@helli - looks a neat and practical routine encompassing the essence of the umpteen recipes you find if you start looking.
Seems to me that the real key is getting the right amount of water and learning how to handle what is a very sticky dough and that will come with a bit of practice.
It should
not be a very sticky dough. It is not even sticky.
Over time, I have got used to knowing by feeling the right consistency so it is hard to describe. But, if it is very sticky, you need to add more flour.
It is not possible to define exactly how much flour because different flours behave differently. And, just like diabetes, it is affected by other things like heat - my last sourdough loaves didn't like the heat and collapsed when I transferred them from the proving baskets.
I guess the easiest way to explain is that the dough should not be clinging to your hands - there will be some but if you hands are encased in sticky goo, you need more flour.
Because the recipe I use adds the water to the starter before the flour, it is not possible to adjust the water. In this recipe, the flour is the variable.
The only adjustment I have made to the original recipe (from bakerybits) is to add the salt after combining the flour. The dough gets a very different feel to it when the salt is added. It becomes "smoother".
As I dug out a photo to show you one of my finished results, I realised I forgot one step:
Don't forget to slash the top of the loaf before putting it in the oven to allow it to expand.
A final (for now) two tips
- you don't need to place it anywhere warm to prove. All you need is somewhere out of a draft. I prove my bread in the microwave. This keeps it draft-free and out of the way of the work tops. I don't switch the microwave on.
- if your hands do get coated in dough, the best way to remove it is to take a small handful of flour and rub it on your hands over the bowl of proving dough. Almost like washing your hands in flour. The sticky dough will stick to the flour and can be added to the mix. I tend to leave it on the top of the proving dough - it will get combined as the dough expands.