Sam Whitaker · July 27, 2026
A loaf that rises beautifully at sea level can turn into a collapsed puddle at 6,000 feet with the exact same recipe. Altitude changes fermentation in ways that catch a lot of transplanted bakers off guard. Understanding Why High Altitude Affects Sourdough Lower atmospheric pressure at elevation means gas bubbles in your dough expand faster … Read more
Sam Whitaker · July 15, 2026
Freezer-burned sourdough with a crust like cardboard is almost always a wrapping problem, not a freezing problem. Fix the wrapping and the bread comes back nearly as good as day one. When to Freeze for Best Results Freeze bread the same day you bake it, once it’s fully cooled — at least 2 hours after … Read more
Sam Whitaker · February 23, 2026
Nearly every home baker assumes that if the crust shatters correctly and the crumb opens up nice and lacy, the taste will simply take care of itself — that a loaf which looks incredible must also taste incredible. I believed exactly that, right up until one Sunday afternoon when I sliced into a round I … Read more
Sam Whitaker · February 22, 2026
My oven is a secondhand Wolf range with a cast-iron combo cooker I’ve used for years, and there’s one particular spot on my counter — right under the window, just past the coffee maker — where I always land a loaf fresh out of the pot. One Sunday afternoon, I pulled a boule out of … Read more
Sam Whitaker · February 21, 2026
Warning: that gorgeous crackly crust might be hiding a disaster underneath. I lifted my Dutch oven’s lid, expecting the usual golden reveal, and instead found a loaf with a top so pale it looked underdone and a bottom scorched black enough to set off a smoke detector. This wasn’t a fluke — it was the … Read more
Sam Whitaker · February 19, 2026
Pull up the photo on my phone right now and you’ll see the evidence yourself: a smooth, rounded dome split down one side, like the dough simply gave up instead of opening. Zero ear. Not even a whisper of one. That single picture is proof of what happens when scoring and steam both go wrong … Read more
Sam Whitaker · February 18, 2026
“Wait — is the middle supposed to look like that?” My mother-in-law asked it right at her own birthday table, fork hovering over the slice I’d just set in front of her, and that single sentence told me everything I needed to know before I even looked down myself. The crust had cracked open with … Read more
Sam Whitaker · February 17, 2026
My bench scraper is wedged under the edge of the dough, trying to coax it off the baking sheet, and instead of lifting a domed loaf, I’m peeling up something that looks more like a sourdough tortilla. Twenty-four hours of feeding, folding, and waiting, and this is what greeted me — a wide, flat disc … Read more
Sam Whitaker · February 15, 2026
Here’s a claim that ruffles feathers in every sourdough forum I’ve ever lurked in: a thick crust is almost never a “too hot oven” problem, and a thin, floppy crust is almost never a “not enough steam” problem. Most of the time it’s the opposite of whatever everyone assumes. I learned this the hard way … Read more
Sam Whitaker · January 11, 2026
My bench knife is already dragging across the top of the dough, laying down that one confident slash, and steam is still curling off the crust as I ease the loaf out of the Dutch oven — ears standing up proud, crackle audible under my fingers. This was bake number three that particular Tuesday, and … Read more
