My first sourdough starter is doing well and I have baked 2 loaves of bread now that came out with a beautiful crust and great flavor. I'm using a Sassafrass LaCloche to bake my bread. However, my loaves want to spread out instead of rising into a nice boule. I am placing the "rounded" shaped loaf on the bottom of my baker and letting it rise there for the final time. Then, I place the LaCloche in a cold oven and allow the LaCloche to heat up as the oven heats to avoid cracking. My first loaf rose fine and I had a nice boule. Today, I did everything the same, but my loaf "spread" out as it rose, presenting a much "flatter" boule. I still got nice oven spring and the crust and flavor are nice. Any suggestions to get the nice boule without flattening out?
If you click on the Handbook link at the top of the page, you'll find it has a section devoted to shaping, including some helpful videos. Those may help address your question. If not, feel free to ask additional questions.
Paul
Thank you Paul. I will be sure and look at this information. I'm sure I will have more questions in the future.