shirt haha. Must have been an amazing car. I do own a Polo GTI currently, it's an amazing car too 😎

[@anacarolinapekny8378]

Your videos are awesome, very informative! Greetings from Brazil!

[@the_bread_code]

Ola Ana. Muito Obrigado. Take care!

[@LawyerPanda]

Your tips and explanations are very helpful! The first time I tried making sourdough bread I was using a 75% hydration dough, which should be manageable, but was very liquid and couldn't be shaped. It was suggested that I lower the hydration, so I tweaked the recipe and made it 70% hydration instead. The second attempt created a beautiful loaf. But after watching this video, I don't think it was a hydration issue; I think I over fermented the dough. I love your videos! They're funny and informative.

[@the_bread_code]

Moin Jon. Thanks a lot for the feedback. Agreed, sometimes it's hard to say whether it is too much water are over fermented. Glad the bread turned out amazing. That's always so rewarding 😋. Happy baking.

[@satsuma0range]

I have some very nice organic rye flour that when I fed it to my starter, it became the incredible hulk, big, big beautiful bubbles... my question is if I have fed my starter with rye, but use all wheat flour for dough making... will it change anything significantly about my expectations for gluten development? will the rye in the starter counteract the gluteny-goodness of the wheat flour?? my starter loves the rye but I love an open crumb... compromise possible...? looking forward to the next in this series 🥰

[@the_bread_code]

Moin Kristie. Excellent question. Yes you are right. Rye will make things stickier. However I got some of my best breads with a rye starter. The one shown at the start of the video for instance. So no worries. Try not to go for more than 20% rye. That's where I've seen things become more difficult to handle. Happy baking.

[@Zzyzx242]

Great info & English!

[@the_bread_code]

Sank you very much 🎉

[@moonbee03]

Ouch! Help! I have been working on my starter and am on day 15... I know it really does not mean much. But... Every time I go for a 1-5-5 ratio it does not double in size, it only grows about 65% and then starts to deflate! So I drop the feeding to a 1-4-4 ratio and that works perfectly and I have to feed it every 12 hrs. What can I do about that? I'd like to have it on a 1-5-5 ratio. I am using 90% bread flour and 10% Dark Rye. Any guidance will be greatly appreciated.

[@kirstenholder7270]

Goeie more!! just finished my exams for the term and now I will bake sourdough bread!!!!! Also I love this recipe

[@the_bread_code]

Moin and Gluten Tag Kirsten Holder, you are most welcome! Feel free to reach out with more questions! Happy baking.

[@frankmelinn]

HI there when you talk about a 5:5:1 ratio for your starter, is it actually the Levain or do you generate a Levain from your 5:5:1 ratio starter, it is not clear in your video thanks

[@tsunami888]

I think he is referring to feeding his starter in a 1:5:5 ratio 5 hours (or so) prior to using it to make his levain.

[@the_bread_code]

Moin Frank. Yep, just like Eric said. After feeding it 1:5:5 it becomes my levain :-)

[@jackiebeidler4592]

What's the basic difference in results when you bench knead versus using a stand mixer with a dough hook? I have been working on my coil folding every hour after initial kneading. But the mixer is so much easier than bench kneading 😆

[@the_bread_code]

Moin Jackie. There is not really a difference in terms of what technique you use. You can definitely use the dough hook as well. I'd recommend to do 3 sets of kneading, 3 minutes each, then 10 minutes of a break between each of them. That should get you the best results!

[@moyrarettig82]

If I understood well, I can autolyse the previous night? What’s the maximum time for autolyse?

[@the_bread_code]

Moin Moyra. Excellent question. Your dough shouldn't be more for 24 hours at room temperature. This includes the actual fermentation. You can definitely autolyse over night without an issue :-).

[@MickyELee]

When you plan not to bake bread tomorrow, what feeding ratio do you use for your starter? I have been using 1:1:1

[@the_bread_code]

Moin Micky. I'd go for way less, 1:20:20 or so. That way you don't accumulate too much starter over time. Plus your starter isn't that sour.

[@r_a_]

Taking 5:02 & 6:01 into consideration. But if we feed it in 1:5:5 ratio then won't the starter quantity become high. Won't the discard quantity be also significant? 1st feeding 10g+50g+50g = 110g. So discard is 100g because during 2nd feeding we have to do : 10g (we take 10g out of the 110g of 1st feeding) +50g+50g = 110g So before baking we will have 110g active ready to use starter & 100g discard.

