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i think i'm getting better with the sourdough. this time, i followed exactly nigella's method, not going through with dividing the dough. turns out, my oven can take a loaf of that size.
the dough kneaded in the machine. it's still on the sticky side, but i'm getting used to it. and somehow there seems to be a pattern on the surface of this dough, like a tree, or a dancing girl.
i somehow managed to turn the dough out of the bowl and shape it into a rough ball, placed it in an oiled bowl, and let it rise until very big. i think the oil helps keep the surface of the dough from sticking.
though nigella instructs you to punch the dough down, my american book says it's too vigorous for most doughs. but since i'm following nigella, i did what i was told, and punched the dough down. you can see one bulb of air trying to escape, but the thin layer of skin just trapped it in.
this is the proving stage. i was scared that the dough would puff beyond the sheet, but it was just right.
scattered cornmeal on top and made checkered scoring. i discovered the trick to make checkered scoring look good: instead of scoring perpendicularly, skew the scoring lines a bit to form diamonds, not squares. but it isn't easy to actually score that way, because somehow i have a tendency to cut perpendicularly still.
the dough continued to expand sideways, but luckily after a while it began growing upwards, pulling the sides inwards so that it wouldn't touch the sides of the baking sheet. this came out big and moist inside. looking better than before. i hope the sourdough continues to improve.
thin-sliced toast with butter. i love how the butter percolates through the holes in the toast.