Baking Blog
Science-backed sourdough guides, Austrian bread recipes, and technique breakdowns for home bakers.
How to Make a Sourdough Starter from Scratch: Day-by-Day Guide
Create your first sourdough starter in 7 days. A step-by-step guide covering flour choices, feeding ratios, temperature, and how to know when your starter is ready to bake.
Read article →Sourdough Bread for Complete Beginners: Your First Loaf
Bake your first sourdough loaf with a simple, forgiving recipe. Step-by-step method covering autolyse, bulk fermentation, shaping, cold retard, and Dutch oven baking — explained for total beginners.
Read article →Why Is My Sourdough Bread Flat? 8 Causes and Proven Fixes
Flat sourdough bread has 8 distinct causes — from an inactive starter to poor shaping technique. This guide diagnoses each one and gives you the exact fix for your next bake.
Read article →Austrian and German Flour Types Explained: The Complete Guide for Home Bakers
Decode Austrian W700, W480, R960 and German Type 550, 1050 flour labels. Understand the ash-content system, protein differences vs American flour, and which flour to use for sourdough, rye bread, and spelt baking.
Read article →Feeding Your Sourdough Starter: Ratios, Schedules, and What Actually Matters
Everything you need to know about feeding sourdough starter: 1:1:1 vs 1:5:5 ratios, how often to feed, fridge storage, what to feed with, and the signs that tell you your starter needs attention.
Read article →The Science of Bulk Fermentation: How Temperature Controls Everything
Learn how temperature drives sourdough bulk fermentation. Understand Final Dough Temperature, timing benchmarks by temperature, the aliquot jar method, and how to read your dough for consistent results.
Read article →Cold Retard Demystified: Exact Timing for Better Flavor and Easier Scoring
Everything you need to know about cold retarding sourdough: optimal timing, fridge temperature, flavor development, why cold dough scores better, and how to fit baking into a busy schedule.
Read article →Scoring Sourdough Bread: Blade Angles, Depth, and How to Get an Ear
Master sourdough scoring: blade angles, cutting depth, ear formation, decorative patterns, and the five requirements for a perfect score. Includes troubleshooting for common scoring problems.
Read article →Open Crumb vs. Tight Crumb: How to Get the Crumb You Want on Purpose
Understand what actually controls sourdough crumb structure. Learn how hydration, fermentation, shaping, and handling interact to produce open or tight crumb — and how to choose deliberately.
Read article →10 Common Sourdough Mistakes Every Beginner Makes (and How to Fix Them)
The ten most frequent sourdough mistakes beginners make, why they happen, and exactly how to fix each one. From measuring by volume to cutting bread too early — with science-backed solutions.
Read article →Classic Austrian Bauernbrot: A Rustic Rye-Wheat Sourdough
A traditional Austrian Bauernbrot recipe using rye sourdough and wheat flour. Step-by-step instructions for this hearty farmer's bread with crisp crust and dense, flavorful crumb.
Read article →Spelt Sourdough Bread (Dinkelbrot): Why Austrian Bakers Love This Grain
Everything you need to know about baking spelt sourdough bread. Why spelt behaves differently than wheat, how to handle its fragile gluten, and a reliable Dinkelbrot recipe with Austrian flour types.
Read article →Baker's Percentages Explained: The Only Math a Bread Baker Needs
A complete guide to baker's percentages — the universal language of bread recipes. Learn how to read, use, and convert baker's math to scale any recipe, calculate hydration, and compare formulas at a glance.
Read article →No-Knead Overnight Sourdough: A Weekday Schedule That Actually Works
A complete no-knead sourdough bread recipe designed for working people. Mix in the evening, bake in the morning — with a realistic weekday timeline, full ingredient table, and tips for fitting sourdough into a busy schedule.
Read article →Over-Proofed or Under-Proofed? A Visual Guide to Reading Your Dough
Learn to identify over-proofed and under-proofed sourdough with visual examples. The poke test, aliquot jar method, crumb analysis, and how to rescue dough that has gone too far or not far enough.
Read article →Steam in Your Home Oven: Dutch Oven vs. DIY Methods Compared
A complete comparison of steam methods for home bread baking. Dutch oven, lava rocks, towel method, ice cubes, and steam injection — with pros, cons, and step-by-step instructions for each.
Read article →Shaping High-Hydration Sourdough: Boule and Batard Techniques Step by Step
Master sourdough shaping with detailed boule and batard techniques for high-hydration doughs. Learn pre-shaping, final shaping, building surface tension, and fixing common shaping mistakes.
Read article →Summer vs. Winter Baking: How to Adjust Your Sourdough for Every Season
A complete guide to seasonal sourdough adjustments. Learn how to adapt your starter feeding, water temperature, bulk fermentation, and proofing schedule for hot summers and cold winters.
Read article →Autolyse, Stretch & Fold, Coil Fold, Lamination: When to Use Which Technique
A detailed guide to the four key dough development techniques in sourdough baking. Learn what each technique does, when to use it, and how to combine them for the best results.
Read article →Sourdough and Gut Health: What the Science Actually Says
A science-based look at sourdough's health benefits. Learn what fermentation does to bread, how sourdough affects digestion, blood sugar, and nutrient absorption — and what the research actually supports.
Read article →How to Convert Any Yeast Bread Recipe to Sourdough (Without Ruining the Dough)
A practical framework for converting yeasted bread recipes to sourdough using baker's math. Learn starter substitution, flour/water adjustments, timeline targets, and troubleshooting.
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