Sourdough Slip-ups: the 10 Rookie Mistakes That Ruin Your Bread How to Avoid

Sourdough Slip-Ups: The 10 Rookie Mistakes That Ruin Your Bread (And How to Avoid Them!)Are you tired of flat, dense, or gummy sourdough loaves that never match the Instagram perfection you crave? As a beginner, it’s easy to fall into common traps that sabotage your bakes—from mindset pitfalls to technical errors in fermentation and baking. In “Sourdough Slip-Ups,” experienced baker Ella Leavenworth breaks down the 10 most frequent mistakes new sourdough enthusiasts make, drawing on real-world troubleshooting and practical fixes to help you bake confident, crusty loaves every time.This no-nonsense guide starts with the biggest hidden mistake: the mindset trap of comparing your early loaves to polished social media highlights. Learn why those glossy crumbs are often the result of dozens of practice bakes, and discover simple habits like journaling your process, celebrating small wins, and focusing on one skill per bake to build patience and steady progress. Say goodbye to frustration and hello to treating failures as valuable experiments.Next, dive into starter care—the heart of every sourdough bake. Avoid weak or smelly starters by mastering feeding ratios (like 1:1:1 for maintenance or 1:2:2 for boosts), recognizing signs of health (doubling in 4-6 hours, bubbly dome, yeasty smell), and quick rescues for hooch, solvent odors, or dormancy. Whether you keep your starter at room temp or in the fridge, this chapter equips you with routines and backups to ensure it’s always bake-ready.Fermentation stages can make or break your loaf, so Chapter 3 teaches you to read dough cues instead of relying on timers. Master bulk fermentation with visual signs like doming, bubbles, and the windowpane test, plus stretch-and-fold techniques for gluten strength. Then, unlock the magic of cold proofing for deeper flavor and easier scheduling—8-18 hours in the fridge firms dough, improves scoring, and prevents overproofing disasters.Shaping and final proofing are where many loaves lose tension. Learn preshape rests, bench scraper tricks, and the poke test to create taut surfaces that trap gas for epic oven spring. Avoid over-flouring, aggressive handling, or ignoring bubbles, and get rescue moves for sticky or deflated dough to salvage bakes on the fly.Scoring and baking get simplified in Chapter 5: one confident slash, a preheated Dutch oven at 450°F, and lid-on steam for 20 minutes deliver blistered crusts without complexity. Troubleshoot pale or burnt results, check internal temps (200-210°F), and resist slicing too soon to prevent gummy crumbs.Finally, tie it all together with flour choices (start with high-protein bread flour, add whole grains gradually), hydration basics (60-72% for beginners), and a pre-bake checklist to catch issues early. Packed with troubleshooting lists, practical routines, and encouragement to embrace variability, this book turns rookie errors into expert skills.Whether you’re reviving a sluggish starter or perfecting your oven spring, “Sourdough Slip-Ups” empowers you with step-by-step guidance, checklists, and mindset shifts for bakery-worthy results at home. Stop guessing and start baking with joy—your perfect loaf is just a few adjustments away!