Couldn't have been more pleased for the way this loaf has turned out! This is to date the most oven spring my full sourdough loaf has got without any yeast. I think it must've been the more regular feelings and the shorter feeding cycles too! Also, this dough is lower hydration than most other doughs I've worked with, so it's a lot easier to handle especially for a beginner like me. I love the crackly dots on the crust which I think is a mark for a good crust, as well as the crumb which is not too heavy or gummy but just chewy and fluffy enough! There a distinct tang of the sourdough but it isn't overpowering, just a like a background right there but not quite overwhelming. The slash on the loaf is great, thanks to the razor blade I bought from Japan (which is so sharp I cut my finger while washing it), and the great oven spring really shows off the gorgeous loaf and makes it look a lot more professional. 

I don't know but being able to produce this loaf really takes my bread baking/ sourdough baking journey to a whole new level :) I can't wait to try out even more recipes to make gorgeous, delicious loaves to share and enjoy. Thinking of maybe trying the tumeric and leek sourdough loaf from the recent sourdough book, or maybe even try a sweet chocolate version, complete with melty pockets of dark chocolate, sweet cranberries and walnuts. We could even have Indian inspired versions- mixed spices, mustard seeds, dried figs, or Mediterranean style with sundried tomatoes and olives, inspired by crown bakery's chicken rice bread. And of course multigrain wholewheat seeded versions with wholewheat flour, oats, flaxseeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and chia seeds. And maybe a pumpkin loaf too, using my pumpkin powder. The possibilities are endless, and I can't wait to try them all out. If I can master a great sourdough loaf now, I cannot image what else I'll be able to do 10 years down the road. 

Oh and also, I'd love to master pastries too! I quite suck at cake decorating but I think I'm starting to get a better hang on how to make pastries! I'd be nice to master Danish pastries, puff pastries, croissants and British meat pies- start with the rough cheats versions first, and once you're more familiar with those, get on to making the real deal. Nothing really beats homemade pastry- it's so much better than those you get outside. And fruit pies would be delicious to experiment with too- other than the usual apple pie, I think a peach or blueberry pie would be great too! Complete with a flaky, not too sweet pie crust, or a nice golden crumb topping. Yum! 

If I were to imagine and daydream, my future bakery-cafe would be like this- wake up in the morning and start preparing the bread doughs, feeding the starters, shaping and baking and cooling loaves, buns and pasties for the morning crowd. We'd serve coffee- freshly ground, good roasted coffee beans- and croissants, sweet and savoury Danish pastries, brioche rolls, cinnamon buns and traditional local otah buns. We'll have a mixture of east and west- matcha buns with a swirl of black sesame, or raspberry cream cheese buns with a crumb topping. In the late morning, sandwiches and loaves of bread come out of the oven, along with fruit pies, pound cakes and cookies. The slightly stale loaves are used for croutons and fresh, pressed paninis packed in brown paper bags, lightly toasted and filled with vinegar dressed salad greens, shredded chicken, spicy tangy kimchi mayo and crunchy sesame vege. The croutons will go atop some homemade pumpkin soup, sprinkled with a flourish of African Dukkah. Pies, cakes and cookies vary everyday, perhaps maybe on weekends where we will have a larger variety of them. We'll have caramel apple pie as our daily special, and sometimes blueberry, peach or a custard pie, depending on seasonality of fruits! For cakes we'll have cinnamon coffee cakes, fruit buckles, vanilla and chocolate pound cakes, banana cake, and maybe occasional layer cakes of cereal milk and matcha. For cookies, we'll have salted dark chocolate cookies everyday, and sometimes special treats of matcha nutella cookies or speculoos, peanut butter and dark chocolate. There may be brownies or white chocolate blondies on other days, or maybe homemade scones for Sunday tea- the classic vanilla with dried cranberries or currants, and special new flavours like pineapple Rosemary or pear thyme. We may serve our baked goods with homemade vanilla or salted caramel ice cream, churned in small batches.