[@erinc9672]

Hi there - I'm a hobby sourdough baker. I'm generally happy with my sourdough - I get a good rise and oven spring. The one thing I notice, though, is that my holes are very irregular. Throughout the loaf there are large holes (sometimes 2-3 cm) right next to more dense areas. Is this a fault or is it okay? If it matters, I'm using a no-knead / stretch-and-fold recipe, about 70% hydration with a white flour that is about 12% protein. What do you think could be causing this?

[@mywebfoot72]

Hi there. Hobby sourdough maker too. How long are you fermenting? I would check videos on baked, over-fermented loaves and see if mine looks like that. Also, as you stretch and fold, you could try popping any large bubbles that appear. Pinch them gently. Those are caused by trapped air, not necessarily CO2 from the yeasts.

[@erinc9672]

@@mywebfoot72 thanks for the tips! I'm fermenting at room temp for about 3 hours, then in the fridge overnight or up to 24 hours, then pre-shaping then shaping after that, and proofing for about 2.5 (after it's been cold in the fridge for quite some time) before baking. I will look up info on over-fermentation as well as paying attention to degassing....

[@the_bread_code]

Moin Erin. Thanks for the excellent comment! Welcome to the sourdough baking world. @Myweb - thanks for the comment as well, very helpful. Erin - what you are describing sounds a lot like you might not be fermenting long enough. You will have some large pockets of air inside of your bread, almost like if you were making a pita in the oven that pops. Large pockets towards the top of your bread tend be a lack of steam. Hope this makes sense. Happy baking!

[@jackiebeidler4592]

It's funny you say that, some times I want the irregular holes and open crumb! When I knead with a stand mixer I have a tighter gluten structure. Recently I have been trying the coiling method he shows in the videos and I get much larger bubbles. Now I'm battling hydration issues, but I'm sure I'll figure it out soon.

[@erinc9672]

Thanks y'all! I'm going to play around with the fermentation time and pre-popping any bubbles I create during the stretch and fold process. Also, based on internet searches, going to make sure my oven is nice and hot before putting the loaf in. (The recipe even recommends pre-heating the oven for a full hour before putting the bread in, but I feel like I'm wasting electricity, plus heating my kitchen so much in the summer! But I guess it's for a good cause!)

[@chantalcross5737]

Bloomin eck I barely understood any of that. Think I need to watch a few more of you're basic videos!

[@the_bread_code]

Oh noes. I am sorry. I would definitely recommend to have a look at this video which I made recently: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y2fHnYqne9F5idE. It covers the whole process from start to finish. There are also some chapters, so you can skip ahead in case you know something already.

[@superfoodsmoothies]

Thanks for the great tips! When you recommend overnight autolyse, can you also cold proof in the fridge the next night?

[@the_bread_code]

Moin Superfood. Thanks for the excellent comment. Yes, you can. I have noticed the gluten losing some of its properties after around 24 hours at room temperature. That should be a safe thing to do. At lower temperature things are way slower. I just made a fully fridge fermented bread over a week, it turned out very well.

[@superfoodsmoothies]

@@the_bread_code Thanks for your help 🙏

[@nayaleezy]

was there ever a part 2?

[@isabelab6851]

Love this series! New baker...and decided to start with sourdough because I love it so much. I have been using no knead recipes because I find all the steps scary! I have been experimenting with the feeding. 1:1:1 was too acidic. I have now settled on 1:3:3: the last attempt at bread came out nicely. I ma in Florida and my kitchen is usually 76-77F but if I am cooking it is even hotter. Last time I did the bulk fermentation outside and then put in the fridge overnight. Then took it out to finish for about 2 hours and then formed my boule and put in a bowl to rise for another 3 hours. It seems too warm in my kitchen to leave out my starter all the time...maybe if I tried 1:5:5: need to experiment again. Lastly, I need to use bread flour. The all purpose does not seem to have enough protein and cannot find vital gluten. Any suggestions where to get it? US or Germany? Sorry for the ramblings and thank you for great advice and forum

[@txpepper]

Have you checked out King Arthur Bread Flour? That's what I'm using. It's starting to show back up on the shelves with some regularity now here in Texas. My kitchen runs very warm also. Even with the 1:5:5 feeding, I have to feed it around Midnight and then prepare to work with it around 6:00am-ish. But since I'm not an early riser, I do a feeding around 9:00am and start the process clock then. Based on this timing, I'm ready to put the dough in the fridge for overnight by around 9pm and then bake around 10am the following morning. Hope I made sense. 😊

[@esalenchik]

Isabel AB Bob’s Red Mill makes it, and in the US it’s available at supermarkets and online.

