SOUREST SOURDOUGH BREAD

boathook, I have a couple of questions because what you describe sounds very much like my first 5 or 6 attempts at sourdough bread:

1.  Are you sure that your starter is ALIVE?  (My first few attempts were rock pancakes because I was inadvertently trying to bake bread with a starter that was dead.)

2.  Are you measuring?  I know it's a pain, but investing $20 in a scale that measured by both grams and ounces made all the difference.

Here's what I do....what finally worked consistently for me.... I've even begun doubling the recipe with consistent success beyond my wildest dreams.

The night before (typically around 6 pm).  I remove my starter from the refrigerator, stir it, and feed it by removing 5 ounces (measured by weight on a scale) from the starter jar. (This starter I set aside in a bowl to use for my bread.)

Then I replace 5 ounces (measured by weight on a scale) of all purpose flour, and 5 ounces of water (measured by weight on a scale) back into my starter jar.  Mix and set aside on the counter.  I leave this on the counter for 4 hours or so (with the jar lid slightly askew or loosely covered with plastic wrap) to let the yeast come alive.  When it is full of bubbles and has risen in the jar, I put my starter back in the refrigerator until I'm ready to use it again. It has the most lovely smell too.  NOTE: If the just fed starter does not rise visibly after 4 hours, your bread won't rise either.

Back to the bread..... 

Into the bowl in which I have just put my 5 ounces of starter, I add the bread flour (440 grams measured by weight on a scale) (but all purpose would work too), salt, and 8 ounces of water, also measured by weight. Note: You could add up to another ounce of water, but I find that 8 ounce measure works best for me.

I mix this by hand until all the liquid is absorbed. It is a shaggy lump of dough.  I leave the dough in the mixing bowl, cover with a dish towel and place on the counter overnight, typically for 14 to 16 hours.  I never refrigerate at this stage.  Just leave it there.

The next morning the dough has more than doubled in size and looks and smells fantastic. I scrape it onto a surface that I have lightly dusted with flour (and lately have also dusted flax seed and wheat bran).  The dough is light and airy, but very easy to handle.  I knead this for 15 or 20 times by turning and folding it. I then shape into one round loaf.

Now  I grease some parchment paper and place into a round skillet. I place my dough onto that parchment in that skillet.  I then lightly oil the shaped dough with olive oil (but you can use what you like), cover with a dishtowel and leave it on the counter again to rise.

90 minutes later, I turn on my oven to 425F (that is the temperature that works for me, but every oven is different).  I remove the bottom oven rack and place the remaining oven rack(covered with aluminum foil) approximately in the middle of the oven.  A 3.5 quart covered dutch oven goes on that rack to pre-heat.

30 minutes later, while the oven is pre-heating, I take the dishtowel off my bread which has doubled in size.  I take a paring knife or scissors and slash the top about 6 inches across and maybe 1/4 inch deep.

Next, I carefully [it's screaming hot] remove the dutch oven from the oven to remove its lid.

I grab the parchment paper on either end like a sling and place the dough into the hot dutch oven.

I replace the lid on the dutch oven and return it to the pre-heated oven for 30 minutes.

30 minutes after that, I take the dutch oven lid off the pot, and put the bread back into the oven, uncovered, for the remaining 30 minutes.

That's exactly what I've been doing and so far, it's worked for me every single time.

Good luck and I hope it works for you.