Finally figured out why my bread kept coming out dense

I have been trying to bake sourdough for like 6 months and every loaf came out like a brick. I watched a million videos, messed with hydration, tried different flours, nothing worked. Then last week I realized I was just barely kneading the dough for 2 minutes and calling it done because I was impatient. I actually timed myself and did a full 10 minute knead by hand until the windowpane test passed, and the loaf came out super airy with a nice crumb. I also stopped adding flour every time the dough felt sticky - apparently that was drying it out. The difference was night and day and I actually ate the whole thing in one sitting. Has anyone else had a similar issue where they thought they were kneading enough but actually weren't?

2 comments

2 Comments

marymorgan1mo ago

Oh honey, kneading is important but windowpane test for sourdough isn't really a thing.

the_nina1mo ago

@marymorgan you might be right, that actually makes me rethink my whole sourdough routine.