Rustic sourdough

   I have recently become a big fan of the high hydration doughs with an overnight cold fermentation. The morning I took this dough out of the fridge, I cut it with my bench knife and flipped the smooth side down on my well floured couche. The knife left a scar on the edges of the bread which left an opening for the bread to bloom without the need for scoring. This may have been my best crust yet. It carmelized very dark and crackly and the taste was fabulous.

I baked four loaves, two at a time, and the only one I cut was the worst one. The two that got baked second had a much bigger bloom, and probably a bit more of an open crumb. Those were given away. I think I needed to either let the dough warm up before shaping. or just proofed a while longer than the one shown below. I did have fun with these and look forward to more experimentation.

Keith