Such a grand loaf

This morning I had a friend come over for breakfast of pancakes and poached blueberries.  The sourdough pancakes weren't as spectacular in height because I didn't have the mix as thick this time.  Very light and lovely.

Breakfast loaf

My second Boy loaf came out of the oven this evening.  I made the dough into a single large loaf in a pan and this better suits my needs for toast in the morning.  The crust isn't as chewy and the loaf has smaller holes - all the better for buttering with my breakfast egg.

I feel that I'm conquering this sourdough bread making.  This time, my initial sponge was doubled in 4 hours.  I cut back on the times allowed for the bulk proof and final proof stages and the dough was much easier to handle at the shaping stage.

After the initial shaping, the dough stood proud and didn't collapse.  I shaped again (for luck) and let it rise in a large loaf pan.

Slashing wasn't (in retrospect) as deep as it should have been because the loaf "broke" on one side.  I need to either become more confident with the curved blade lame or give up on it and use a sharp knife instead.

I'm really happy with this loaf - can you tell?