The Old Faithful - an easy sourdough recipe that produces an amazing country style loaf 

Looks delish...and that crumb!!

Hi when you said firat minutes of bake is covered? Are you using a dutch oven for that?

@@ashz1234 I'm using a large lightweight pot to cover the dough but you can use a dutch oven and follow the same instructions.

Thanks so much! You rock!❤️

What brand and type of of Flour do you use?

Cheers Stephen, pleased you found the content useful :)

@@CulinaryExploration do you ever recommend flours? I keep a lot of 00 pizza flour, which I know is different from bread flour. What good strong white and whole wheat flours would you recommend for the USA?

Cheers! Pleased you enjoyed the vid. Let me know how you get on if you give it a go 👍

@@CulinaryExploration I've done it several times now. Worked fantastically:)

Yeah, for me lamination makes such a stronger dough! Love it. And while at it, its perfect for incorporating some seeds and walnuts

I appreciate that. I still get my failures though. Keep at it and you will get there. Things will continue to click into place along your journey. Happy baking and merry Christmas.

@@CulinaryExploration You too mate. Id just like to say thank you for your videos and your hard work. They're my primary source of bread making knowledge and I just wanted you to know I really appreciate you. Merry Christmas!

You are so welcome!!! Happy baking!

It takes a bit of getting used to. I've been using these bowls for a long time and I know how the dough feels and smells. Your method works really well though.

I appreciate the feedback, thank you. Great to have you following along and keep me posted on your sourdough baking, enjoy the journey :)

Awesome! pleased you enjoyed the recipe!

Nice one Rebecca :)

Nice bake! I saw your IG post 👍

Pleased it works out for you buddy

Pleased you enjoyed the recipe!

I don't have issues with my dough sticking, but if you do, you can very lightly mist the surface with water. But don't overdo it, otherwise, the dough just slips back on itself. Hope this helps David.

@@CulinaryExploration Philip! I remember you misting your wood in the past. I was able to do this myself with excellent results last night. Instead of a cast iron bread oven, I now have a baking steel and I found the same "Home Basics" large oval roasting pan you use on Amazon. Every time I think of a question to write to you about I realize there are so many variables that my questions aren't exacting enough. I keep watching your videos for answers and I'm learning a lot. I also watch the videos from Proof Bread. He's got this one video that's 1:28:45 minutes long that is as anal retentive as your videos. I love you guys! Right now, I'm using King Arthur Organic Bread Flour, 12.7% protein. I'm making "white flour bullsh*ts" bread until I get the basics right then I will start incorporating whole grains. I also want measurements that I can keep in my head. For instance, I'm using 500 gm flour. 350 gm water. 100 gm levain. 10 gm salt. My levain is made with 100% whole grain Einkorn flour. Once I get a handle of this I will write to you with photos. Thank you, Philip! Stay awesome.

@@davidhunternyc1 I saw the pic you emailed over, amazing! You'll start experimenting with the sourdough calculator soon enough ;)

@@CulinaryExploration Yes, your sourdough calculator will be another game changer for me. I've just got to get the basics first. Repeat the same darn thing over and over and over again. Thank you, Philip!

Cheers Linda, I hope you enjoy getting back into sourdough baking :)

Cheers, appreciated!!! :)

Awesome! Let me know how you get on Alexandra :)

That will help you out Dane, let me know how you get on

@@CulinaryExploration I wanted to ask, what benefit do you get from lamination vs stretch and fold? Do you notice a difference in the crumb?

It takes a bit of tweaking Martha. Pleased you are enjoying the videos

Cheers Superfood smoothies

Cheers bud!

Cheers bud

Cheers Alan, let me know how you get on

I tried it yesterday and baked this morning. Finished product looks good but feels heavy. My dough was very wet and difficult to handle. I had to add more flour in stretching process to make it workable but It was still quite wet when it went in the banneton and stuck when turning it out. Waiting for it to cool now before cutting it open. I think I’ll need to adjust the water quantity next time.

