Hi, I'm Brendan and I'm a Sourdough-obsessed baker. Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, I now call England home and I'm constantly looking for ways to apply my engineering background to the Sourdough process to make every bake better.
After years of benefiting from all the amazing sourdough resources online, I'm so very proud of my first offering back to our virtual sourdough community... the Autoproofer app. What started as an excel spreadsheet quickly took on a life of its own. Recently released, this app's mission is to tailor sourdough recipes to your unique starter's performance, and to prompt you every step of the way to make the sourdough process as easy as possible.
If you want to try it out.... please choose your platform below:
New to Sourdough Breadmaking?
Join me for my YouTube series that walks you through making your very own Sourdough starter, and then on to baking delicious tangy San Francisco Sourdough Bread at home... all within two weeks. No breadmaking experience required!
More scoring fun 🙂 For me it's less about the final result and more about the relaxing activity of scoring. Especially helpful as I get ready for a big bread-related announcement that is going to greatly diminish most of my free time for the foreseeable future! Keep an eye out for that in the next month... I'm really excited to finally tell everyone soon 😊 #scoringvideo #sourdoughbread #sfsourdough #scoringbread #breadscoring #sourdough #sourdoughart #realbread #bread #baking #sourdoughstarter #homemadebread #breadart #loafhacker #autoproofer 3 Comments
Always fun to try other people's designs... Saw this one from @yanabacheva so I tried my own spin on it. TBH I liked hers a lot more 🤣 It was still fun though! This is a SF-style long-proofed 90% white/10% whole wheat. 87% hydration. 3 hr hot bulk at 27C/81F, 12 hour cool proof at 11C/52F, then 6 hours at 4C/39F - finally 30 mins in the freezer before scoring Happy to start doing more scoring videos again if people like them.... #sourdoughobsessed #sourdough #scoringbread #sfsourdough #sourdoughbread #homemadebread #naturallyleavened #breada Read More 3 Comments
A quick one to say thank you to the 89(!) people that entered, to our wonderful prize partners, and to everyone that followed along with the Sourdough Starter Showdown! [For tags... go to the Instagram post: https://instagram.com/loafhacker ] I have tagged the top ten winners (congrats to you all!) and you can see the details and full results at loafhacker.com/results I've also tagged our prize partners... you all were amazing in giving us all some exciting prizes to shoot for - thank you! As mentioned in the video... I have some exciting non-Sh Read More
A quick one to say thank you to the 89(!) people that entered, to our wonderful prize partners, and to everyone that followed along with the Sourdough Starter Showdown! [For tags... go to the Instagram post: https://instagram.com/loafhacker ] I have tagged the top ten winners (congrats to you all!) and you can see the details and full results at loafhacker.com/results I've also tagged our prize partners... you all were amazing in giving us all some exciting prizes to shoot for - thank you! As mentioned in the video... I have some exciting non-Sh Read More
A quick one to say thank you to the 89(!) people that entered, to our wonderful prize partners, and to everyone that followed along with the Sourdough Starter Showdown! I have tagged the top ten winners (congrats to you all!) and you can see the details and full results at loafhacker.com/results I've also tagged our prize partners... you all were amazing in giving us all some exciting prizes to shoot for - thank you! As mentioned in the video... I have some exciting non-Showdown-related news I'm geting ready to announce that I have literally been Read More 18 Comments
Final result.... from tha_bread_zaddy (I love that handle 🤣) Viet Le and his "Yeastie Boys" starter have the honor of being our last entry to publish results for. And in an end-of-competition twist - he's managed to take a place in the top ten! Congrats! Not only did it reach an impressive 258%, but it did it in only 4.3 hours! This really is a testament to the great variance we've seen in the starters from around the world throughout this competition. Yes they all rise with a predictable growth curve, but the height of the curve and the rate that Read More 30 Likes
Mammallama... all the way from Chile! 🇨🇱🤩 So there's been a long pause in results right at the end. A big part of that is due to an exciting announcement (more on that soon), but this also gave me time to wait for our most distant entry to arrive all the way from Chile! And it wasn't an easy journey - Cris had to get a special "sanitary authorisation" just to be able to send it! So there's no way I could end it before Mammallama arrived! Mammallama did wonderfully and reached 249% in 5.3 hours... just barely missing out on a top ten spot! If yo Read More 1 Comments
Final result.... from tha_bread_zaddy (I love that handle 🤣) Viet Le and his "Yeastie Boys" starter have the honor of being our last entry to publish results for. And in an end-of-competition twist - he's managed to take a place in the top ten! Congrats! Not only did it reach an impressive 258%, but it did it in only 4.3 hours! This really is a testament to the great variance we've seen in the starters from around the world throughout this competition. Yes they all rise with a predictable growth curve, but the height of the curve and the rate tha Read More
Final result.... from tha_bread_zaddy (I love that handle 🤣) Viet Le and his "Yeastie Boys" starter have the honor of being our last entry to publish results for. And in an end-of-competition twist - he's managed to take a place in the top ten! Congrats! Not only did it reach an impressive 258%, but it did it in only 4.3 hours! This really is a testament to the great variance we've seen in the starters from around the world throughout this competition. Yes they all rise with a predictable growth curve, but the height of the curve and the rate tha Read More
Mammallama... all the way from Chile! 🇨🇱🤩 So there's been a long pause in results right at the end. A big part of that is due to an exciting announcement (more on that soon), but this also gave me time to wait for our most distant entry to arrive all the way from Chile! And it wasn't an easy journey - Cris had to get a special "sanitary authorisation" just to be able to send it! So there's no way I could end it before Mammallama arrived! Mammallama did wonderfully and reached 249% in 5.3 hours... just barely missing out on a top ten spot 🤦 If y Read More
