Hi everyone, at last on my fourth attempt my bread has come out quite good I think. The taste is just lovely the crust could be a bit better and I wish the wholes were bigger....... I went back to the simple approach and just made a white loaf with a small percentage of rye flour. I am very proud of myself. I made the (as suggested by mlucas from the wild yeast website) Norwich Sourdough and just halfed the recipe. Instead of fermenting overnight int he fridge I just fermented in a plastic bag for 2.5 hours. The slashing also did not quite turn out the way I would like too but I am still 
Quite stoked. In regard to the steam I tried to place a pyrex dish over the loaf once it was ready to place in the oven but did not realise that it wasn't big enough, so I just went with spraying the loaf and pouring half a cup of water in the bottom of the oven. The Oven Spring is much better this time, as I also used the Pizza stone, but I do think it could still be better. What do you guys think?
I want to get the crust better and maybe more mouseholes, so maybe a longer ferment next time. I want to thank all of you out there who gave me some great advice
Alex
Replies
That piece of bread looks yum yum yum. Congrats.
Looking Good, And I wouldn't be too concerned about big holes. That means you'll have to eat another slice of bread. And then make another loaf of bread because you ate the 1st one. But then, who cares, you get to bake again. Happy Baking. M
Well done. I agree if the holes are too big, the honey drips through.
That loaf looks fine to me Alex. Personally I find it hard to understand why varying size holes (with some very large ones) are considered so desirable. Fashions change - thirty years ago that would have been considered bad breadmaking!
Slashing is largely a matter of having a really sharp blade and plenty of confidence.
I have found that a La Cloche earthenware baking dome produces a superb crust (20 minutes lid on, 20 minutes lid off at 230C) with no need for sprays or ice cubes.You can achieve a similar result with a large, lidded cast iron casserole (dutch oven).
Keep up the good work!