Started making sourdough about 6 months ago. Scaled up my operations and started making 6 at a time. Here’s what I made recently, jalepeno cheddar.
lol from zero to 6 in 6 months is amazing! these look great and im sure you’re learning a ton. don’t burn out!
Thanks. :) They didn’t look good at first. Lots of flat crappy loafs for months. All edible, but ya, failures. I’ve only recently started making loaves that look and taste good.
What did you change to improve them?
I made my starter from scratch. People act like you can do that in a week. In my case it took months before it was strong. I also learned the mix of flour and water that worked for me. Just a small change leads to a very different dough. It just took time and trial and effort to dial that in. Lastly, I stopped trying to proof on the counter and baking the same day. I don’t understand what I’m doing wrong, over or under proofing, but the dough is always loose and flat and deflates. If I bulk ferment, shape, and then toss it in the fridge - it seems I can do no wrong. I can let it proof overnight, 24hrs, even two days - and it still bakes with good spring and better flavor. So ya, now I just leave it in the fridge, pull it out at the last minute and bake it cold (I don’t even let it warm up to room temp - I just add to my cooking time and use a thermometer to pull the loaves at 205F)
What’s your oven setup like? I can fit two Dutch ovens and two Pullman pans for four loaves per bake. Six would be fantastic.
I should clarify. I mix 6 in a giant pot at once. I proof and fit all 6 at once in my fridge. I cook 3 at a time in my regular oven. Two Dutch ovens and one smaller loaf bread oven.
It would be awesome if I had 6 loaf style bread ovens-if they were like the one I have - I could probably get all 6 loaves in the oven at once. But that would be expensive and just silly to shave 45 minutes of cooking time.
Ah, I see. Not too far removed from what I do then. Thanks for the reply!
Holy! Are you mormon or just running a bakery? They all look pretty damn good. I am envious.
lol no bakery, not Mormon. Just a regular guy, but one with a family. My kids have hollow legs. My starter lives in the fridge and it lasts about three weeks before it starts starving. So I just bake in bulk and freeze the bread. It started as a time thing, but for whatever reasons that I don’t understand-the bread also comes out better when I do it in bulk. So ya, I do 6 at a time. I don’t have the room or stuff to do more than that at once ;)