Mammallama... all the way from Chile! 🇨🇱🤩 So there's been a long pause in results right at the end. A big part of that is due to an exciting announcement (more on that soon), but this also gave me time to wait for our most distant entry to arrive all the way from Chile! And it wasn't an easy journey - Cris had to get a special "sanitary authorisation" just to be able to send it! So there's no way I could end it before Mammallama arrived! Mammallama did wonderfully and reached 249% in 5.3 hours... just barely missing out on a top ten spot 🤦 If y Read More
🚨MasterChef starter alert!🚨 I met Hope at a @realbreadcampaign event where she had brought some delicious sourdough buns 🤤... and had no idea that she was about to appear on MasterChef! Not only did Hope compete, but her starter Killian also featured on the series in two recipes! Congrats to both for making it to the MasterChef semi-finals! Killian is normally a rye-based starter, but I transitioned her to the competition standard strong white flour and she did amazingly despite the shake-up in her normal diet... 243% rise in 5.6 hours. Nicely do Read More 2 Comments
Sourdough Starter Showdown - Profile timelapse for "toast_with_hope" #shorts I met Hope at a Real Bread Campaign event where she had brought some delicious sourdough buns 🤤... and had no idea that she was about to appear on MasterChef! Not only did Hope compete, but her starter Killian also featured on the series in two recipes! Congrats to both for making it to the MasterChef semi-finals! Killian is normally a rye-based starter, but I transitioned her to the competition standard strong white flour and she did amazingly despite the shake-up in h Read More
🚨MasterChef starter alert!🚨 I met Hope at a Real Bread Campaign event where she had brought some delicious sourdough buns 🤤... and had no idea that she was about to appear on MasterChef! Not only did Hope compete, but her starter Killian also featured on the series in two recipes! Congrats to both for making it to the MasterChef semi-finals! Killian is normally a rye-based starter, but I transitioned her to the competition standard strong white flour and she did amazingly despite the shake-up in her normal diet... 243% rise in 5.6 hours. Nicely d Read More
A Spectacular Spanish Starter! María was kind enough to enter the starter that helps her bake up all the beautiful loaves on her feed... and it didn't disappoint! With an impressive 240% rise in only 4.1 hours I can see why this little workhorse does such a great job for her! It also had an amazing aroma ever time it peaked which was a lovely surprise :) Congrats on such a great starter, María! Full profile page can be found here: https://loafhacker.com/results/breadchitchat And for all the results as we bring the Showdown to a close, just head Read More 4 Comments
The secret to perfect designer baguettes!? I'm addicted to the beautifully unique baguette stunners that Rudy not only posts pictures of (see his feed!) but also runs workshops to teach people exactly how to do it... how cool is that!? OK so lets be honest... the secret isn't the starter itself but the baker's knowledge and experience behind each loaf. Still though... it was great to get my hands on Rudy's starter and put it through its paces. And it did.... GREAT! 259% rise in 4.5 hours.... that's currently looking like a top ten finisher - awe Read More 64 Likes
The secret to perfect designer baguettes!? I'm addicted to the beautifully unique baguette stunners that Rudy not only posts pictures of (see his feed!) but also runs workshops to teach people exactly how to do it... how cool is that!? OK so lets be honest... the secret isn't the starter itself but the baker's knowledge and experience behind each loaf. Still though... it was great to get my hands on Rudy's starter and put it through its paces. And it did.... GREAT! 259% rise in 4.5 hours.... that's currently looking like a top ten finisher - awe Read More
The secret to perfect designer baguettes!? I'm addicted to the beautifully unique baguette stunners that Rudy not only posts pictures of (see his feed!) but also runs workshops to teach people exactly how to do it... how cool is that!? OK so lets be honest... the secret isn't the starter itself but the baker's knowledge and experience behind each loaf. Still though... it was great to get my hands on Rudy's starter and put it through its paces. And it did.... GREAT! 259% rise in 4.5 hours.... that's currently looking like a top ten finisher - awe Read More
Look at that amazing rise!! 😱😲🙌 Kate's starter "Doughlene" is something really special! The Showdown has seen plenty of excellent starters that have had sub-200% growth. My own starter (which I love dearly) only managed 220%. The previous holder of the 1st place slot had an almighty 266% rise. Doughlene decided that she could do even better... and managed a whopping 277% rise in 5 hours flat! Kate is pretty new to sourdough making having only caught the bug in 2023. Since then she has fallen down the sourdough rabbit hole (like so many of us!) an Read More 6 Comments
Look at that amazing rise!! 😱😲🙌 Kate's starter "Doughlene" is something really special! The Showdown has seen plenty of excellent starters that have had sub-200% growth. My own starter (which I love dearly) only managed 220%. The previous holder of the #1 slot had an almighty 266% rise. Doughlene decided that she could do even better... and managed a whopping 277% rise in 5 hours flat! Kate is pretty new to sourdough making having only caught the bug in 2023. Since then she has fallen down the sourdough rabbit hole (like so many of us!) and alrea Read More
Look at that amazing rise!! 😱😲🙌 Kate's starter "Doughlene" is something really special! The Showdown has seen plenty of excellent starters that have had sub-200% growth. My own starter (which I love dearly) only managed 220%. The previous holder of the #1 slot had an almighty 266% rise. Doughlene decided that she could do even better... and managed a whopping 277% rise in 5 hours flat! Kate is pretty new to sourdough making having only caught the bug in 2023. Since then she has fallen down the sourdough rabbit hole (like so many of us!) and alrea Read More