[@the_bread_code]

Moin Isabel. Thanks for the excellent comment! And Tx - you rock. Thanks for answering all the questions, you clearly know your stuff haha. Why not try feeding 1:7:7, that way you could eventually start at 9 AM your time. Overnight autolyse at room temperature, should be ready to mix in the morning. @Isabel - I recommend this tutorial I did, showing the whole process: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hH7KnZutpZefhNU. I feel it elaborates a lot. There is also not that much kneading done. Take care!

[@isabelab6851]

The Bread Code thank you! I will have to try that!

[@isabelab6851]

Tx Pepper thank you! I have been having a hard time finding the bread flour in my area, King Arthur’s website does not have it (out is stock). I found some in Walmart.com. I like the way you do the timing...I think I need to start experimenting more.

[@dismith6968]

Hello, I have a real baking challenge for you. I stumbled upon an Ancient Egyptian sourdough bread called "Sun bread". It's been baked the same way in Egypt, using the same method for thousands of years. The bread uses a levain, autolyse, and an Egyptian tangzhong called asseeda. They put it in the sun instead of the fridge. They score it like the pharaohs used to score their bread, and bake it in clay oven. I've tried to make this bread many times without any success. It's difficult to get an English translation as all the YT videos seem to be in Egyptian only. If you manage to bake this bread, I'll put you on a pedestal and declare you the "King of all Breads". Cheers, Diana

[@the_bread_code]

Moin Di Smith. Haha thanks for the challenge. Could you share a good tutorial please where you feel it is the most authentic style bread. Even if it is in Egyptian, that's okay. I will also ask my Egyptian colleague. @Simon - yes, I would only do this with a very ripe sourdough. The acetic and lactic acid will prevent any mold development. But this means, you also won't have that much oven spring in the end.

[@dismith6968]

@@the_bread_code Here is a link in Egyptian: kzbin.info/www/bejne/amSofWqDp6mleLM

[@dismith6968]

@@the_bread_code Here is a link in English :) So, challenge is on xoxo

[@sreihart]

Okay, so I'm new to your channel and I've been baking bread for ages, BUT I never knew the what's and why's and all the reasons behind what I do. I just bake bread. Finding your channel I now see that I've probably been doing everything wrong and I would like to grow as a bread baker and make some really fabulous breads. So to begin with my first question, what is the reason behind the "ear" on the bread?

[@txpepper]

Based on my reading, an "ear" formation is more of an aesthetic thing but it is also a visual indicator that basically everything went right with your loaf of bread. The ear forms as a result of scoring/slashing the dough so the internal steam/gas has a specific direction to vent. The dough flips up as part of the ovenspring action....the ear. If you don't score, then that venting will seek the weak points in the dough which could be out the sides. Again, it's an aesthetic thing, it won't affect the taste of the bread.

[@the_bread_code]

Moin sreihart. You are most welcome and glad I was able to teach you something new. TX Pepper - awesome, I could not have said it better. One thing to add, you only get that ear if you have sufficient dough strength and you inflated your dough to the maximum possible. It's a sign that your technique was on point.

[@jennyeliasson5780]

I put two starters on last thursday but one of them smells like white wine 😬 is it too acid? My wheat sourdough in the fridge has just began to smell like white wine.. please help - What do I do to fix it?😵 the wine-smelling starter I feed according to 1-5-5 now!

[@the_bread_code]

Moin Jenny. No worries, that happens :-). Just keep feeding 1:5:5 - maybe try to reduce the feeding intervals a little bit. That should also help with reducing the smell. It's nothing bad anyways, it will add great flavour to your bread!

[@skylerschulz6610]

Dope hit shirt thanks for the notes

[@the_bread_code]

Moin Skyler Schulz, you are most welcome! Feel free to reach out with more questions at any time. Happy baking and cheers from Hamburg.

[@thomasstudio7130]

Do some taste testing with some random people in the street or the countryside and get them to comment on your advice... I think this would be a good development of your channel. Also break out of the kitchen and do some outdoor baking, on the terrace, in the garden, in the street, up a mountain, by a lake.

