Hit my 100th loaf of sourdough last weekend and it finally clicked

I've been baking sourdough since January this year, and last Sunday I pulled loaf number 100 out of the oven. Honestly, it was a total accident that I even counted, I was just flipping through my notebook and saw the tally marks. The first 30 loaves were terrible, dense bricks that my kids wouldn't touch. Somewhere around loaf 60 I figured out my starter needed to be fed twice a day instead of once, and suddenly the crumb opened up. But hitting that 100 mark made me realize how many small adjustments added up over time, like my oven runs 25 degrees hot so I drop the temp now. I'm curious, did anyone else have a specific number of bakes where things just started making sense for you?

2 comments

2 Comments

joseph4551mo ago

Loaf 58 was probably your peak honestly, not 100.

lily_gibson131mo ago

I saw this one food science article that said most home bakers hit their stride around bake 75-100 because your hands just learn the dough feel after that many reps. Your point about small adjustments adding up is so true, it's not like one big secret trick. For me it was around loaf 85 when I realized my kitchen humidity was totally changing hydration levels, I had to back off like 10% water in summer. Sounds like you put in the work and it paid off, 100 loaves is serious dedication.