u/nausheenali198

This is my 9th loaf and the one I really liked. Both texture and taste.
I live in India and the usual protein content in widely available flours range from 9-12%. I had followed recipes from Internet which use bread flour with higher protein content. Those recipes didn't work for me. I never got enough oven spring, or if I did, the bread didn't bake soft enough.

The adjustments I've done to ingredients easily available to me are :
- Used Vital wheat gluten - 15gm with 300gm of total flour weight
- 50:50 Maida and Atta.
- 220 gm water, give or take. Added it gradually while kneading and made sure the dough felt like regular dough which I use for making rotis. Didn't add my levain yet. Just kneaded and rested it for an hour ie, Autolyse.
- After 1 hour I added my salt (to taste) and active levain. The levain was still rising and "almost" doubled. It had structure and was not very flowy.
- Did just one stretch and fold after 30 min (4th photo) and since my dough passed the windowpane test, I let it rest and BF for 2.5 more hours.
- Shaped it at 3 hours since adding starter. The dough was holding its shape well when I moved to shaping. The 5th photo is 30min before I shaped it.
- Let it proof on counter for another couple of hours. 6th photo is just before baking. It had proofed for 2.5 hours in a lined bowl of same size in which it was kneaded.
- Baked it covered for 30 mins. (I did pull it out at 7th min to score but I guess from next time I'll just score it beforehand). And 15 mins uncovered at 230deg C.

Waited for 40mins before cutting it. Should have waited longer, yes, but I'm impatient. The bread came out super soft. It did have good crust when it was just out but after 30 mins, the crust also softened a little. Not complaining though. The taste and texture are what I love.

Still hoping to get the wild open crumb someday, but even if I don't, this one here is absolutely perfect for me to ultimately call it a success.

So, I ordered a Phal from an online seller in Kerala (she usually has very healthy plants and has good reputation. I've bought multiple plants from her on 3 different occasions).
My recent purchase was this beauty (pic 1), but my problem is my bloom is very different from what I ordered. (Pic 2)
I pinged her today and she gave me a photo of a bloom that she had there. (Pic 3)
I like this particular flower, of course, but I wanted the one I originally ordered. What do I do?

Hello Folks and Sourdgough enthusiasts!
I have been trying to make a successful loaf for a LONG time now. This community really did help me (with all the posts and their knowledge tidbits in the comments). I wanted to share my experience with people who understand just how emotionally consuming sourdough can be. Here's my story:

I started trying to make my own starter back in June 2025. It seemed to be healthy in a month but then was hit by mould and I had to throw it away. Then I started another one. It survived for a month and then other priorities took over so I shoved it in the farthest corner of my fridge. Had to shift homes...in my new kitchen, I brought the starer out (after about being 3 months in the fridge and not being fed at all). I fed it for 3-4 days with 1:1:1 ratio of starter flour and water. Tried to make a dough and it turned out unmanageable for me. (I had used regular Indian Atta available here in India). I did not understand the dough at all. It was not sticky initially but after BF it just wouldn't hold itself. And when I baked it, the crumb was super dense...I wouldn't even call it a bread (1st pic).
I tried at least 4-5 times and each time the entire batch had to be either thrown away or it would be so dense you could not eat it on the second day.
Finally, once I got a little hang of managing the dough, it turned out "edible" (2nd and 3rd photos).
The fourth pic is of a later loaf which I baked in a double loaf tin and didn't bake enough so the interiors turned out gummy.

The final loaf today (pics 5-7) turned out pretty good compared to all the others I've had before.
I used 90gm Maida, 160gm Atta, 50gm active starter, 200gm water and half a teaspoon salt. Mixed everything, did stretch and folds, slap n folds, coil folds at 40mins intervals and total 3 sets.
Then let it rest for 1.5hours and in the bowl itself shaped it to a round shape, and transferred it to a dusted loaf tin.
I let it proof for another 2 hours on the counter. Put it to fridge overnight. When I pulled it out in the morning, it had not proofed. I let it sit again on the counter for 2.5 hours after which it had almost (but not fully) filled the tin. I wanted to let it sit for another hour but my impatience took over and I baked it. 20mins covered at 230degree celcius. And then 20mins uncovered at the same temp.
Let it cool for an hour and then cut it open.

I have a long way to go but for now, I have indeed reached a milestone and am absolutely thrilled.

🌷✨🌻♥️
Do let me know what you think and any guidance for future loaves are much welcomed! 🥖🍞