12 Tips for baking sourdough bread

It doesn’t matter what you are up to in life. It’s almost always a good idea to be prepared and having some knowledge about what you are planning to do. Baking sourdough bread is no exception.
Here’s a list of some of my favorite tips.

MAKE SURE YOUR STARTER IS STRONG ENOUGH FOR BAKING.

It’s pretty obvious, isn’t it? Still, many beginners fail because they try to bake with a starter that is not mature. A few bubbles on the surface are not enough. It should have risen, trying to escape the container you are keeping it in at least once in its lifetime before it’s ready.

BE FLEXIBLE

Always be prepared to make adjustments when using other bakers’ recipes. Yes, that goes for my recipes as well. My flour can be stronger or weaker than yours, and the ambient temperature can differ as well. And then we have the starter. Is your starter stronger than mine?

DON’T LOOK AT THE CLOCK

If the recipe calls for a specific fermentation time, ignore it. Don’t look at the clock. You may use it as guidance, but never let the clock determine if the fermentation is ready or not. Observe and touch the dough instead.
Keep reading, and you will understand what I mean.

DO YOUR HOMEWORK ABOUT THE FLOUR

Whole grain and rye flour absorb more water than ordinary wheat flour. Bread flour absorbs more water than all-purpose flour. You have to be aware of that when reading recipes. Perhaps you can’t find a flour with the same strength where you live as the one Chad Robertson is using in his recipes.
Rye flour should not be kneaded as much as wheat flour, and Durum and Spelt have not as good baking qualities as bread flour. These are just a few things you will learn if you do some research before you start baking.

USE A SCALE

There is no good reason why you shouldn’t buy a kitchen scale if you haven’t done that already. They don’t cost much. The cheapest one on Amazon only costs $5,37 + a $1.99 shipping fee.
I wouldn’t choose that one myself, but I’m sure it works better than cups and spoons that are far too inaccurate.
Besides, if you’re trying to read recipes, you will find out that most of them indicate the amounts in weight units such as grams.
There are a lot of more or less useless kitchen appliances in most kitchens, but the scale is NOT one of them.

KEEP AN EYE ON THE TEMPERATURES

Temperature is probably the most important thing you have to deal with when it comes to baking.
Your starter, the bulk fermentation, and the final rise are all sensitive to temperature.
A few degrees will have a major impact on fermentation.
78ºF/25ºC is my preferred proofing temperature. However, it’s not always easy to reach that temperature in a kitchen, especially in the winter.
My favorite trick is to place the dough in the oven with the lamp lit only.
It works, but I still have to keep an eye on the temperature. It can become too hot in the oven. Therefore, I always measure the dough temperature with a digital thermometer.
A thermometer is the second thing you should consider buying if you don’t have one already. But just like the scale, they are also quite inexpensive.

WHEN HAS THE DOUGH DOUBLED IN SIZE?

That’s very hard to decide if you’re just eyeballing the loaf of dough in a bowl.
But there is a precise way.
Place a small piece of the dough in a high straight glass. Mark the starting level with a rubber band and place it covered close to the main dough.
Now you just have to check the dough in the glass. It’s easy to see when it has doubled in volume.

BUT IS THE LOAF READY FOR BAKING WHEN DOUBLED IN SIZE?

No, not necessarily. Therefore I think it’s a good idea to do the finger poke test.
You make a little imprint on the top of the loaf by pressing your finger on it.

If the imprint springs back and fills up quickly, the loaf is probably under-proofed.
If the imprint springs back partly, the loaf is ready to be baked.
But If the imprint doesn’t recover at all, you probably have an over-proofed loaf.

FORMING IS CRUCIAL

There are many ways to form a loaf. They all have one thing in common though, and that is to build up tension on the surface. Find the way that works best for you. The important thing is that you do it properly.

ALWAYS SCORE THE LOAF.

If your bread has been fermented properly, then it will expand. Hopefully a lot, and preferably upwards.
If you don’t score it, you don’t know in which direction it will go. You may end up with bread that looks like something made by a glassblower with hiccup.

USE STEAM

If you don’t use steam, your bread may end up with a dull, boring greyish color. Not the golden-brown crust you wanted.
But the steam will also prevent the surface of the loaf to dry out too quickly, which will help your bread to rise properly.
The only problem is that quite a lot of steam is needed.
If you have a dutch oven, use it.
You can also place an extra oven sheet in the oven that you can pour water on.
Preheat the sheet together with the oven and don’t skimp with water. Adding one or two ice cubes, as some recipes suggest, will not do much good.

DON’T GET DISCOURAGED

Even if your loaf turns out not exactly as you wanted it, you still had a great experience. Besides, you didn’t fail. You just learned some valuable lessons for your next baking session.