Check out this 125 year old Mother!! 👆 Yep, that's Kristy's starter, "The Mother" who boasts a 125+ year old history that has shown the wisdom that comes with age by putting up an impressive 264% rise to raise her to 3rd in the current leaderboard for the Showdown! This is another one of those rare times where we have a tie at 264% which meant that The Mother just missed out on getting to second place by a slightly slower rise to that impressive mark. Doh! Not only is Kristy's IG feed a great place to spend some time scrolling, but her website ( Read More 13 Comments
Check out this 125 year old Mother!! 👆 Yep, that's Kristy's starter, "The Mother" who boasts a 125+ year old history that has shown the wisdom that comes with age by putting up an impressive 264% rise to raise her to 3rd in the current leaderboard for the Showdown! This is another one of those rare times where we have a tie at 264% which meant that The Mother just missed out on getting to second place by a slightly slower rise to that impressive mark. Doh! Not only is Kristy's IG feed a great place to spend some time scrolling, but her website ( Read More
Check out this 125 year old Mother!! 👆 Yep, that's Kristy's starter, "The Mother" who boasts a 125+ year old history that has shown the wisdom that comes with age by putting up an impressive 264% rise to raise her to 3rd in the current leaderboard for the Showdown! This is another one of those rare times where we have a tie at 264% which meant that The Mother just missed out on getting to second place by a slightly slower rise to that impressive mark. Doh! Not only is Kristy's IG feed a great place to spend some time scrolling, but her website ( Read More
Meet Lou and her remarkable starter "Gianni"! 🌟 With a 248% rise, Gianni has earned his top ten spot in our current leaderboard. This 75-year-old Italian starter not only bakes up fantastic loaves but has already been sent to the four corners of the world to spark many new sourdough journeys long before it made the trip to the UK for the Showdown. Quite impressive! Lou's feed is a treasure trove of sourdough tips, recipes, and more — quite a fun place to spend some time! Discover more about Gianni’s rich history and the health benefits Lou enjoys f Read More 4 Comments
Meet Lou and her remarkable starter "Gianni"! 🌟 With a 248% rise, Gianni has earned his top ten spot in our current leaderboard. This 75-year-old Italian starter not only bakes up fantastic loaves but has already been sent to the four corners of the world to spark many new sourdough journeys long before it made the trip to the UK for the Showdown. Quite impressive! Lou's feed is a treasure trove of sourdough tips, recipes, and more — quite a fun place to spend some time! Discover more about Gianni’s rich history and the health benefits Lou enjoys f Read More
Meet Lou and her remarkable starter "Gianni"! 🌟 With a 248% rise, Gianni has earned his top ten spot in our current leaderboard. This 75-year-old Italian starter not only bakes up fantastic loaves but has already been sent to the four corners of the world to spark many new sourdough journeys long before it made the trip to the UK for the Showdown. Quite impressive! Lou's feed is a treasure trove of sourdough tips, recipes, and more — quite a fun place to spend some time! Discover more about Gianni’s rich history and the health benefits Lou enjoys f Read More
Sourdough from Scandinavia... in Málaga 🤯 And it's amazing! OK so I may have taken a slight detour from my holiday to meet Thomas and the team behind this bakery at the start of their 4am shift whilst on a holiday to Málaga recently... and I don't regret the early start one bit! Lovely origin story, excellent bread... and now we find out that there's a really strong starter powering it all... "Miss Andalusia" nailed a steady rise to reach 260% at 4.8 hours... so she was a speedy one as well! For the full details of Thomas and "Miss Andalusia", Read More
Sourdough from Scandinavia... in Málaga 🤯 And it's amazing! OK so I may have taken a slight detour from my holiday to meet Thomas and the team behind this bakery at the start of their 4am shift whilst on a holiday to Málaga recently... and I don't regret the early start one bit! Lovely origin story, excellent bread... and now we find out that there's a really strong starter powering it all... "Miss Andalusia" nailed a steady rise to reach 260% at 4.8 hours... so she was a speedy one as well! For the full details of Thomas and "Miss Andalusia", Read More
Sourdough from Scandinavia... in Málaga 🤯 And it's amazing! OK so I may have taken a slight detour from my holiday to meet Thomas and the team behind this bakery at the start of their 4am shift whilst on a holiday to Málaga recently... and I don't regret the early start one bit! Lovely origin story, excellent bread... and now we find out that there's a really strong starter powering it all... "Miss Andalusia" nailed a steady rise to reach 260% at 4.8 hours... so she was a speedy one as well! For the full details of Thomas and "Miss Andalusia", Read More 1 Comments
Miranda's got something special on her hands! Her starter has not only shot up to claim the current 2nd place spot in our leaderboard... but it has done it in record time - only 4 hours! Most of the starters in the Showdown have peaked anywhere between 4.5 and 7 hours... so this one is a real speedster! We've had a couple results recently where the bakers have (quite rightly) cited the health benefits of sourdough... well in Miranda's profile she cited a pregnancy craving years ago for kicking off her sourdough journey. So now we're talking about Read More 7 Comments
Miranda's got something special on her hands! Her starter has not only shot up to claim the current 2nd place spot in our leaderboard... but it has done it in record time - only 4 hours! Most of the starters in the Showdown have peaked anywhere between 4.5 and 7 hours... so this one is a real speedster! We've had a couple results recently where the bakers have (quite rightly) cited the health benefits of sourdough... well in Miranda's profile she cited a pregnancy craving years ago for kicking off her sourdough journey. So now we're talking about Read More
Miranda's got something special on her hands! Her starter has not only shot up to claim the current 2nd place spot in our leaderboard... but it has done it in record time - only 4 hours! Most of the starters in the Showdown have peaked anywhere between 4.5 and 7 hours... so this one is a real speedster! We've had a couple results recently where the bakers have (quite rightly) cited the health benefits of sourdough... well in Miranda's profile she cited a pregnancy craving years ago for kicking off her sourdough journey. So now we're talking about Read More
