Flavour & Fire
The Sourdough Journal
The bakingprocess
A sourdough loaf does not come together in a single moment. It is a process of small steps that together determine what eventually comes out of the oven.
From mixing the dough to fermentation, shaping, and baking: every stage influences the flavour, structure, and character of the final loaf. You learn not only what to do, but why each step matters.
In this hub, you will discover the complete baking process step by step. From your first loaf to the techniques that help you better observe, feel, and understand what your dough is telling you.
The Complete Sourdough Process
The Complete Sourdough Process
Follow the complete journey from active starter to freshly baked loaf.
Your First Sourdough Loaf
A calm, guided route through your first loaf, without trying to make the process more complicated than it is.
Choosing Flour for Sourdough
Discover how different flours affect fermentation, flavour, structure and the way your dough behaves.
What Can I Change?
Learn which ingredients, methods and timings you can change in a sourdough recipe, and what those changes actually do.
Ingredients, Ratios & Hydration
Understand how flour, water, starter and salt shape the dough you are about to make.
Mixing & Autolyse
Discover how mixing and resting flour and water prepare the dough for what comes next.
Stretch, Fold & Dough Development
Build strength through gentle folds and learn how the dough changes beneath your hands.
Bulk Fermentation
Discover the stage where time, temperature and fermentation slowly turn dough into something ready to shape.
Process Control
Learn how to read time, temperature and the dough itself, and use those signals to know when to wait, adjust or move on.
Baking the Loaf
Baking the Loaf – Dutch Oven
Discover how heat, time, and your Dutch oven work together for the perfect crust.
Baking the Loaf – Open Bake
Learn how to bake sourdough without a Dutch oven, using steam, heat and your oven to build a well-risen loaf and crisp crust.
Baking the Loaf – Loaf Tin
Discover how to bake sourdough in a loaf tin, from shaping and proofing to achieving a well-baked crust and crumb.
Focaccia: De Mooie Redding
Sometimes you don’t need to fix the failure. You only need to discover what the dough can still become.
Patience and time do more than strength or passion. — Jean de La Fontaine