[@the_bread_code]

Moin Thomas. Excellent idea. I will be visiting a grain mill soon :-)

[@sheilaalsy]

What does it mean if by the time I score my bread I do not see any bubbles in my dough?

[@the_bread_code]

It could be that you tore your dough while scoring, or you did not ferment long enough.

[@evelynknight5627]

I could use some help on figuring the proper moment when you know that your dough is done doing its bulk ferment. Lately that seems to be an area that I have been struggling the most with. I had to revitalize my starter because it started acting kind of dead, but finally got it back to being able to double within 4 hours kept warm with a heating pad so I assume it's now okay again. Last batch I made my dough was not showing great signs during its bulk. Namely, it did in fact double and show bubbles at the surface, but it still seemed dense. It would not jiggle much at all when I shook the bowl around, and this was after even 8 hours of bulk. The resulting loaf had tunnels for holes mostly focused towards the top, which my understanding indicates underproofing? But after 8 hours?? To be fair, my ambient temperature ranges WILDLY all over the place because this room I'm staying in has poor temperature control... But I guess I can't quite keep up with when it is finished bulking with my wide range of ambient temperatures. Getting a proofing box for more temperature control is at the top of the list of things I want to get for myself once I am not so miserably broke! I could definitely use advice on this topic though!

[@the_bread_code]

Moin Evelyn, thanks for the amazing comment. Yes, this can happen. Temperature is a major factor. Warmer temperature positively triggers the bacterial component of your sourdough starter. Cold temperatures favor the yeast component of your starter. Warmer isn't necessarily better. A warmer environment will tend to produce flat loaves, as you run into overfermentation much faster. But yes, what you stated sounds like not fermenting long enough (in bulk very likely) and then also too little water. Make sure to wait when you bulk ferment until your dough almost doubled in size. Then proceed. Much better than just looking at timings. Happy baking!

[@mfritz2419]

You are a treasure!

[@the_bread_code]

Sanks a lot!

[@mfritz2419]

The Bread Code bitte!

[@Huntersgma]

What if I want a little more sourness in my bread?

[@the_bread_code]

Try using a flour that has more gluten, that way your gluten degrades slower. That should help. Furthermore, you can always use a loaf pan to bake your bread. I love doing that.

[@acebaker3623]

Are you using a rye flour starter? I recommend adding rye instead of whole wheat.

[@allikin75]

Thank you, great video! I don't have a tip, but I'm struggling with fermentation, in the sense that I think I'm under-fermenting most of the time. I use your jar trick, but I still get scared long before the probe has doubled and start the shaping too soon (I think). How do I get more confident that I'm not over-fermenting my dough?

[@the_bread_code]

Moin Allikin, thanks for the excellent comment. No need to be scared. Just have a loaf pan ready. When you overferment, take your dough and place it in your loaf pan. You will have an excellent bread, slightly more sour, but just perfect as a basis for a bruschetta or so. Hitting that sweet spot where you fermented just on time is very satisfying. I find it well worth all the other attempts where I failed haha.

[@allikin75]

@@the_bread_code Great tip, thank you! I guess I don't proof after putting the dough in a pan? Goes straight in the oven?

[@isabelab6851]

The Bread Code i followed this advice and salvaged my overproofed dough. I figured out it is the temperature in my kitchen. Thank you

[@yufers]

4:39 So that's why my dough failed today. I mixed the flour and water up the night before and left it on the counter and added the starter in the morning. I normally mix everything up in the morning and it's fine. Maybe I can use it for pitta bread :/

[@meghnabhatia585]

I wish this video was uploaded a few hours earlier. Just struggled with over hydration 😅🙊

[@the_bread_code]

Moin Meghna, haha sorry. But glad you found the video now. How did you save your bread?

[@meghnabhatia585]

@@the_bread_code by adding some whole whear flour to absorb the extra water during the stretch and folds, which I know isn't the right thing to do as my recipe proportions went for a toss. Just by a stroke of luck the bread turned out to be decent and edible. But there wasn't much oven spring in it.

[@JoseLausuch]

0:22 is this lovely bread in one of your videos? Looks amazing

[@the_bread_code]

Hola Jose. Yep - it was the one I baked in this tutorial: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hH7KnZutpZefhNU. Not that high in hydration, something that can easily be baked every day and is also forgiving. Hope all is good in Spain!

[@JoseLausuch]

@@the_bread_code ok, I'll take a look and might try it out. It looks awesome. Viele Grüße!