Anne's keeping us entertained with a lively starter and a pun to boot... "Sour Joe"! As a dad, I do so appreciate a good pun 🤣 We recently had Heather's result where she talked about getting into sourdough as she found she could stop being gluten-free with sourdough's low GI rating. And now Anne is in the nutrition and wellness space and cites that as one of the reasons she got into sourdough. I see a deliciously healthy pattern emerging here! Sour Joe was one of the faster starters - hitting her peak (yes, her... see the results link for the full Read More
Anne's keeping us entertained with a lively starter and a pun to boot... "Sour Joe"! As a dad, I do so appreciate a good pun 🤣 We recently had Heather's result where she talked about getting into sourdough as she found she could stop being gluten-free with sourdough's low GI rating. And now Anne is in the nutrition and wellness space and cites that as one of the reasons she got into sourdough. I see a deliciously healthy pattern emerging here! Sour Joe was one of the faster starters - hitting her peak (yes, her... see the results link for the full Read More
Anne's keeping us entertained with a lively starter and a pun to boot... "Sour Joe"! As a dad, I do so appreciate a good pun 🤣 We recently had Heather's result where she talked about getting into sourdough as she found she could stop being gluten-free with sourdough's low GI rating. And now Anne is in the nutrition and wellness space and cites that as one of the reasons she got into sourdough. I see a deliciously healthy pattern emerging here! Sour Joe was one of the faster starters - hitting her peak (yes, her... see the results link for the full Read More 6 Comments
Bobo go-go so-so high! Holly should be proud of her starter Bobo as he's faced adversity in the start of his life when Holly said she started him out on "supermarket white flour", but soon new she had a star on her hands apparently as he graduated to home-milled "white wheat berries purchased locally"... quite the diva starter! 🤣 Well it appears to have been worth it because Bobo reached the lofty height of 263% and claims the 2nd place spot in the current leaderboard! Congrats to Holly and Bobo! Holly is also an artist who brings some of her arti Read More
Bobo go-go so-so high! Holly should be proud of her starter Bobo as he's faced adversity in the start of his life when Holly said she started him out on "supermarket white flour", but soon new she had a star on her hands apparently as he graduated to home-milled "white wheat berries purchased locally"... quite the diva starter! 🤣 Well it appears to have been worth it because Bobo reached the lofty height of 263% and claims the 2nd place spot in the current leaderboard! Congrats to Holly and Bobo! Holly is also an artist who brings some of her arti Read More
Bobo go-go so-so high! 😲 Holly should be proud of her starter Bobo as he's faced adversity in the start of his life when Holly said she started him out on "supermarket white flour", but soon new she had a star on her hands apparently as he graduated to home-milled "white wheat berries purchased locally"... quite the diva starter! 🤣 Well it appears to have been worth it because Bobo reached the lofty height of 263% and claims the 2nd place spot in the current leaderboard! Congrats to Holly and Bobo! Holly is also an artist who brings some of her ar Read More 17 Likes
Meet Heather and her standout starter "Helga"! 🌟 Helga showed her impressive strength by reaching a 250% rise, earning a tiebreaker and placing an impressive 5th on our current leaderboard. Heather, who turned to sourdough for its digestibility after years of being gluten-free, showcases the health benefits of sourdough through her baking. Dive deeper into her sourdough journey and check out her full profile here: https://www.loafhacker.com/results/sevenbaskets-sourdough/ . . . . . #SourdoughStarterShowdown #ArtisanBread #SourdoughStarterShowdown # Read More
Meet Heather and her standout starter "Helga"! 🌟 Helga showed her impressive strength by reaching a 250% rise, earning a tiebreaker and placing an impressive 5th on our current leaderboard. Heather, who turned to sourdough for its digestibility after years of being gluten-free, showcases the health benefits of sourdough through her baking. Dive deeper into her sourdough journey and check out her full profile here: https://www.loafhacker.com/results/sevenbaskets-sourdough/ . . . . . #SourdoughStarterShowdown #ArtisanBread #SourdoughStarterShowdown # Read More
Meet Heather and her standout starter "Helga"! 🌟 Helga showed her impressive strength by reaching a 250% rise, earning a tiebreaker and placing an impressive 5th on our current leaderboard. Heather, who turned to sourdough for its digestibility after years of being gluten-free, showcases the health benefits of sourdough through her baking. Dive deeper into her sourdough journey and check out her full Showdown profile here: https://www.loafhacker.com/results/sevenbaskets-sourdough/ Congrats to Heather and Helga! . . . . . #SourdoughStarterShowdown Read More 25 Likes
Meet Sandra and her triumphant starter, "Phoenix"! 🌟 Sandra, a self-taught baker who nearly gave up on sourdough, perservered and now has it all down pat... and now has something else to celeberate too: Her starter, Phoenix, soared to a 229% rise, showcasing a unique slow-and-steady growth after an initial peak. This is a testament to never giving up, as every challenge is just another step on the path to delicious success! Dive into the details of Sandra's journey and Phoenix's performance here: https://www.loafhacker.com/results/scrappinsl . . . Read More 27 Likes
Meet Sandra and her triumphant starter, "Phoenix"! 🌟 Sandra, a self-taught baker who nearly gave up on sourdough, perservered and has it all down pat and now has something else to celeberate too: Her starter, Phoenix, soared to a 229% rise, showcasing a unique slow-and-steady growth after an initial peak. This is a testament to never giving up, as every challenge is just another step on the path to success. Dive into the details of Sandra's journey and Phoenix's performance here: https://www.loafhacker.com/results/scrappinsl . . . . . #SourdoughStar Read More
