My First Loaf: Challenges & Successes
After baking my first loaf of sourdough bread, I feel pleased and relieved that it was a success! I strongly underestimated how difficult it would be to make the sourdough starter, but I found the actual baking process less challenging than I originally anticipated. I also did not realize how many specific supplies were needed to bake sourdough bread, as a Dutch oven and kitchen scale are essential to the process. Luckily, I was able to borrow these from my friends, but without them, I would not have been able to bake my loaf. This made me realize that taking on this inquiry is not as accessible or cost-effective as I initially thought. It certainly requires a significant time commitment, and the baking process can be restrictive because there are several stages where you need to check on the dough, and you don’t know when it will be ready. Personally, I struggled to find time where I was free as the entire process takes multiple days to complete. The stretch and fold process alone takes over 2 hours, where you need to complete 4 sets 30 minutes apart. Afterwards, you need to observe whether the dough has properly fermented, and the amount of time is dependent on several factors. This meant that I had to find a day when I could stay home and didn’t have any other commitments during that time, which was tricky with my busy school and work schedule.
The next time I bake a sourdough loaf, my goal is to be more particular when I am scoring the dough to try to make a more accurate design. By that point in the process, I was eager to get the bread into the oven, so I rushed through this step. I believe I will enjoy the process more the second time around because I know what to expect and feel more confident in my ability to bake a successful loaf. My plan is to bake at least once more and potentially experiment with other recipes, such as different flavoured breads, pizza dough, or cinnamon rolls, to explore the different ways I can use my sourdough starter.
I am curious to research what other recipes I can make using my active sourdough starter!
As such, I believe that my first sourdough loaf came out a little “gummier” than I would like, therefore, I want to refine my baking techniques and improve the texture next time. Nonetheless, my family has been enjoying eating my loaf, and I have received positive feedback from them. To be honest, I don’t even really love the taste of sourdough, but the piece that I tried was pretty good:) I am looking forward to baking another loaf and comparing the results to see what I can improve and what I have learned from my first experience.
Follow along to see my journey continue!