@@alanhowell3646 yep, tweak the water, if the dough was quite wet, reduce it by 5%, keep me posted Alan

I quite agree! It should be fun 🤩

Cheers Henrik

Awesome Tymon, keep us posted :)

That was exactly what happened to me lol - let me know how you get on with the old faithful :)

If you find your dough overproofs in the fridge overnight then next time try putting it in the freezer for half an hour before the overnight fridge proof. I found it works well.

I always add the salt when mixing and the dough ferments perfectly, I just don't have the time for multi-stage processes. I think my loaves turn out quite well.

Cheers Anders

Cheers bud, If you aren't using high-protein bread flour then the dough may tear a little. Try to be gentle and only pull it as far as it wants to go. It does take a little getting used to.

Yes, no problem!

LOL - Bryan just commented about the baker's percentages on the scales but I haven't used that function. I should probably give it a whirl. I really like the way the dough felt, nice and soft, a treat to shape. I'm playing around with a combination of wholewheat and rye at the mo, thats been producing a nice loaf with a DEEP colour on the crust. Did I miss the tap...?

@@CulinaryExploration I have a bag of Rye sitting in my cupboard screaming to be used, so I am all ears on that! I also forgot to say I am awaiting your news regarding the lethal bread knife as they are the bane of my life, I have a draw full of blunted saw knives, I read up on how to sharpen but no success, so please Philip save me the gnawing away with a blunt old knife which happens so fast and they are not cheap! As for your signature tap on lid, I didn't see it, its kind of good luck to stop the dough gremlins😉. Ramon.

@@artycrafty9209 I'll keep you posted about the knife. So far, I am very pleased. I wont forget that tap again ;)

@@CulinaryExploration 👍

I think not. He works on end-cut maple. At no time does he press the dough onto the surface.

In all the recipes universally, bulk fermentation (BF) is the period from when the starter is incorporated in the dough, until the dough is shaped (or pre-shaped). So when Philip said "bulk fermentation took 5.5 hours", all the foldings (and rest periods) were included in this time frame and up until the moment he flipped the dough on the bench for pre-shaping. Then he left the dough in the basket for 1 hour in room temp and then put in the fridge for 18 hours. (1+18h = 19h of Final Proof). But...., that was what he did with 28 degrees C Room temp. and with his specific starter (which is different as every population of micro-organisms), so we have to look at our dough and not the clock. Only with gaining some experience with trial and error involved you will be able to get where you want (not over, not under fermented dough). Good luck.

@@galinibekou8227 Thanks so saying that. Although I love this video I missed the part when he put the banton into the refrig - for how long. The time line looks like it goes right into the bake after 5pm. So it goes into the refrig for 18 hr cold fermentation? Of course I am at that point in my baking this loaf. Hope you see this! thanks for your help.

Hey Oliver. Yep, you can extend the periods between stretches, they certainly aren't set in stone. Experiment and see what works best for you. Let me know how you get on. ATB, Phil

Hey Jane, these temps are for baking without fan, top and bottom heat only.

Hi Magnus, the huge air pockets could be down to the dough being under proofed. When this happens you tend to get big keyholes running through the loaf. If you think it's the lamination process then just make sure you push the layer together well to expel any air. Hope this helps

Reduce the hydration. Balancing the amount of liquid in the recipe is important. Different flour has different absorption capabilities. You can use the calculator linked in the video description to do this easily and quickly.

Hi Peter, cheers for the comments regarding the clear explanation and the website, much appreciated. Different flour will absorb different amounts of water so the hydration will often need to be tweaked which is why I suggest using a calculator to quickly adjust the hydration. BWJ has some great recipes and if you are finding success with Jack's recipe formula then stick with it. Appreciate the comment and if you would like any directions on how to fix your issues feel free to drop me an email. ATB Phil

The crust of the sourdough loaf can tend to be a bit chewier than bread made with commercial yeast. Have you tried to bake it in a loaf tin? Or you could try the sourdough sandwich loaf I have on this channel :)

@@CulinaryExploration Thank you for the information!