Every wet-dough bake has the same five moments where people want to quit. I saw every one of them this week. Let’s get ahead of it before Saturday’s ciabatta. 𝟭️⃣ “𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗱𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗼𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗸𝘆. 𝗜 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗹𝗼𝘂𝗿.” No. You need wet hands. That panic-flour reflex is the most common mistake with high hydration dough. Once you start working flour into it, you’ve changed the recipe. Now you get streaks, dense spots, and a crust that fights you. Keep a small bowl of water at the bench. Wet your hands. Wet your scraper. Even the bench if you need to. The stickiness passes. The flour damage doesn’t. 2️⃣ “𝗜’𝘃𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗼𝗼 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴. 𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴’𝘀 𝘄𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴.” Walk away. Ten minutes. That’s it. That’s not quitting. That’s technique. Gluten relaxes. The dough tightens. Your head resets. Candi said it best this week, sometimes you step away, take a breath, and come back ready to actually work the dough. Rushing through panic almost always makes worse bread. 3️⃣ “𝗜𝘁 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀 𝗳𝗹𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗻. 𝗜 𝗿𝘂𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝘁.” You didn’t. Xiomara saw this exact moment. Checked at 22 minutes, disappointed… came back to a boule. Oven spring comes late. Especially covered. The first 10–15 minutes can look like nothing is happening. Don’t open the oven. Don’t lose your nerve. Let the bread do its job. 4️⃣ “𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗿𝘂𝗺𝗯 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁. 𝗜𝘀 𝗶𝘁 𝗿𝘂𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱?” No. Under-fermented bread is still bread. It still tastes good. It still feeds people. The only ruined loaf is the one you throw away before you learn from it. Slice it. Study it. Adjust next time. Every loaf is a data point. Not a verdict. 5️⃣ “𝗜 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗹𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗯𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗮.” Now here’s the nuance. Shaping flour for ciabatta sits on the surface. It’s not getting worked into the dough, so it doesn’t change hydration or crumb like it would with a boule. That’s why we tell you to use more than feels normal. Dust the bench. Dust the couche. Dust the top. Dust your hands. Just don’t work it in. Dusting protects. Incorporating changes the dough.

I'm in need of a good reliable oven thermometer. I think my oven runs a little hot and may even have hot spots. If I bake my loaves on 500*F they end up being super dark on the top and bottom. I also have to cook them to the very front of my oven. So if you have a good oven thermometer let me know which one you have and tell me why you like it. Thank you

I get this question all the time. “Did I kill my starter? ”“What did I do wrong? ”“What is that liquid on top?” That layer is hooch. It shows up when your starter gets hungry. The yeast and bacteria have eaten through their food, and what’s left behind separates out on top. So no, you didn’t kill it. That’s your starter telling you it’s time to feed. You’ve got two options. Stir it back in and you’ll get a stronger, more acidic flavor. Or pour it off if it’s been sitting a while and smells sharp. Either way works. Then feed it. Flour. Water. Give it what it needs. And then the part most people skip. Wait. Let it come back. Let it do what it’s built to do. Your starter is hard to kill. It wants to live in spite of you. And when it comes back, now you’re baking again. That’s the cycle. ~Henry ⭐🔥

Ciabatta breakfast sandwich for dinner.