To ask for sourdough advice?

[alltalknobaby]

I've been making sourdough for a few months and am finding it's bit heavy and waxy/rubbery, almost like ciabatta in texture. What am I doing wrong?

Also any tips on freezing? I use a recipe that makes 2 loaves and often give one away but occasionally I would like to freeze one. I've tried freezing the dough and defrosting overnight the following week, then cooking the next day and it has not come out very well 😕

(Posted this in "Food" but got no responses)

Hello! Are you using too much starter? I use around 60g of starter to 500g of flour and 350ml of water.

I would bake the bread first and then slice it and freeze it.

Hope that helps.

I've changed the way I cut mine (sharper knife, deeper cuts, nearer the edges) and it rises higher and then is lighter inside and less rubbery.

It's taken me a long time to get to a stage I'm happy with though, I've had to change recipe, change the length of time I knead it, rest it etc.

Freezing- I find they're fine frozen cooked. Defrost in the oven for an hour on a low temp, they crisp up again nicely

I use 1 part flour, 2 parts water and 3 parts flour (2% salt), I find it gives nice results but it's not that easy to work with

Lots of people like the ciabatta-type texture, so you're probably not doing anything "wrong". I wanted a slightly less holey texture and a higher ratio of crumb to crust, so I have started lining a small casserole with baking paper, putting the dough in there to prove and then baking it in the same pot. Lots of people advise putting the lid on to create a steamy atmosphere for part of the baking time; but I haven't found that that makes any difference. I don't get fantastic oven spring; but overall the result is pretty good.

I'd freeze the finished loaf rather than the dough

The recipe I use is
960g flour
380g starter
640g water
24g salt.
I prove it in the fridge overnight then take it out, let it come up to room temp and cook it in a casserole (half with lid on, half with lid off).

Okay will freeze cooked! Not sure why I thought that wouldn't work 🧐