A rustic seeded sourdough at 78% hydration 🍞 Not outrageously high, but once the seeds went in, the stretch and folds gave the biceps a proper workout. Not too shabby a result.

Half of a freshly baked artisan sourdough loaf, made with seeds, sits on a wooden chopping board. The cut loaf reveals a well-developed crumb with naturally uneven alveoli, surrounded by a deeply caramelised, dark golden-brown crust. Behind it, a rustic wood-panelled wall and a vase of old plant cuttings give the scene the feel of an English country cottage.
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Half of a freshly baked artisan sourdough loaf, made with seeds, sits on a wooden chopping board. The cut loaf reveals a well-developed crumb with naturally uneven alveoli, surrounded by a deeply caramelised, dark golden-brown crust. Behind it, a rustic wood-panelled wall and a vase of old plant cuttings give the scene the feel of an English country cottage.

4 comments — live from bluesky

Cllr Owen Burbidge 🔶 · 1 · 18h ago
This looks incredible. Sadly my bread keeps turning out with a weird gummy crumb :(
Good Food Kitchen · 0 · 16h ago
Thanks Owen, with your gummy crumb, are you slicing it too early?
Cllr Owen Burbidge 🔶 · 0 · 12h ago
Nope, it’s left to cool entirely. I think it’s something fermentation related. But it’s really frustrating. All my bread lacks a light crumb - whether I use commercial yeast or sourdough, it just feels gummy and stales super quickly
Good Food Kitchen · 1 · 12h ago
That does sound frustrating. I’d look at flour, hydration, proofing and the bake itself. Under-fermentation and under-baking can both leave a gummy crumb. What flour and hydration are you using, and how long and hot are you baking it?
Cllr Owen Burbidge 🔶 · 0 · 12h ago
65% hydration 30 mins at 220 in dutch oven; then 25 mins at 200 uncovered.
Good Food Kitchen · 0 · 11h ago
At 65% hydration, that bake sounds long enough unless the loaf is particularly large or the oven runs cool. Is the Dutch oven preheated? It may be worth checking whether the loaf centre reaches around 96–98°C. If it does, I’d look at fermentation. How much rise do you get during bulk?
Cllr Owen Burbidge 🔶 · 1 · 11h ago
Two generally two times height. I wonder if I can push it to three. It’s split into two loaves of about 800g each. Preheated Dutch oven
Good Food Kitchen · 1 · 11h ago
I wouldn’t push it to three times the height. If it’s doubling during bulk and then proofing again after shaping, over-fermentation may be the problem. An 800g loaf should be baked through with that schedule. Try ending bulk earlier, at roughly 50–75% rise, then compare the crumb.
Cllr Owen Burbidge 🔶 · 1 · 11h ago
Thank you! I’ll give it a go
Pan: The Reverist · 1 · 13h ago
Yummy.
OnlyFranz · 1 · 17h ago
Lovely crumb!
Good Food Kitchen · 2 · 16h ago
I toasted a slice and paired it with a super sharp Cornish cheddar 🧀 Heaven!
OnlyFranz · 2 · 14h ago
Perfect! 👌
Phil Rowling · 1 · 17h ago
A lovely loaf, nice work!
Good Food Kitchen · 1 · 16h ago
Cheers Phil, this is one of my favourites