Pan de Mie from The Perfect Loaf. Cut recipe in half. Levain: 36 g all purpose flour, 36 g water, 4 g starter Dough: 382 g all-purpose, 92 g whole milk, 153 g water, 75 g levain. Mixed at low speed in Kitchen Aid stand mixer until incorporated. 30-minute rest. Added 29 g honey, 7 g salt, 12 g water and mixed on low until incorporated, then mixed 6 more minutes on medium speed. Gradually incorporated 50 g butter on low speed, then 5 more minutes on medium. Rested 30 minutes followed by three sets of stretch and folds at 30-minute intervals. Continued bulk fermentation to about 40% rise. Preshaped and let rest 35 minutes. Shaped and added to pullman pan to proof for 3.25 hours. Baked with pullman lid at 425 for 15 minutes, reduced to 350 for 30 minutes.

Today, I baked a BEAUTIFUL loaf of sourdough. This time, I baked in a cast iron (similar to a DO, (extra deep cast iron) with a sheet pan over it because I don't currently own a true DO). I'm finding that I am not a super huge fan of this baking method. It was pretty, it has a good ear, nice oven spring as far as I can tell. My only issue is that the crumb is still a little more gummy than I would like for it to be. I know that a homemade sourdough bread is NEVER going to be exactly like fresh bakery bread, however, I know there has to be something more than this. I loved the look of the crust. I used the same recipe as the last few... 165g starter, 400g water, 15g sea salt and 650g bread flour. I kneaded by hand for 10 minutes, bulk fermented for 9 hours on the counter in a 72° kitchen (was 50- 60% raised) and cold proofed overnight in refrigerator. Opinion please... the only thing I did different was the cooking vessel. Preheated to 500°, reduced to 475° when bread went in, baked covered for 35 minutes with steam pan on bottom rack then removed lid, baked 25 minutes at 450°.

This pain au levain didn’t turn out the best so while I know it’s not going to be a high score 😞 these are the loaves that benefit most from the BreadScore feedback! I’m happy with the oven spring but am wondering if it’s under proofed (I think slightly) or also just a shaping issue?

Good morning and happy Sunday! What are your go-to flours? It would be helpful for me to understand what baking flours most of you use as I put together content, recipes, etc. For instance, I always have on hand King Arthur bread flour, organic Costco all-purpose flour, and organic Bob's Red Mill whole wheat flour. Of course, I also have a few other flours around such as a rye flour. So if you can just drop those in the chat, that would be really helpful. Thank you 🙏 Also, our JUNE RECOGNITION CALL is coming up this Tuesday, June 2, at 7:30 p.m. EST. Don't miss the live call when I'll announce our latest group of certified bakers for each level along with our member of the month and new community members. You'll find the log-in link on the Calendar tab and at the top of the Community page. And if you can't join us live, be sure to catch the recording!

Sourdough Pizzas (pepp, pepp/sausage, chicken Alfredo, & breakfast - sausage gravy with some eggs and cheese) 2 pain au levain 4 minis (1 plain, 1 cinnamon sugar raisin swirl, 2 cheddar jalapeno) 2 loaves (one slightly burnt) with chili crisp oil, green onions, cheddar, and mozzarella French bread (1 loaf missing as it was already gifted) Not pictured - 3 dozen sourdough cinnamon rolls lol after all that I forgot to snap a photo! Time for a nap 😊