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Sourdough Recipes

  • Basic Sourdough Bread Recipe – Welsh 900 Starter
  • Basic Artisan loaf – San Francisco 200
  • Basic Artisan bread loaf – Black Death 400
  • Dinner Rolls – Welsh 900 (Same Day)
  • Dinner Rolls – San Francisco 200 (Same Day)
  • Dinner Rolls – Black Death 400 (Same Day)
  • Lemon Cinnamon Roll Loaf – Welsh 900
  • Lemon Cinnamon Roll Loaf – San Francisco

Starter FAQ's

  • My Starter Isn’t Working / Rising
  • Welsh 900 sourdough starter: Maintenance Instructions
  • San Francisco Sourdough Starter: Maintenance Instructions
  • Black Death Sourdough Starter: Maintenance Instructions
  • can I use a metal container?
  • Can a starter really last forever?
  • What type of lid should I use for my starter?
  • Do I Need A Scale?
  • Do I Need To Keep Buying Starter
  • Are plastic containers bad?
  • How Can You Tell The Age Of A Starter?
  • Water and chlorine/Can I use my tap water?
  • Are there really different strains?
  • What’s that liquid on top? – Hooch
  • What does it mean to “feed” your starter?
  • Mold? Fuzzy Stuff

Baking FAQ's

  • Step-By-Step basic process to baking with sourdough
  • What is autolysing in sourdough baking
  • Can I freeze my bread?
  • What is a Dutch Oven
  • What is open and closed baking?
  • What is the difference between proofing and fermentation?
  • The four methods of building tension in your dough.
  • Why do I need to build gluten?
  • What does salt do to my dough?
  • What is a levain and why would I use it?
  • What is the ear?
  • What starter does to your dough?
  • What is the crumb?
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  • What is open and closed baking?

What is open and closed baking?

Terms can make things seem so complicated but this one is an easy one.

Open Baking #

Baking either with a Dutch oven without the lid on from the beginning or on a baking tray or similar. It basically means baking without a lid on.

Closed Baking #

Baking in a Dutch oven with the lid on for the first part of the baking process.

Results #

Closed bake: For a softer crust, you will bake with the lid on longer than with the lid off. Adjust until you get the desired texture of crust. Use a silicone sling to help with the bottom from burning. You are less likely to have the bottom explode out of the side when doing a closed bake method.

Open bake: For a softer crust, place a deep-dish metal tray with 1 in of water and place it in the oven during the preheat stage. Use a silicone mat on a cookie sheet to help the bottom from burning. The deep-dish tray underneath the dough will also help the bottom from burning. There is a higher chance of the bottom exploding out of the side of your loaf (as you can see in the photo below) or the development of cracks. This does not affect the overall loaf. It’s only cosmetic.

For a more in depth look at how Dutch Ovens are used in Sourdough baking click here

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Updated on January 12, 2024
What is a Dutch Oven

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Table of Contents
  • Open Baking
  • Closed Baking
  • Results

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