The Sourdough Series: The First Loaf

Next topic up on The Sourdough Series: the first loaves.

Now this is where we get to the exciting part. The moment that I was so excited to create the most gorgeous, fresh bread loaves I could only buy from a bakery. I did research on research, pinned A LOT of loaf inspiration, and had the giddiness of Christmas morning on the day I started my first loaf. And I will be the first to tell you…it did NOT go well. I wouldn’t go to the extent of calling it a complete disaster since it was still “edible”, but it definitely wasn’t anywhere near the fluffy, crispy crust loaf I was imagining. But to tell you the truth, I wasn’t at all disappointed. Bread baking is a beautiful combination between science and art that takes a lot of practice and some serious talent, and I am a complete newbie. I definitely was not expecting to bake a perfect loaf my first time around, especially since I am still learning the ropes on maintaining Richard (my sourdough starter if you’re new here). And I am here to tell you if you are starting a sourdough journey with me, you shouldn’t be expecting it either. The beauty of starting something new and unknown is that you get to learn again. Take this learning process as a blessing and use it as your motivation to get better. Nothing good comes easy, so don’t give up if you’re just starting out with something and don’t see the immediate results you’re looking for. And this is exactly the perspective I am taking with sourdough. Now before I get into the methods I used for my first loaf and what went wrong (and right because I don’t want to completely discredit myself), I want to back track a little bit here.

When it comes to sourdough, once you get a nice active, healthy starter, usually the first step is to bake a traditional artisan style loaf. This is a very popular sourdough loaf with a crispy exterior and a fluffy, airy interior and I highly recommend starting out here. Starting with a basic loaf has not only taught me a lot about the science behind bread baking, but it has also allowed me to get familiar with my starter, the fermentation process, and the overall bread baking methods. I actually only baked loaves for the first four weeks of having my starter until I nearly perfected it and felt comfortable with how to feed Richard, which flour to use, the time it takes for the dough to ferment and rise, the right temperature to ferment at, and how long to bake in my particular oven. This process will look different for everyone and I actually tried a few different recipes until I found one that gave me the results I was looking for. Just because one baker’s sourdough loaf recipe works for them, their starter, and their environment doesn’t mean it’ll work for you. Experiment and do lots of trials and errors until you get the hang of it.

First, onto some nutrition talk. You didn’t think you could come to a Nourished Lens blog post and not get some nutrition facts, did you? I know I briefly discussed the nutritional benefits of sourdough in my last post on The Starter, but I want to particularly discuss bread here. In modern day society, bread (and carbs in general) have been harshly demonized due to a theory that carbohydrates cause weight gain. Now I don’t want to get into the nitty gritty here so I’ll try to keep it surface level, but I do think it’s an important topic to discuss. Carbohydrates are a key macronutrient, which are nutrients that our bodies need in large quantities for bodily functions (the others are protein and fat). Carbs are made up carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen and can range anywhere from a simple carbohydrate or a complex carbohydrate. The scientific names for the types of carbs are monosaccharide (the simplest form and the building block for complex carbs), disaccharide (two monosaccharides combined), or polysaccharide (more than 2 monosaccharides combined). Glucose (also known as simple sugar) is the most common monosaccharide and is the building block for many complex carbs, but other monosaccharides are fructose which is the carb found in fruit and galactose which is the carb found in milk. These monosaccharides can be bonded together to create more complex carbs such as starches, lactose in dairy products, and many others that I won’t get into. Simple carbs are more easily digested since our body doesn’t need to do much to break them down which then in turn “spikes” our blood glucose levels. More complex carbs take longer for our bodies to breakdown and digest which allows the carb to slowly release glucose overtime. Our bodies break down carbs into glucose which is the main energy source for pretty much all bodily functions. This energy is used for anything from simple cellular activities to keep our body functioning, to supplying our muscles for intense exercise. Carbs are the most efficient way for our bodies to get glucose to create energy, but it can also use fats and proteins if carb stores are depleted. Therefore making carbs a very important nutrient for our bodies.