Meet Sandra and her triumphant starter, "Phoenix"! 🌟 Sandra, a self-taught baker who nearly gave up on sourdough, perservered and has it all down pat and now has something else to celeberate too: Her starter, Phoenix, soared to a 229% rise, showcasing a unique slow-and-steady growth after an initial peak. This is a testament to never giving up, as every challenge is just another step on the path to success. Dive into the details of Sandra's journey and Phoenix's performance here: https://www.loafhacker.com/results/scrappinsl . . . . . #SourdoughStar Read More
We have a new 1st place starter in the Showdown! 🎊 Say hello to "V" from Birdy @birdysbread Besides just being a tremendous starter, my favourite part of the baker/starter profile (link below) is that he's "called V because it's like my 5th child" 🤣 So relatable for me I'm afraid! Very impressive starter and results, Birdy - congrats! To see more details about Birdy and "V", check out the full results page here: https://loafhacker.com/results/birdysbread All results from the Sourdough Starter Showdown can be found here: https://loafhackerRead More 15 Comments
"I can't believe I haven't bought a loaf for 4 years!"... Judy said this to me and I thought it was the perfect example of how this "hobby" can deliver so much good to the families of the home bakers that have been bitten by the sourdough bug! Delicious home baked sourdough bread on tap every day?.... yes please! I also am extra proud of Judy and her starter "Rona" because Judy happened across my YouTube series on learning to bake sourdough at the start of the pandemic... so I'll pretend to take just the smallest bit of credit for the wonderful bre Read More
"I can't believe I haven't bought a loaf for 4 years!"... Judy said this to me and I thought it was the perfect example of how this "hobby" can deliver so much good to the families of the home bakers that have been bitten by the sourdough bug! Delicious home baked sourdough bread on tap every day?.... yes please! I also am extra proud of Judy and her starter "Rona" because Judy happened across my YouTube series on learning to bake sourdough at the start of the pandemic... so I'll pretend to take just the smallest bit of credit for the wonderful bre Read More
Morgi's robust starter has made an impressive comeback! After a pause in baking, he revived his starter for the Showdown. Despite the long journey to the UK, it bounced back beautifully, earning third place on our current leaderboard. Congrats, Morgi! 🌟 To see more details about Morgi and his lively starter, check out the full results page here: https://loafhacker.com/results/dough_engineering All results from the Sourdough Starter Showdown can be found here: https://loafhacker.com/showdown And if you aren't already following Morgi, do yourself Read More
Morgi's robust starter has made an impressive comeback! After a pause in baking, he revived his starter for the Showdown. Despite the long journey to the UK, it bounced back beautifully, earning third place on our current leaderboard. Congrats, Morgi! 🌟 To see more details about Morgi and his lively starter, check out the full results page here: https://loafhacker.com/results/dough_engineering All results from the Sourdough Starter Showdown can be found here: https://loafhacker.com/showdown And if you aren't already following Morgi, do yourself Read More
Minna's starter has finally cracked a long-time sourdough mystery... does a starter change when it has been dehydrated and rehydrated? Spoiler alert: NO! Minna was kind enough to send me both an active starter and a dehydrated version (as a backup). The live starter was in good health so I used that first, but then I decided to rehydrate the dehydrated version as well to compare the growth of the two. After a couple days of bringing it back to life, and then a couple more of feeding it regularly, I then profiled the dehydrated version to compare it Read More
Today we have Betsy and a lockdown baby - "Dr. Fauci" 🤣 Betsy and I only met through the Showdown but she's from my old stomping grounds in the SF Bay Area where Betsy tells me that "Dr. Fauci" was used to warm weather... so he seemed to love the warm environment of the Showdown's 25°C/77°F environment in the Autoproofer. So with our warm-weather-loving Dr. Fauci putting in a great performance, we have even more action at the top of the leaderboard with Betsy taking over the 4th spot - congrats! 🥳 To see more details about Betsy and "Dr. Fauci", Read More 22 Likes
Minna's starter has finally cracked a long-time sourdough mystery... does a starter change when it has been dehydrated and rehydrated? Spoiler alert: NO! Minna was kind enough to send me both an active starter and a dehydrated version (as a backup). The live starter was in good health so I used that first, but then I decided to rehydrate the dehydrated version as well to compare the growth of the two. After a couple days of bringing it back to life, and then a couple more of feeding it regularly, I then profiled the dehydrated version to compare it Read More 18 Likes
"I can't believe I haven't bought a loaf for 4 years!"... Judy said this to me and I thought it was the perfect example of how this "hobby" can deliver so much good to the families of the home bakers that have been bitten by the sourdough bug! Delicious home baked sourdough bread on tap every day?.... yes please! I also am extra proud of Judy and her starter "Rona" because Judy happened across my YouTube series on learning to bake sourdough at the start of the pandemic... so I'll pretend to take just the smallest bit of credit for the wonderful bre Read More 7 Comments
Morgi's robust starter has made an impressive comeback! After a pause in baking, he revived his starter for the Showdown. Despite the long journey to the UK, it bounced back beautifully, earning third place on our current leaderboard. Congrats, Morgi! 🌟 To see more details about Morgi and his lively starter, check out the full results page here: https://loafhacker.com/results/dough_engineering All results from the Sourdough Starter Showdown can be found here: https://loafhacker.com/showdown And if you aren't already following Morgi, do yours Read More 3 Comments
