Thanks for the chuckle Eric! You should have seen my first loaf - it was hard as a rock, and I'm sure I could have used it as a weapon if an intruder dared come in :)
You need to look at the YouTube videos on the channel 'Our Gabled Home' that you introduced me to; her easy method of keeping sourdough starter alive, or making your own from scratch, but also the breadmaking process.
So...my second loaf was also way too dense, but we managed to eat some of it while it was hot, however the rest was soaked in water, broken up & left by the bird bath!
You will get it right, but watch that German lady for good tips.
I now use her method and it works like a charm; although it's not the perfect artisanal sourdough bread, it's delicious and I can use it for toasting and for making sandwiches.
Good luck!
You're welcome! I hope to have something that doesn't resemble and interstellar spacecraft the next time. : ) I'm hearing from just about everyone whose tried to bake sourdough bread that their first few loaves were "practice". I am going to celebrate once I get it right. I'll have to check out more of the videos on the 'Our Gabled Home'. I really like the channel. So much of the things she teaches have been lost in the modern world but with food shortages projected to come later this year these will be some valuable skills to learn. Thank you my friend and enjoy your weekend!
Oh and one thing my mother taught me about regular bread baking is to wrap it in a tea cloth as soon as it comes out the oven & let it cool in there otherwise it gets way too hard, so I do that with my 'mock' sourdough bread & scones as well (biscuits in America). Any linen cloth will do.
PS I hope we see your next loaf. This one was ready for take-off 😄
Ahh, thank you for that tip! I'll try it with loaf #2. I'll be sure to post about it. I could have skipped the first loaf, like a rock across the lake. Lol.