My First Sourdough Problem - Drying Out
I am making a sourdough loaf for the first time. I am using cranbo's beginner's sourdough recipe from here [1].
I followed the instructions and it went off without a hitch until this morning. Yesterday I put the dough in the refrigerator loosely covered in a flax linen couche that was set in a glass bowl. I didn't use plastic wrap like I usually do. Today, I take my dough out and I see the top of the dough has completely dried out . The rest of it seems pretty elastic and normal--only the top has dried out. Will the dry crust on top affect the dough's ability to rise? Should I fix it and what should I do to fix it? I still have 3-6 hours of waiting for the dough to rise so I'll report on what happens. But, I'd appreciate anyone's help.