Hit my 500th loaf of sourdough this morning and it was a total accident

I was just pulling my weekly bake out of the oven (a Saturday ritual for about 3 years now) and I realized my notebook had exactly 500 checkmarks next to my recipe log. I started counting loaves as a joke after my first few disasters in 2021, you know, to track progress or whatever. Then this morning I hit that even 500 and I had to just stand there staring at the steam coming off the crust for like a minute. Has anyone else ever counted up their total bakes and gotten surprised by the number?

2 comments

2 Comments

robinmason4d ago

Wait, you actually kept a notebook with checkmarks? I just mentally tracked my first 50 or so and then gave up once the flour bills started getting scary. But man, hitting 500 by accident is kind of hilarious, like you blinked and suddenly you're a professional baker with no actual training. I bet that steam off the crust felt like a little victory dance though, even if you didn't plan it. Seriously, that's a lot of gluten handshake right there.

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rowan_thomas4d ago

Heard about a buddy who did something similar with sourdough. He kept a tally on the back of an old pizza box, just little hash marks every time he pulled a loaf. Lost count around 200 and then the box got soggy and fell apart. But he told me that once you hit that many, you can basically eyeball the hydration level without measuring. Said his kitchen counter has a permanent flour shadow now, like a ghost of all those loaves past.