Week 2 Course Recap: Making a loaf of artisan bread

Hey Reader,

Thanks so much to everyone who joined the Instagram live yesterday. I hope it was helpful! You can catch the video here if you missed it.

As promised, here’s a quick recap along with the recipe and resources we covered:

➡️ Here's the recipe we used Same Day Sourdough Bread

This is my tried-and-true recipe that I’ve been using for years. It includes both a same-day method and an overnight fridge option so you can choose what works best for your schedule.

Here is what one baker had to say:
“This recipe is phenomenal. I have failed for about a year of making sourdough with other recipes. Mostly I have made dense gummy loaves. I tried this recipe and it’s amazing. It has great flavor and rise. I finally got it! Thank you.” – Kari

Top 3 reasons your sourdough isn't turning out

1. Weak starter

Your bread is only as strong as your starter. If it is not consistently doubling with each feeding, it will not have enough strength to make a good loaf.

2. Overproofing

This means your dough needed a shorter rise. Signs include sticky, fragile dough that deflates easily and doesn't hold shape, flat loaves, scores that spread instead of opening, and/or a dull or pale crust.

3. Underproofing

This means your dough needed a longer rise. Signs include a crust that never browns, a gummy middle, tight and dense texture, and/or big tunnel holes inside the loaf.

Frequently Asked Questions (from the live & survey)

Why is my dough so sticky?

Sourdough is naturally a higher hydration dough, so some stickiness is normal. After stretch and folds it should feel more manageable.

Pro tip: use damp hands when working with the dough

If your dough is unmanageably sticky it could be one of these issues:

Acidic or past peak starter – Try to catch your starter closer to peak when it has doubled or more in size and the top is starting to flatten out.
Low-protein flour – Use a high-protein bread flour, I like King Arthur, as it will absorb the water better.
Overproofing – If the dough becomes stickier towards the end of bulk fermentation that is a sign the dough sat for too long.

How do I know bulk fermentation is complete?

Use a straight-sided container to track the rise. For my recipe, look for about a 50% increase when the dough is kept near 75°F. Other signs: the dough should be jiggly, have bubbles along the sides, and the surface should be domed.

How many stretch & folds should I do?

I recommend doing 3 sets of stretch and folds, spaced about 30 minutes apart. I’ve tested this by comparing just 1 set versus 3 sets, and the difference was clear, the loaf with 3 sets had much better structure and rose taller, while the one with only 1 set spread out and baked up flatter.

Quick Links

🛒 Products from the Live

2 quart container
My bread oven
Favorite bread lames – I love both of these because they are magnetic. Plastic option and wooden option (goose lame).
Dough whisk
Oven mits – These are the only mits I've found that don't get hot when you are holding dutch ovens
Wild Clementine Co covers – Love these for covering my dough. So many cute prints too.
Dough mat – (use code country10 for 10% off) keeps starter and dough warm
Proofing box – more of an investment, but I use mine daily for consistent results and temperatures
Kitchen scale – highly recommend having a scale if you don't have one