Read a thing about how many people mess up their first loaf of sourdough

I was looking at a baking blog from a flour company, King Arthur I think. They did a survey and found over 60% of people who try sourdough from scratch have a total fail on their first try. That's a huge number. It made me feel better about my own brick-like first attempt last year. The blog said the most common issue is not getting the starter strong enough before you bake. Has anyone here actually nailed a sourdough loaf on the very first go?

3 comments

3 Comments

sethk5025d ago

Oh man, that stat is so real. My first try was a complete disaster, a dense little hockey puck. I was so sure my starter was ready after like four days, it bubbled a little so I went for it. The blog is right, that's the trap. I didn't realize it needed to reliably double in size after feeding, mine was just fizzing. The loaf barely rose at all, just sat there in the dutch oven. Tasted like sour flour paste.

murphy.taylor25d ago

Totally feel that. My first loaf could've doubled as a doorstop, no joke. Got impatient with the starter too, it's such a common trap.

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maxburns21d ago

Actually a dense loaf can be pretty useful. Makes a decent paperweight or a step stool for a small dog.