Something important to think about when it comes to carbs is the type of carb. As I mentioned, complex carbs take longer to digest and breakdown, causing a more steady release of glucose for our body to use rather than a blood sugar spike seen when simple carbs are eaten. Complex carbs include whole grains, starchy vegetables, fruits, and legumes. Not only do these types of carbs provide the benefit of a slow release of glucose, they also are more satiating because they take longer to digest and they contain more micronutrients (aka vitamins and minerals). Simple carbs tend to not have any other added nutritional value and are broken down and digested very quickly. These types of carbs are table sugar, candy, soda, etc. So, the nutritional value of our carbs should be considered a bit more to help provide our body with the nutrients it needs to thrive.

Sourdough bread in particular has many nutritional benefits when compared to a regular white bread because of the fermentation process. I mentioned these benefits in my last post, but will quickly run through them here too. The fermentation process that happens in sourdough products produces gut healthy probiotics and prebiotics, it lowers the glycemic index of traditional white bread which causes your body to absorb the carbs more slowly overtime, it increases antioxidants, and makes minerals found in flour more available. So when compared to white bread that doesn’t have much nutritional value to it because the fiber from the wheat is stripped away during processing, the fermentation from sourdough bread makes up for this lack and has a multitude of nutritional benefits making it a great carbohydrate to add in. Alright I am done ranting at you I promise, but this stuff is important! Onto the first loaf:

There are a few steps during the sourdough making process and each one of them is VERY important. The process takes a lot of time and love, but honestly doesn’t take much effort once you get the hang of it. I first want to share the essential steps of baking a loaf and then I will get into my first loaf:

1. Step one is to feed your starter. Your starter should be nice and active right when you want to mix your bread dough. “Active” means it’s doubled in size, has lots of bubbles, and is the consistency of a thick pancake batter. A starter does have a “peak” active point, which is when it’s the most risen and then most bubbly right before it will start to settle again, becoming less active. The more you work with your starter, the more you’ll start to learn how long it takes for it to reach close to peak activation (this can also drastically change depending on the temperature of your home). For Richard, he can take anywhere from 4-6 hours right now during the cold winter months to become active. This will most likely change once we get into the warmer months, but for right now I feed him anywhere between 4-6 hours before I want to start my bread. I will use the ratio of discarding 100 grams, then feeding with 100 grams of flour (I alternate between all-purpose and whole wheat every other feed), and 100 grams of water that is between 70-75 degrees F.
2. Step two is to make the dough. I am still learning and using someone else’s recipe, but I eventually want to learn more about the type of flour, the hydration level, the ratio of sourdough, etc., but I’ll get there. Dough is simply just flour, water, sourdough starter, and salt. I recommend finding a recipe first then experiment from there once you get comfortable (I’m not even there yet FYI). I personally use a bread whisk to combine my dough because it works like a dream, but I have also seen people use a wooden spoon or just their hands.
3. Stretch and folds (you will come to love these I promise). Depending on the recipe you use, you will do a version of a stretch and fold. With a sourdough loaf, you don’t usually knead the dough because this can affect the gluten breakdown, the fermentation, and the rise of your dough because it will become overworked. A stretch and fold is really just stretching the dough right in the bowl you mixed it in, then folding it onto itself. This process helps activate the gluten in the dough without risk of overworking. Each recipe will be different, but you will perform a series of stretch and folds with a certain amount of time between each set.
4. Bulk fermentation is a very important step in the bread making process. This is essentially just a long period of time to let your dough rest at room temperature and let your sourdough do its work. This is where the fermentation process happens, causing the dough to rise and gives it that beautiful fluffy, airy texture. Depending on the recipe (plus the conditions of your home and the strength of your starter), it can range anywhere from 6-12 hours. This is the part I struggled with at first, but I learned about the peak activation of my starter, how the temperature of my home affects the rise time, and the perfect time that my loaf needed. There is both under-fermenting (which is what I did on my first loaf) and over-fermenting. I suggest looking up some photos on how both look so you can understand what went wrong if you’re having issues with your bread.
5. Shaping the dough is next. Again, this will depend on the recipe you use but it typically entails folding your dough ends into the middle then pinching the seams together. This creates tension onto the crust of your dough which allows for a sturdy, crunchy crust. It will also determine the shape your dough will be. For an artisan loaf, this is typically rounded. After shaping, you will be doing another fermentation process and for this I highly recommend getting a bread banneton (a special bread basket typically lined with a linen cloth). This will help avoid any sticking of your dough and helps with circulation.
6. Second fermentation (also known as proofing) is another period of rest for your dough that usually happens overnight in the fridge. This is really for furthering the fermentation of your dough and you don’t usually see a ton of rise from your bread at this point. It helps with the flavor, the internal and external textures, and the bake.
7. Bake time! Now you bake. Like with all these steps, the method will depend on the recipe you use. I highly recommend investing in a dutch oven (make sure it is oven safe at temperatures 500 degrees or above) for your sourdough loaves. Having the lid creates the perfect amount of steam for the first portion of the bake and also helps with the shape of your loaf. Most recipes will have you preheat your dutch oven (leaving it in the oven while it preheats and then leaving it to heat in there for about 30 minutes to an hour) before you bake your loaf. Usually the temperature is about 475-500 degrees for baking and total time is about 35-40 minutes.
8. Enjoy your delicious bread! My favorite is honestly just spreading some organic butter on top but the options are endless, go wild.

