The Time I Turned My Bread Into a Black Brick

Okay so this is embarrassing but also kind of hilarious now that I think about it. A few months ago I completely and totally burned a loaf to the point where it looked like a piece of charcoal. Like not just a little dark crust, I'm talking full-on black brick. And the craziest part is how it actually happened.

I had been working with Yeaston all morning doing my usual routine. Fed the starter, mixed up my dough, did my stretch-and-folds during bulk fermentation, the whole thing. Everything was going perfectly. The dough looked good, the oven spring was gonna be insane, I could just tell. I shaped the loaf and got it ready for the Dutch oven, feeling pretty confident about the whole thing. For those who don't know, Yeaston is my starter's name. Get it? Easton plus yeast equals Yeaston. I know, I know, pretty creative.

But here's where I messed up big time. I had maybe twenty minutes left on the timer when my friends texted and wanted to go to the park. I got so excited I literally just left. Completely forgot I had a loaf baking in the oven. My dad came with me to the park and my mom was doing her own thing, so the bread was just sitting there in the oven with nobody paying attention to it at all.

I have no idea how long it actually baked for. All I know is my mom smelled something crazy intense, like toasted times a thousand. She went downstairs and opened the Dutch oven and found this black brick of a loaf. We were actually so lucky she checked when she did because honestly, I think we were super close to having a house fire situation. That's kind of terrifying to think about now.

The worst part was knowing I had wasted Yeaston's hard work. My starter had done everything right, the fermentation was perfect, the dough development was there. And then I just went to the park. My mom thought it was hilarious but I was pretty bummed, and honestly scared that I'd almost done something really dangerous.

The good news is I learned my lesson the hard way. I'm eleven and I've been baking sourdough for a little under a year, so I'm still figuring stuff out. Now I set timers on my Apple Watch for literally everything and I never leave the house if I have bread in the oven. My dad even helped me make a checklist on my iPad for my Rise and Grind business stuff so I don't get as distracted when I'm homeschooled.

So yeah. Even when you're doing everything right with your starter and your fermentation and your technique, you gotta remember the most important part: actually paying attention to your bread. And definitely don't go to the park. Lesson learned the hardest way possible.