Today I’m being the “Brave Baker”. I’m experimenting with making @Henry Hunter ’s Fool Proof Sourdough Loaf. I’m making two loaves. One made following his recipe but adding jalapeño, bacon and cheddar inclusions. The second loaf is also Henry’s Fool Proof loaf but I increased the water to make it a 80% hydration loaf which means I added 400g of water instead of 375g. This higher hydration loaf will be made with all the flavors that I usually add to my grilled cheese sandwich which are Italian herb seasoning, black pepper and parsley. I’ll save the cheese to put on the bread when I toast it. I can tell you right now that the Rubaud method is no joke!!! It’s something serious! You need good strong biceps, wrists and hands and for goodness sakes don’t watch the clock because time STOPS. 🤣🤣 Anywho, I promise to let y’all know tomorrow how this experiment turns out…. Good or Bad, I’ll tell my story. P.S. I can tell you the the doughs feel completely different. I mixed them both really well and did the fermentolyse. When it was time to add salt I noticed that my higher hydration loaf already had bubbles. Then when I did the Rubaud method, another clear difference. Then lower hydration dough was stiffer and felt heavier than the other dough. I think I did a better job with the Rubaud on the higher hydration, maybe because I felt more comfortable with the method or it could have been because of the silkiness of the dough. With the coil folds both doughs felt smooth and had a few bubbles but that higher hydration dough just seemed to handle better, easier. We’ll see what happens with adding inclusions, shaping, cold ferment, scoring and baking. Stay Tuned!!

This month, we're diving deep into hydration! Push your comfort zone by experimenting with different hydration levels in your sourdough. Start where you're comfortable, then try adding 5-10% more water to see how it changes your crumb and crust! 🎯 This Month's Focus: Understanding how water affects your dough's texture, extensibility, and final crumb structure! 🏆You guys ready to dive in? Head over to the classroom tab and dive head first 👉🏼 https://www.skool.com/how-to-sourdough-7487/classroom/34ba84a9 Wanna jump right to the Monthly Challenge Hub? Click here to sign up and earn your first points!👉🏼 https://ctchallengehub.vercel.app/

There are plenty of bread communities to go around, but if you haven't noticed yet, The Crumb Table focuses mainly on regular ole artisan sourdough bread! A simple (least I like to make it simple🤣) artisan bread is usually the starting point for every sourdough baker, aside from their first bubbly starter of course! The bread that sourdough bakers are usually determined to tackle successfully! We'll bake other items and share various, delicious sourdough recipes here! BUT at the root, we're a community for those who haven't started yet, those who run their own sourdough micro bakeries, and everyone in between! Think, sourdough bread without the pressure or stress! Every mistake isn't a failure, it's a learning experience! Whether it's a starter that didn't grow or a whole 10 batch of loaves that overproofed😅, we can learn and grow from it! And in turn, help others do the same! That's why this is a table! No stage for performances or boring lectures... just a table of friends sipping coffee and talking about one of our favorite hobbies! We'll have fun bake alongs with sourdough pretzels, scones, bagels, etc... But our monthly challenges will be all about refining our sourdough BREAD making skills!💪🏼 I'll make an official February Baking Challenge post soon, but for now I just wanted to hop on and share my intent for our community table! Specific niches can limit growth, but we're not in a rush! I'm about cultivating a truly helpful and supportive space for sourdough bakers across the globe! One crumb at a time!😊