I’ll never forget the first time I tried to fold a handful of everything bagel seasoning into my sourdough dough during bulk fermentation. I was so excited about the idea — and so completely unprepared for the chaos that followed. Seeds everywhere, dough tearing, and a loaf that came out looking like it had survived … Read more
I still remember the afternoon I pulled what I thought would be my best loaf ever out of the oven — only to find a dense, gummy crumb that stuck to the knife like wet clay. I had followed the recipe perfectly, or so I thought. Turns out, I had bumped up the water without … Read more
I still remember the loaf that finally made me understand the salt in sourdough bread importance in a way no recipe ever spelled out for me. I was rushing through a bake, distracted by a podcast, and I simply forgot to add the salt. The dough felt fine during bulk fermentation — maybe even a … Read more
I still remember the afternoon I accidentally grabbed the wrong bag of flour. I’d meant to scoop from my all-purpose container, but instead I dumped a hefty portion of rye into my starter feeding. Within hours, that jar was alive in a way I’d never seen before — bubbling furiously, nearly crawling out from under … Read more
I still remember the loaf that made me obsessed with flour. It was a Tuesday evening, I had my starter bubbling beautifully on the counter, and I grabbed whatever flour was closest in the pantry — a half-empty bag of all-purpose I usually reserved for pancakes. The dough felt slack and strange. The final loaf … Read more
I still remember the evening I tried to transfer my first properly fermented sourdough loaf from the counter to my Dutch oven using nothing but my bare hands and sheer optimism. The dough stuck, deflated, and landed in the pot looking less like an artisan loaf and more like a sad pancake. That was the … Read more
I still remember the afternoon I ruined what should have been a beautiful sourdough loaf — all because of a cup of flour. I’d packed it too tightly, the way you do when you’re in a hurry and not really thinking. The dough came out stiff and dense, like a brick wrapped in a crust. … Read more
I still remember the first time I pulled a sourdough loaf out of the Dutch oven and felt my heart sink. The crust had burst open on the side — a wild, ugly tear that had nothing to do with my scoring and everything to do with the fact that I’d been “scoring” with a … Read more
I still remember the first time I tried to proof a sourdough loaf without a banneton. I had shaped my dough, set it on a floured kitchen towel in a bowl, and went to bed feeling pretty proud of myself. By morning, it had spread out into a sad, flat disc — more frisbee than … Read more
I still remember the first loaf I pulled from my oven that made me want to cry — and not in a good way. The crust was pale, the crumb was dense, and the whole thing looked more like a frisbee than an artisan boule. I had done everything right: fed my starter, shaped carefully, … Read more
