My sourdough loaves were always dense until I watched a baker in Seattle

For years, my sourdough had a tight, gummy crumb no matter what I tried. I was in Seattle last fall and stopped by a small bakery, just watching them shape loaves through the window. Their hands moved so fast and light, barely touching the dough. I realized I was over-handling mine during the final fold, squeezing out all the air. I went home and tried a gentler touch, just folding it over itself once. The next loaf sprang up in the oven and had those big, open holes I wanted. Has anyone else found that a small change in handling made a huge difference?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_hannah29d ago

My first loaves were basically doorstops (before I learned to stop manhandling the dough).

ivanc4529d ago

Watching people who know what they're doing is always a game changer.

lee92819d ago

Totally. I remember trying to fix my sink after watching one video and just making it worse. Sometimes you really do need to see it done right.