Gluten Development in Sourdough: Why You Stretch and Fold (And What It’s Doing to Your Bread)

Gluten Development in Sourdough: Why You Stretch and Fold (And What It's Doing to Your Bread)

I still cringe when I think about the loaf I proudly slid onto the counter for my in-laws’ first visit. It looked like a deflated football. A sad, pale, gummy deflated football. My mother-in-law, bless her, picked it up, turned it over twice, and said, “Oh, how… rustic.” Reader, it was not rustic. It was … Read more

Cold Proof vs Room Temperature Proof: I Did 12 Side-by-Side Bakes to Find Out Which Is Better

Cold Proof vs Room Temperature Proof: I Did 12 Side-by-Side Bakes to Find Out Which Is Better

It was 6 a.m. on a Tuesday, I had just pulled what I thought was my best loaf ever out of the fridge, and I dropped it on the floor. Flour side down. On the dog’s water bowl. I stood there in my pajamas, staring at a sad, wet, unscored mound of dough slowly absorbing … Read more