Even though my first loaf didn’t come out how I was hoping, I am still very proud of it. It was the kickstart to my sourdough baking journey, and it helped me learn a lot. And I mean it was still great tasting bread don’t get me wrong, but it definitely needed some work. As you can see in the pictures, the loaf was very flat, didn’t rise a lot during fermentation or baking, had huge air pockets towards the top (a sign of under fermenting), was super dense and doughy…there were a lot of issues going on. And it was both because I wasn’t experienced and the first recipe I used didn’t work for me, which is totally fine! I don’t want to link the recipe because there is nothing wrong with it, it just didn’t work for me, my starter, or my home environment. As an overview, here is what I did for my first loaf:

1. I fed Richard about 2 hours before baking. This is a point I didn’t know about the peak activation and what my starter should look or feel like for a bake. He had risen, but he could’ve used more time to rise and get bubbly.
2. I made my dough using all-purpose flour, water that was 75 degrees F., sourdough starter, and salt.
3. The recipe I was using called for a stretch and fold method known as coil and fold. This is when you lift your dough from the middle, then fold it onto the sides you lifted up. A set was 2 folds, and I did this 3 times with 30 minutes between each series. The dough did come together nicely and was smooth by the end of the sets.
4. The bulk fermentation of the recipe called for 4 hours, so I covered my dough with plastic wrap and bulk fermented for 4 hours at room temperature. My dough didn’t rise much and felt really dense, but I didn’t known any better so I moved onto shaping.
5. The shaping method in the recipe was to only fold in two sides and pinch down the middle to create a seam. I read that the bread banneton should be floured after the fact, so I didn’t flour my basket. I wrapped the banneton in plastic wrap then did the proofing in the fridge overnight for 12 hours.
6. The day of my bake, I preheated the dutch oven for 30 minutes at 500 degrees. I baked the loaf for 20 minutes with the lid on, then 10 minutes with the lid off at 500 degrees.

Here’s what went wrong:

• The bread was very flat and didn’t have any rise.
• It was very dense when I lifted it up and didn’t sound hollow when I tapped the bottom (something I learned from my bread baking class to check your loaf’s doneness)
• It seemed a bit overcooked with the crust, it was extremely tough and almost too crunchy
• There were huge air pockets only towards the top of the dough (I looked up that this is a sign of under fermenting, so my bulk fermentation time needed to change)
• The inside of the loaf was really doughy and dense (another sign of under fermentation)

And you know what happened? We still enjoyed the bread! I dissected it like a scientist and picked out everything that didn’t seem right about it. I wrote out the methods I used in my notes app on my phone, reported what seemed wrong, and worked out what I wanted to change for my next loaf. It’s okay to make mistakes! Take the mistakes as a learning lesson, enjoy the process, and move on. And let me tell you, the persistence (and fun I have had while doing it) was SO worth it. Ready to read how my loaf improved next week?