How "Carl" turned out

Carl's sourdough starter is GASSY! I mean, I have NEVER had my dough rise like this. Mine usually doubles in size, at most. I think this quadrupled!

Look at that tight air bubble in the saran wrap.

I decided to try a technique I've been reading about, which is basically folding the dough in the bowl, rather than spreading it out on a floured surface. This results in no four on the dough and is supposed to help it not deflate, since you never touch it with your fingers or smash it.

I split the dough in half, and separated the two loaves with a piece of parchment paper. This didn't turn out as well as it did when I actually folded and shaped the loaves...folded and shaped made a nice heel on both ends. This turned out looking like I'd just cut a big loaf in half, because the dough just ran together in it's loose, wet form.

Overall, I'm not entirely impressed with the 'no touch/no flour' method. The bread actually rose less in the oven, which surprised me. The crust isn't as pretty. However, I have to say that it tastes just as good as any I've made in the last few weeks. Jimmie said he can't tell a difference. Both are nice and sour, have a crispy crust and a chewy center. The only major difference I see it the crust appearance and the size of the holes....little holes here, which means it didn't have much 'oven spring.' Again, surprising, because not touching it and not adding flour are supposed to keep the dough 'wetter' which is supposed to make bigger air pockets while it bakes.

Tomorrow I'll bake two batches (one with MY starter; one with CARL's starter) and use the same folding method I've been doing. I am going to have Jimmie taste test and try to determine which is which.

I love that it only takes 5 minutes to make a batch of this dough. And I love that it's fat free and contains whole wheat. Awesome.