Sourdough, attempt number four

Attempts one to three were edible, in the sense that nobody got hurt. They were also flat, dense and slightly grey. This time I changed three things at once, which is bad science but good bread.

What changed

• Hydration down to 70%. My flour simply does not take 78%. The dough was finally something I could shape instead of something I had to negotiate with.
• Starter used at its peak, about five hours after feeding at kitchen temperature, not "whenever I remember".
• Cold proof for 16 hours in the fridge, straight from the banneton into a preheated pot.

The numbers

500 g bread flour
350 g water
100 g starter (100% hydration)
10 g salt

bulk: ~5 h at 23 °C, 4 sets of stretch and fold
cold proof: 16 h at 4 °C
bake: 20 min lid on at 250 °C, 22 min lid off at 230 °C

The result has an ear, an open-ish crumb and a crust that crackles while it cools. Next time: a bit of whole wheat, and maybe scoring at a shallower angle.