Flat and Heavy

Anyone tried making sourdough bread?

This was my second ‘lockdown’ attempt. I printed instructions and prepared myself for nurturing the dough as the muxture fermented – I was aware of the constant attention this would involve. I did all of that.

I weighed, measured, kept from the cold. The starter grew in fits and starts. To be fair it started pretty well. But oddly, towards the end of the recommended 7 days it seemed to have lost the will to keep growing.

A few bubbles persisted, so I went for it – mixed in the flour and left it overnight – and to be fair, it did double in size. I kneaded again, as prescribed in my instructions – and baked.

But ugh! – no holes – feels and looks like a brick. How can something so apparently simple go so wrong?!