My Sourdough Success & Failures

Yes! I'm fully dedicating myself to bake sourdough this year. I'm met with many failures over the months. It has been 5 months since I taught myself to bake. If you want to be a baker like me, we have to learn from the mistake and move forward. I'm giving myself a year to practice the recipe, practice the method, practice the timings. 

How did I end up baking sourdough?

It was since the pandemic Covid 19 started around the globe in last quarter of 2019. The trend in Instagram for people who was locked-down at home was to bake Sourdough. I saw Hollywood celebrities baking them. So it got me interested to bake it. 

Then what was my action plan?

I invested in a Cast-Iron pot Le Creuset in December 2020 as dutch oven for the sourdough.

I visited Kinokuniya multiple times to browse books & decided to buy a book titled Sourdough School by Vanessa Kimbel. Here is the link to the book. 

I read blogs & website about sourdough & benefits. 

I followed IG dedicated accounts for sourdough.  I ask one of the local Malaysian baker if she sells her levain. Unfortunately she didn't sell any levain. In my heart she must say - I must learn to make the levin from scratch. I tried making the levain myself twice. But the smell is unbearable and it didn't look like the levain is active & bubbly. So I decided to buy ready-made levain online from Lazada. Cost me RM 30 for that liquid. 

I watched Youtube videos on the technique & method. 

I join FB group Sourdough Support Group for inspiration. Most of the baker were mentioning the recipe from Autumn Kitchen. I sort of knew there was a sourdough book in Kinokuniya written by local baker. So the next round I went KLCC I straight away buy the book. 

I documented my journey in my personal IG. Success or failure its there. Im not trying to hide the fact we need to fail in order to success. 

First Failure

My first sourdough was a discard recipe actually. I made Apam Gula Melaka sourdough. It was a failure. 

My first real sourdough bread was not baked in an oven, instead was on the air-fryer. Why? the moment I wanted to bake it - my oven caused a short circuit to the whole house. Ouch! During that time, I was having a dough in Cold Retard & said its ok I have at least 16 hours to get it fixed. So we sent it for repair but the shop couldn't repair it due to no parts & the factory is closed for first MCO (Movement Control Order)for Malaysia. What a bummer right! Then I fit the dough in the air-fryer and it cooked. Well, I need to flip it so the bottom will also be cooked. 

Then the moment where all sourdough baker celebrated is to see the crumb shot. Guess what? It didn't cooked properly inside. The crumbs are still gummy although I have waited a few hours before cutting. It has said that after a sourdough bread has been out from the oven, the gluten is still developing until it is completely cooled. 

My first Success

I wasn't going to give up. It took me a month to bake another real sourdough again. I tried sourdough discard recipe again - this time the famous 'Focaccia'. Whenever I felt the dough is too wet, or too watery, or has become overproofed - I switch it to Foccacia before it turn to yet another sourdough disapointment. After about 3 times baking sourdough Foccacia - one day I decided to make Pizza - Sourdough Pizza. After learning the recipe online, the dough looks so delicate that I felt like a waste to spend all for a pizza. So with the same dough, I split the dough in two. I made 2 Pizzas & a small sourdough.  

I made a boule with simple scoring with a Dutch Oven. Yeay.. Finally I did it right. The crumbs are cooked not gummy. The exterior looked crispy. I was happy. I posted in IG & shared in FB. 

What I learnt..

I learnt to respect the timings of the bulk fermentation. I bought a kitchen timer to remind me each time I need to do the method like ;

- 1 hour autolyse then put in the levain. After 15 mins add in some salt. Bulk fermentation already started once I put in the levain. 

- Stretch & fold 2 times every 30-40 mins interval. To do coil fold every one hour for 3 times until bulk fermentation room temp is reached 5.5hours. 

- After that to continue cold retard in fridge for 12-16 hours. 

- I respect the preheating oven time of 1 hour. 

- I learnt to read the dough not the clock.  Feel the dough & the stickiness. If it is no longer sticky - then its good. 

The rest of the good things follows..

I tried new scoring techniques. 

I tried adding German flour Spelt & Rye. I found out the recipe for open crumbs are Spelt & Rye as they absorb water and hence the holes in the crumbs. 

I explored stencilling on the dough. 

It's endless as they say the sky is the limit.