Sunday Notes: The 'Just Bake It' Loaf

A dough went sideways on Saturday — sluggish bulk, wet after cold retard, spread on the peel. My first instinct was to bin it. I baked it instead.

The loaf was flat, pale, and open in exactly the way over-proofed doughs are. But it was also delicious, and slicing into it taught me more about what over-proofed crumb actually looks like than a hundred forum photos.

There's a common Reddit refrain: 'no such thing as a wasted bake.' Even the ugly ones make toast, and the diagnosis you get in exchange is worth the flour.