The 2nd of 2 results for today - both are from talented bakers that aren't on Instagram... so these are only posted by little ol' me. This one is showcasing "Bub" from Wayne in Florida. Wayne has been baking sourdough for 20+ years and he obviously knows how to keep a hearty starter nice and healthy because it came to me across the pond as a dehydrated brown starter... and jumped back to life almost immediately with no issues whatsoever in accepting its new diet of strong white bread flour. Bub then performed great when the spotlight was on - r Read More 1 Comments
The 1st of 2 results for today - both are from talented bakers that aren't on Instagram... so these are only posted by little ol' me. This one is showcasing "PSJ" from Lisa in Germany. Now I've got a soft spot in my heart for this starter because Lisa describes the bread that PSJ makes as "very sour". I know that's not everyone's cup of tea but my mouth is watering just thinking about it! This is another starter that I had to take out of its comfort zone of a rye and whole-wheat flour in order to test it on the competition standard strong white Read More 23 Likes
It's Rebecca's time to shine with "Hey You Two"! I love the story behind the name so make sure and check out her results page for the details. This was an interesting one because Rebecca has two starters, but her primary one is a rye starter that doesn't like the strong white bread flour that I use for all competitors (to keep it all as fair as possible). I don't work with rye much so it was fun to profile the rye starter (with rye flour) and see how differently it responds (rye starters are apparently quite the dramatic starters with all those pro Read More 8 Comments
There's an ask on this one (!) But first, please meet Elizabeth's starter "Lexa" 👋 Besides having a great starter that performed admirably, what I love about Elizabeth's story is that she has several years of sourdough baking under her belt (baker's apron?🤔) and this year she has expanded to baking in bulk to offer to her community in Minnesota. Something I love about the sourdough community is how helpful everyone is and how much everyone wants to see each other succeed.... so isn't this the perfect time to again prove that to the world?? So the Read More 4 Comments
Deena's "Bray Wyatt" starter is a terrific all-around starter and it was great fun to see the huge bubbles he produced... so much so that I left the profiling session running for hours after the peak just to see the full picture from start through to collapse. The huge bubbles kept escaping after about the 3 hour mark which I think gave him less observable rise, but when this is mixed into a well-developed dough it would have shown the true rising potential that he exhibits every week for Deena and her friends and family :) I'm told that he loves al Read More 2 Comments
Meet "Ruby," the vibrant force behind Azalea’s stunning loaves! Azalea's first starter didn't quite make it through a big move, but luckily Ruby stepped in as her new starter and quickly became a key player in creating those beautiful, colorful loaves that make her feed a treasure trove of inspiration. Celebrating Ruby's power in the Sourdough Starter Showdown, she's making waves in the top 5! Keep shining, Azalea and Ruby! Full results page for Azalea and "Ruby": https://loafhacker.com/results/loaf-fi-bread All results from the Sourdough Start Read More 7 Comments
Say hello to 'Sourpuss,' the new leader of our Sourdough Starter Showdown! Laila and I first connected on Instagram years ago, and I was thrilled when she joined the Showdown, allowing me to profile the starter behind all the fantastic loaves I've admired on her feed. No double-bubble on this one (check out yesterday’s result for that to make sense) - just a traditional starter that began its rise smoothly and sustained a powerful, impressive growth to achieve the tallest rise we've seen to date. Well done, Laila (and Sourpuss too! 😉). Full results Read More 15 Comments
Meet "Doughvid-19," Jen's incredible starter that's just clinched the current top spot in our Sourdough Starter Showdown! This unique starter shows a sign of the rare "double bubble" starter phenomenon which Tom (from @the_sourdough_journey ) helped decipher for me. There will be a separate post going into that in full detail, but even when keeping with standard competition rules of measuring it at the first peak, it still means we have a new leader in the Showdown! Congrats Jen! Let's see if this compeition has any more fun twists and turns... st Read More 7 Comments
👑 New leader alert! Leo's starter 'Pedro' has just soared to the #1 spot in the Sourdough Starter Showdown! 🌟 Witness 'Pedro's' incredible journey to the top in our latest reel. The competition is heating up, folks! Full results page for Leo and Pedro: https://loafhacker.com/results/leo-thebaker All results from the Sourdough Starter Showdown: https://loafhacker.com/showdown Don't forget to check out @leo.thebaker for more baking inspiration. . . . #SourdoughStarterShowdown #ArtisanBread #sourdough #sourdoughbread #sourdoughstarter #loafh Read More 9 Comments
Sally's "STOP STARTING" starter has shown remarkable resilience in the Sourdough Starter Showdown, overcoming its usual preference for colder temps and a stiffer mix to secure a top 5 spot, even surpassing my own starter! Despite not being in its ideal conditions, it's been a standout example of adaptability and strength. A big shoutout to Sally for sharing such a unique contender with us! Full results page for Sally and "stopstarting1": https://loafhacker.com/results/stopstarting1 All results from the Sourdough Starter Showdown: https://loafhRead More 35 Likes
Introducing Feather River, my very own starter stepping into the spotlight of our Sourdough Starter Showdown. You can now rest assured that I am not here to stroke my ego and come out on top.... as I am quite far behind the leaders in this competition... but I knew that was going to be the case going into it! That is part of why I created the Showdown actually - as I always suspected there were much better performing starters out there but never had the quantifiable proof to be certain. Don't get me wrong, I really like my starter, and it serves m Read More 10 Comments
Rounding out our current top 3 is 'Sally Brown,' a starter that's a solid grower, matching the rhythm of growth to its own tune 🎶 (turn on bg music for that to make sense ;) This steady riser didn't stop until it hit the peak. Dive into the growth journey of Sally Brown and see why it's a chart-topper in our Sourdough Starter Showdown. Full results are on the Showdown's page (link in bio) or: https://loafhacker.com/showdown or the direct link to Steve's results: https://loafhacker.com/results/nibsuk Stay tuned for more exciting results tomorrow! Read More 44 Likes
