After Beginner’s Luck Came Beginner’s Reality

Hi all,

After last week’s successful first bake, I thought I was getting the hang of this sourdough thing.

Then I met "Henry’s Foolproof Whole Wheat Seeded Sourdough" recipe and successfully proved that someone can, in fact, beat the foolproof.

The result was a dense brick. The dough became such a soupy mess that I had to bake it in a loaf pan because it had absolutely no interest in holding its own shape. Miraculously, it rose from the grave just enough in the oven to gift me a rip ear— a Van Gogh ear, if you will.

My initial diagnosis is that I overproofed it during the overnight fermentolyse. I didn’t measure the temperature, but it was probably around 73°F for about 12 hours. By morning, the dough may have risen 75%; it was fluffy and airy, but being inexperienced, I assumed that was just what high-hydration dough looked like.

It’s also possible that I handled it too much while incorporating the seeds. I was careful, but perhaps not careful enough.

At the end of the day, I’m still happy. Last week I baked bread; this week I baked a doorstop. That’s still progress, and from here it can only improve.

Thanks for any insights—and feel free to diagnose the patient. The autopsy is complete.

For those with more experience:

Does overproofing during the fermentolyse sound like the most likely culprit?
If you had seen the dough at that stage—already quite risen and looking much better than it did later—would you have changed the plan?
Should I have given it a fold or two, shaped it, and baked it much sooner?

Thanks!

12 comments

After Beginner’s Luck Came Beginner’s Reality