Comments on: Beginner’s Sourdough Bread

By: Romena

Romena — Sun, 17 Mar 2024 15:55:21 +0000

Hi Maurizio,
Thank you for your wonderful website and step by step guides. I tried making this bread on the weekend and unlike yours it did no rise and not sure what I did wrong. In the middle of baking (as I was referring to your youtube video as well since the explanations were clearer and I needed more visual) I noticed the recipes are not alike and slight difference between this recipe and the youtube one. My starter was rip but I did not see much activity in the levain, so trying to figure out why the inside was so dense and not airy. The bread did not rise 🙁 I hope I will have better luck next time. But I would appreciate your take on it. Thanks.

By: Suzanne

Suzanne — Sat, 16 Mar 2024 22:11:42 +0000

Can I simply cut the recipe in half to only make / bake one loaf?

By: Suzanne

Suzanne — Tue, 12 Mar 2024 17:02:38 +0000

Is it possible to cut this recipe in half (rather than making two loaves)?

By: Janet

Janet — Wed, 06 Mar 2024 08:08:18 +0000

I baked sourdough bread during the pandemic, but then stopped due to work and family. I started again a few months ago using the King Arthur Flour website and merchandise, which I ordered directly from them because I love that they are employee owned and I can trust their percentages. I made a batch of Martin Philip’s High Hydration Wheat Flour Bread recipe after getting my starter mature. It was the most incredible bread I had ever made. I made up songs and sung to my starter, wrote poems to my levain, put my heart and soul into the stretch and folds, loving the feel of the dough in the bowl fold, the coil fold, the lamination fold. It was an absolute joy from start to finish. I then started looking for books on bread and found yours, Mr. Leo. I loved your approach (still do) and have almost joined your community several times. But something has happened. In reading the book, I’m so afraid that I will mess things up if I don’t have the exact jars you use, the exact flours, and all the other tools, that I will fail. You are so exacting and detailed! I’m writing this because you also say the community is very friendly and wonderful. So, dear community (that I’m hoping to feel at least adequate enough to join), could I ask for some reassurance? Are any of you sourdough starter singers, dancers, poets? Levain lovers, who might cradle the baby in your arms and coo sweet nothings to, who might even feel that the tactile sense, while folding and stretching, of the aliveness in the dough is an ecstatic spiritual experience? I would love to hear your thoughts!

By: Oliver

Oliver — Thu, 29 Feb 2024 20:41:26 +0000

Hi Maurizio, bought your book a month ago and love it! I’ve baked the beginner recipe in there five times with mixed visual, but always delicious, results. I see this recipe differs just slightly from the book. Wondering if, in the interest of saving some time during the week, I could simply use ripe starter in lieu of making the levain? If so, would I use 38g of starter (as is the original input for the levain), or get closer to using 190g that the levain represents in the recipe? Thanks

By: Arliss Adou Veldhuizen

Arliss Adou Veldhuizen — Fri, 23 Feb 2024 00:04:57 +0000

Hi Maurizio!

So my levain rose faster than I thought it would — our house is about 68 F! I was hoping to leave it for 12 hours and do auotlyse early in the morning and then get going with the dough. No way it stays peaked till morning! Could I just pop it in the fridge to slow it down and use it in the morning?

By: Anon

Anon — Mon, 19 Feb 2024 20:23:19 +0000

I can’t follow a guy whose wife said it was only ok. lol

By: Sarah B

Sarah B — Mon, 19 Feb 2024 19:45:45 +0000

My loaves keep turning out flat! My levain is active and rises as expected. I followed all the directions to a T. Help!

By: Lily Briggs

Lily Briggs — Sat, 17 Feb 2024 14:52:51 +0000

I’m new to the sourdough world and have a question…. for the no-knead bread I thought I would be able to bake the bread the same day? It says after I shape the dough I have to proof from 2pm -9am the next day what happens if I were to proof less amount of time
just curious

By: Katie

Katie — Fri, 26 Jan 2024 10:19:38 +0000

In reply to Andrea Pandzic. I am wondering the same thing. I have followed the recipe exactly and my starter and levain performed as expected but my loaf won’t rise :(