Pandemic Baking: Sourdough #33, #34, #35

Starting with this, we are now baking using the beautiful Le Creuset round 5.5 Quart Sugar Blue Dutch oven, purchased as an anniversary gift and picked up from Le Creuset Outlet at Leesburg Premium Outlet mall. Oooh, can't wait to see the result with our new toy!

Brand new Sugar Blue Le Creuset round 5 1/2 quart Dutch oven

We started the process the night before by feeding the starter around 11:30pm.
We woke up and started getting the ingredients ready around 7:45am.

8:00am: mix dough (big glass/#33, metal bowl/#34, small glass/#35)
FDT was: 77.9 deg big glass, 77.7 deg metal bowl, 78.1 deg small glass
8:15am: fold #1
8:30am: fold #2
9:00am: fold #3
9:30am: fold #4
10:00am: fold #5
12 noon: preshape
12:30pm: shape and into banneton baskets
FDT was: 73.9 deg big glass, 73.2 deg metal bowl, 75.5 deg small glass
Basket #1(big glass/#33) was proofed at room temperature, basket #2 (metal bowl/#34) and #3 (small glass/#35) were refrigerated overnight.
Sourdough #35 final weight was 897g going into the banneton (using a 900g loaf recipe from ThePerfectLoaf)

Baking time for sourdough #33:
1. 2PM: Preheat Dutch oven at 500 deg F
2. 3PM: Score and put in oven
3. 20 minutes with lid on (rotate at 10 minutes)
4. Reduce temperature to 475 deg F
5. 30 minutes with lid off (rotate at 15 minutes)
6. Convection at 475 deg F
7. 2 minutes on bare rack (rotate at 1 minute)

Sourdough #33 post-bake weight: 718g

Sourdough #33 using ThePerfectLoaf recipe: nice and round from Le Creuset round Dutch oven

Sourdough #33: good rise and nice coloring

Sourdough #33 cross section: crumb still damp, not completely dry

Sourdough #33 first cut: nice crust

Sourdough #33: very airy open crumb 

Overall a very good loaf. With the new Dutch oven, perhaps we do not want to reduce the oven temperature to 475 deg when taking the lid off.

The next day, we took sourdough #34 out of the refrigerator at 12:54PM as we preheated the oven.

Sourdough #34 baking time:
1. 12:54PM: preheat the Dutch oven at 500 deg F and take banneton #2 out of the refrigerator
2. 2:00PM: oven is ready (thermometer reads 465 deg F); sourdough #34 skin temperature reads 53.4 deg F (so far from reaching room temperature of 75 deg F)
3. 2:05PM: score and put in oven
4. 20 minutes with lid on (rotate at 10 minutes)
5. 30 minutes with lid off (rotate at 15 minutes)
6. During the last 3.5 minutes, check on the bread and lower the oven temperature to 475 deg F to avoid burning the bread

Sourdough #34 post-bake weight: 709g

Sourdough #34 using theperfectloaf recipe and the new Le Creuset Dutch oven: nice and round

Sourdough #34 proofed in the refrigerator overnight: nice rise, lots of blisters

Sourdough #34 cross section: crumb still a little damp

Sourdough #34 first slice: crust is nice and thin and crispy

Sourdough #34 middle slice has big holes and airy crumb

Sourdough #34 was baked at 500 deg F until the last 3.5 minutes when the temperature was reduced to 475 deg to avoid burning. However that may have been unnecessary, since the crumb needs a little more baking time. Overall it was still delicious.

Sourdough #35 baking time:
1. 2:55PM: take banneton #3 out of refrigerator
2. 3:30PM: preheat Dutch oven
3. 4:47PM: oven reaches 465 deg F, and dough temperature was 55.2 deg F
4. 4:51PM: score and put in oven
5. 20 minutes lid on (rotate at 10 minutes)
6. 30 minutes lid off (rotate at 15 minutes)
7. add 2 minutes, check
8. add 1 minute, take out

Sourdough #35 post-bake weight: 719g

Sourdough #35 following theperfectloaf recipe and using Le Creuset round Dutch oven

Sourdough #35 cross section: crumb still slightly moist even with additional 3 minutes of baking time

Sourdough #35 first slice: nice crunchy crust and airy crumb

Even with the additional 3 minutes of baking time and not lowering the oven temperature, the crumb is still slightly damp. Overall still an excellent loaf with crunchy crust and airy crumb.