[@moyrarettig82]

Its not fear! I’m so jealous.....

[@Harrzack]

Great and very helpful p. But...there is no such thing as “the INTERWEB”! The ‘web’ is a protocol (among many others) used on the Internet. 🤗

[@the_bread_code]

Moin Harrzack. Haha, yeah, it's more a meme kind of thing. The infamous interweeeeeebs haha. Are you also a software engineer? Happy baking.

[@jxw5]

hi - where is part II?

[@the_bread_code]

sorry. I didn't continue here yet. But I have it on my list. The video didn't pick up as I had wished and thus I decided to focus on other videos for now 🚀

[@moyrarettig82]

I love your videos! And your humour 😆

[@the_bread_code]

Haha sanks. Which humour? We Germans have no humour.

[@voidremoved]

It is probably not a good idea to mix flour then? Last time I mixed some rye flour in and then I was like the guy in the video thumbnail covered in goop. I better make loaves with 1 flour at a time, but as soon as I get a nice loaf I get over confident and screw up the next two loaves I try. Then I eat porridge for a week before I try making bread again

[@the_bread_code]

Oh yes. Rye flour is a completely different story. It is way more sticky than wheat. So that happens quite easily. For starting I recommend to stick to one flour first, master that and then move on.

[@alimahdi6379]

GTI, yeah.

[@the_bread_code]

Nice cars :-D, wish I owned a classic. You like them too?

[@alimahdi6379]

@@the_bread_code Absolutely. I love them. I owned two. And had the pleasure of driving an mk1 in France for a while.

[@charliemornin8938]

Your videos are great, but I heavily disagree with trying to avoid a 'too sour taste'... If I didn't want that I wouldn't be baking SOURdough. The tangier the better!

[@the_bread_code]

Moin Charlie. It depends a lot on personal taste I guess. My family prefers a not too sour taste. I personally love a sour taste. I'd say the biggest issue is mostly that the too sour environment has a negative influence on your gluten development, causing you to mostly bake flat breads. You can circumvent that by using a loaf pan.

[@charliemornin8938]

@@the_bread_code fair enough, I haven't had issues with acid affecting gluten development but I tend to do at least 5 folds plus lamination

[@orquideaaral3847]

please with Spanish translation!🤗

[@the_bread_code]

I only know: Cinco cervezas por favor y uno rabo de torro con vino. 🤣🤣🤣

[@orquideaaral3847]

The Bread Code jajajaja very good!!

[@MsZoedog66]

Ohhhh you are my favourite sourdough sex symbol! I was feeling dejected as I just made another failed loaf (Nummer 3, my first 3 were ok maybe I'm trying too hard now??). Then something twigged and I realised the temperature this month is colder by about 10c outside and in my kitchen. I think it has affected the life in my starter - would this be correct?

[@the_bread_code]

Moin Melinda. Thank you I guess haha. Yes, this is correct. A change in temperature will definitely effect the speed of fermentation.

[@Hiker_who_Sews]

I like your videos very much, but I cannot absorb two messages at once. I can understand what you're saying, or I can understand what's written at the bottom of the screen. I can't do both at the same time. My brother is dyslexic. Maybe I am a little bit, too. I'm still going to subscribe, and hope I learn to read faster and better. Thank you. Your instruction and guidance is appreciated.

[@the_bread_code]

Moin Dannie. Excellent point and thanks for the feedback. I typically design my videos in a way that the spoken track contains all the essential information. The notes in the video are just extra information which are good to know but not required. That way I don't make the video longer 😂. It's already too long haha. Hope this makes sense and thanks again for reaching out.

[@Patchworkdaddy007]

Ich frag mich nur warum du nicht so ein Video auch auf deutsch machst....

[@mywebfoot72]

Weil in Deutschland gibts gutem Brot überall?

[@the_bread_code]

Moin Interferenz, gute Frage! Ich möchte ja die Deutsche Kultur allen Leuten auf der Welt zeigen. Ich möchte, dass jeder Zuhause schönes Brot backen kann. Das klappt besser mit Englisch. Aber ich hatte auch schonmal überlegt ein paar Videos auf Deutsch zu machen. Wäre auf jedenfall eine Idee :-).

[@Shyannam]

Crying that helps a lot

[@whuzzzup]

0:25 das macht mich schon ein bisschen geil.

[@the_bread_code]

Danke. Da bist du nicht der einzige haha.