Bad Bunny the Easter Bunny origin story 🤣🤷 It started off so well... Then ended up looking kinda creepy like a haunted Easter bunny 🤦 Ah well... Live and learn for next year I suppose! 🤣 #sourdough #sourdoughbread #sourdoughart #easter #easterbunny #badbunny #loafhacker 11 Comments
Twist in the Showdown! Jen from @she.bakes.bread just took the top spot with her starter "Biffy", showcasing an early surprise in our Sourdough Starter Showdown. Watch this mesmerizing time-lapse to see how her starter just barely edged out yesterday's result. Stay tuned for more twists and turns! Follow us for the latest updates and check out Jen's full story and the showdown details at: https://loafhacker.com/showdown or the direct link to Jen's results: https://loafhacker.com/results/she-bakes-bread I haven't personally tasted her loaves Read More 5 Comments
Results time! Here's the time-lapse of our first Sourdough Starter Showdown entrant - the incredible Rise Bakehouse from Reading. With a starter as strong as their loaves are delicious, you're in for a real treat. This is just the beginning, with more results on the way. Don't miss out on the action; follow for all the updates. Full profiling videos and more info about Rise's starter "Willow" and Sophie and Nathan at Rise are on their results page on the Showdown's website. And when you're in Reading next, grab a loaf from @risebakehousereading Read More 5 Comments
Time to peek behind the showdown! Ahead of revealing the early results of the Sourdough Starter Showdown, here's a glimpse into prepping our stars for the big stage. Water, ripe starter, and flour - a simple blend but it all has to be done very precisely to keep a level playing field for all the showdown`s contestants. Who will rise to the occasion? Stay tuned! #SourdoughStarterShowdown #sourdough #loafhacker #sourdoughbread #sourdoughstarter #FermentationMagic #autoproofer #autoprooferai 7 Comments
The Sourdough Starter Showdown begins TODAY! The video explains it, or tap the link in my bio to learn more and join the fun! Can you think of someone that might want to join?... Tag them in the comments below or share this post with them! Or even better... share this post in your story to tell all of your friends! 🍞✨ It's completely free, and we've even got some amazing prizes up for grabs thanks to our incredible prize partners: Kitty @kittytaitbaker Peter @simpelsurdej Elaine @elaine_foodbod Gosia @gosia_sourdoughfever Tyler @wiremonkeyshop Read More 72 Comments
Garlic & rosemary... with a twist!... I love roasted garlic but my favourite combo is to use half semi-roasted garlic and half raw garlic. Then it all bakes so nicely with the bread and the combination with milled fresh rosemary is absolutely amazing. I dropped the hydration to 75% and then bulk fermented for 4 hours, cool fermented (11°C/52°F) for 24 hours, then another 12 at normal fridge temp. It develops the flavour so nicely!🤤 . . . . . #sourdoughobsessed #sourdough #sfsourdough #sourdoughbread #sourdoughbaguettes #baguettes #homemadebread Read More 6 Comments
Stills from the last scoring reel I did based on the beautiful design by @goodkneads 😍 . . . . #sourdoughobsessed #sourdough #scoringbread #sfsourdough #sourdoughbread #homemadebread #breadart #breadscoring #realbread #crumbshot #artisanbread #bread 6 Comments
I love this design. That's why I knew I had to try it when I stumbled across it on Jessika's wonderful feed! @goodkneads . . . . #sourdoughobsessed #sourdough #scoringbread #sfsourdough #sourdoughbread #homemadebread #naturallyleavened #breadart #breadscoring #realbread #crumbshot #artisanbread #realbread #sourdoughbaking #bread #fermentation #levain #instafood #sourdoughstarter #wildyeast #homemade #breadsofinstagram #baking #homebaker #yummy #food #foodie 4 Comments
Even bread can have a "good side" 🤣... This loaf for example... I just rocked up to the dough with a lame and a pair of scissors and thought I'd see where the moment took me... The pictured half may suggest that was a good idea... But look at the last picture of the scored dough. Nope... I have no idea what I was going for on that other side either 🤷🏻♂️🤣🤣 Ah well... Live and learn! 🤣 #sourdough #scoringbread #sfsourdough #sourdoughbread #homemadebread #naturallyleavened #breadart #breadscoring #realbread #crumbshot #artisanbread #realbread Read More 1 Comments
Stills from the bake in my last scoring reel. Very simple score but very aesthetically pleasing I think! #ricracscore #sourdough #scoringbread #sfsourdough #sourdoughbread #homemadebread #naturallyleavened #breadart #breadscoring #realbread #crumbshot #artisanbread #realbread #sourdoughbaking #bread 14 Comments
Round 2: AI tackles 16°C/61°F with a new beat to complete the feat! #SourdoughScience #Autoproofer #sourdough #sourdoughbread #sourdoughstarter #naturallyleavened #bread #loafhacker #sourdoughstarter #bread 4 Comments
Saw this oldie but goodie trending and had to give it another go :) #ricracscore #sourdough #scoringbread #sfsourdough #sourdoughbread #homemadebread #wiremonkeyshop #naturallyleavened #breadart #breadscoring #realbread #crumbshot #artisanbread #realbread #sourdoughbaking #bread 17 Comments
Watch AI take on Sourdough, controlling the heat and composing the beat. This time: monitoring the rise at 15C/59F while composing a cheery song about a cold, slow-growing starter. AI and sourdough, making sweet music together at last 🤣 #SourdoughScience #Autoproofer #sourdough #sourdoughbread #sourdoughstarter #naturallyleavened #bread #loafhacker 3 Comments
Sourdough tip: How to unstick your dough from the banneton before baking For all my high hydration loving friends out there that don't like to use a liner!🤷🏻♂️🙄🤣 #sourdoughobsessed #sourdough #sfsourdough #sourdoughbread #sourdoughbaguettes #homemadebread #naturallyleavened #realbread #crumbshot #artisanbread #realbread #sourdoughbaking #bread #fermentation #levain #instafood #sourdoughstarter #wildyeast #homemade #breadsofinstagram #baking #homebaker #yummy #food #foodie 8 Comments
When does a baguette become a ciabatta exactly? 🤔🤣 Fun with overproofing ... 🙄🤷🏻♂️ #sourdough #sourdoughbread #crumbshot #bagguette #ciabatta 5 Comments
