As you know I decided to do an experiment with @Henry Hunter 's Fool Proof Sourdough Loaf. I did one loaf according to his recipe with jalapenos, cheddar and bacon inclusions. The second loaf I made it an 80% hydration loaf with Italian Herb and Black Pepper inclusions. The doughs felt completely different. The 80% dough was of course a looser, silkier dough that needed a more gentle handling when shaping. It also started forming bubbles a lot earlier. In fact, right after the fermentolyse it had bubbles. I added the inclusions during the 2nd stretch and fold and they incorporated nicely. In the finished product the crumb is a little tighter than the other loaf. The oven spring was great. I even got some small blisters on the crust. Both loaves proved to be fool proof and absolutely delicious!!! I'll be making them again and again! They're husband approved! I bet your significant other and family will love them too. Do check out the breakfast of a champion... it's a slice of the Italian Herb & Black Pepper Loaf nicely oven toasted with grated cheddar and a boiled egg. Here's what they look like..

Hands down, I'm obsessed with 80% hydration so far!! I just had to show you guys the difference!!

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!!

Note that your login for skool isn't automatically transfered unfortunately! I may be able to accomplish that in the future but that's a little too techy for my brain atm😅 Create your account and hop in the challenge🎉 Get your first few points just by reading the challenge for this month☺️ 👉🏼 https://ctchallengehub.vercel.app/

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/