A Wild, Crazy Crumb

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I was not expecting this, but given how active my levain was and how strong the 85% (!!!) hydration dough seemed to be, I guess I'm not that surprised!

No special secret! I just make sure to feed my starter about three times before I use it to make the levain. I make sure it's extra webby before I make the levain:

See video here for how the starter looked right before I used a chunk of it to make the levain.

I make sure to push the fermentation time during bulk too. I use time more as a rough measure and judge by look and feel more than exact elapsed time. For a lacy crumb like this, I make sure to pat down the dough at each fold and at the final shaping. If I don't want a lacy crumb, I don't pat.

I'm not sure it's that lacy at the left tho! The right looks more delicate!