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