Baguettes are back too! I have a special place in my heart for baguettes... But they go off so much quicker than boules 🤷🏻♂️🤦 I guess that just meant I need to eat it faster 🤷🏻♂️ . . . . . . #sourdoughobsessed #sourdough #sfsourdough #sourdoughbread #sourdoughbaguettes #baguettes #homemadebread #naturallyleavened #realbread #crumbshot #artisanbread #realbread #sourdoughbaking #bread #fermentation #levain #instafood #sourdoughstarter #wildyeast #homemade #breadsofinstagram #baking #homebaker #yummy #food #foodie 6 Comments
I'm back posting again! I thought I'd start with one inspired by the amazing Rachel @sourdough_enzo . I then quickly realised that it may be time to leave difficult patterns to the professionals like Rachel though 🤦🤣 Still great to be back :) Been keeping busy with sourdough related fun not involving artistic scoring (obviously🤣) btw. Stay tuned for more info on that coming soon! Brendan . . . . . . . #sourdoughobsessed #sourdough #scoringbread #sfsourdough #sourdoughbread #homemadebread #naturallyleavened #breadart #breadscoring #realbread Read More 15 Comments
Bavarian pretzel time again 🤤 New series of posts coming comparing how different temperatures impact sourdough starter growth.... Stay tuned! 7 Comments
Which side will win!? Temp is the only difference... Yesterday, 28C/82F beat 20C/68F.... now the loser is back for a rematch.... #sourdough #sourdoughbread #masamadre #naturallyleavened #wildyeast #levain #fermentation #breadmaking #sourdoughstarter #lievitomadre #autoproofer #engineerbetterbread #loafhacker 12 Comments
Can you guess which side will win? Same starter, same amounts, the only difference is the temperature... Temperature makes such a difference for the sourdough process, from the temerature you keep your starter at, through to hot and cold bulk fermentation temps. I've got what I think is best for my particular starter and my particular recipes... but I thought it was time to fill in the gaps in my knowledge. So this month I'll be testing lots of different temperatures and building a more complete picture of how my starter reacts differently at Read More 2 Comments
Merry Christmas to all my IG bread buddies 🎄🤗 I hope you are all having a wonderful day with friends and family - regardless of what or how you celebrate! ❄️🥳 #sourdough #sourdoughbread #autoproofer #loafhacker #engineerbetterbread 17 Comments
My take on a Xmas 🌲 loaf :) Tried to use the tops of the trees to be the main point of expansion for the loaf with deeper more angled scores. Also raised them up and added a bit of rice flour to the tips to ensure they would curl above the loaf (ear-style) as it baked. The proofing is back to the way I love doing it.... low and slow! Meaning: I cut the warm bulk phase a bit short and then leave it at around 10C/50F for at least 12 hours. Then it's down to cold fridge temps to lock it in place and develop the flavours even more. It usually ends Read More 3 Comments
Getting into the holiday scoring spirit ❄️ (ok a bit late - I know!). Using the wonderful Foodbod Master Recipe in the @autoproofer app (link in bio) #autoproofer #engineerbetterbread #sourdough #sourdoughbread 6 Comments
With a new loaf comes a brand new feature in the Autoproofer app (swipe 👉)... The reception to my new Autoproofer app has been amazing since I released it last week - thank you so much for everyone who has given it a try already 🙏 I've especially loved getting tagged from people who have been using the app 🤗 If you haven't tried it yet - link is in my bio! So the new feature... Shareable stats for Instagram (swipe to second picture to check out an example). I am usually way too lazy to type out the vitals for the recipe, so this takes whatever yo Read More 24 Comments
BIG NEWS! Today I can finally announce the release of Autoproofer! Link in my bio. So what exactly is it??? The Autoproofer App tailors top sourdough recipes to your unique starter’s performance and prompts you every step of the way to keep you on track. Instructional videos guide you through each step to make the sourdough process as easy as possible. So what are the "top sourdough recipes"?? Glad you asked! These all-stars were kind enough to have their recipes featured for the initial launch: Jim Challenger @jimchall and his KIS Sourdough r Read More 69 Comments
Variety is the spice of life... and right now for me that means trying other recipes and varying the hydration of the recipes when I do. While most recipes have very similar percentages and instructions, the little differences can actually make a huge difference. Coil folds vs laminations? It makes a difference! Higher vs lower inoculation %? Definitely makes a difference! But then just for fun... cranking the amount of water up and down and see the effects... For this one I used @foodgeek.dk "Master Recipe" but took the hydration down a coup Read More 20 Comments
Bizarro World 🦃: When your Turkey becomes bread, your stuffing needs to become turkey, right!? This started with a nice herby turkey sausage that I precooked, then popped in the freezer so it would start to harden up (to avoid overcooking in the bread), before taking effetively a fougasse dough, and wrapping it around Wellington-style. Then I used the rest of the dough to construct the parts of turkey... Frankenstein-style 🤣 I had a slice of it for lunch today, heated up and then smothered in mustard and I have to say... not bad!! It really d Read More 44 Comments
This is my answer to the question: So what exactly do I do with a Sourdough Turkey!? 🤣 Inspired by @sourdoughwithsachi and then pushed over the edge by the great one from @sour__flour where Brittany asked: what to do with a bread-based turkey besides using as a centerpiece!? In university (long long ago) I worked at CPK and was absolutely addicted to their Spinach Artichoke Dip. So doing that in a sourdough tear-n-share-breadbowl style would be fine, but it seemed a shame to plan to rip apart the Turkey from the beginning... so luckily @maurizio Read More 30 Comments
Thanks to @maurizio for the idea to make grissini 👍👊 It made for the perfect accoutrement for my entry to the Sourdough Turkey fun-loaf-of-the-season club 😜 I'll post those tomorrow as soon as I've got the pics :) 8 Comments
mmmm Sourdough pretzels.... love these little beauties 🤤 Actually forgot to post this until they were gone and now it's making me want them again. I am still using the "baked bicarb" method since food grade lye has proved so hard to come by here in the UK. If anyone knows any secrets where I can find it... Please let me know! 🙏🙏 18 Comments