I baked a loaf of mostly whole wheat sourdough bread today and the scored area popped up like a top hat with fairly wide spaces all the way around. I used a basic box-shaped scoring pattern using a lame. What did I do wrong? Was the dough over- proofed or did I do a poor job of scoring it? Help please. I’ll post a photo if I can figure out how to do it. Thanks in advance.
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From here, no missteps: looks like great oven spring and ears - both of which many sourdough bakers covet!
That is what most bakers strive for. It is hard to gets ears as a new baker. Good work.
Thanks for your insights. I’m pretty new to this, and this last loaf looked “unhappy” to me so I’m happy to know that a veteran thinks it looks okay. I appreciate the reply.I started this journey right before the virus outbreak, and of course now good flour is hard to find. Thanks again and stay safe.
Thanks for your feedback. I’m pretty new to making bread and need good input like yours. Much appreciated!
Randy, post a photo of the crumb, if the outside looks so good I’m sure the inside does too. Good colour you achieved too, dark and flavorful crust.
Great ears on your loaf! I think how well the ears form depends on a number of factors such as the depth of the score, the angle of your blade when scoring and possibly how much of a skin has formed on the loaf prior to scoring. That said, I wouldn’t over think it. Just keep doing the same thing and you will keep getting those enviable ears on your loaves!
Will do soon. Thanks for the suggestion. This forum is really helpful to folks like me who have little experience and are trying to master an entirely new vocabulary. Much to learn and you and others have been extremely helpful.
Thanks for those good observations, and especially for the advice to not overthink it. You might say I have tended in that direction much of my life. My loaves so far have all been quite edible and that is the real objective.
Here is a shot of the crumb you asked for. I’m not expect on that aspect either but it seems okay to me. Thanks again for your thoughts.
That crumb is great especially for a mostly whole grain bread. Kudos to you on a great bake. I like this type of crumb it is perfect for spreading butter on, I’m not that into hugely open crumb.
Benny
I agree with everyone here that this looks like a great and successful loaf. But I suspect from your reaction that you might get a look more like you may have been expecting if you scored with more of a tic-tac-toe pattern. The same 4 lines but closer together so there’s a smaller box and lines extending outward from the box. There’s no right or wrong here, it’s all about what you want, but the tic-tac-toe shape might give you a more familiar look.
Thanks for that suggestion. I’ll give it a try. Still learning and open to advice.