Just hit 500 sourdough loaves from my starter 'Frank' and the crumb structure is finally perfect.
After tracking every bake for two years, I realized my oven spring only got consistent after loaf 387, so don't give up if your first hundred are dense, right?
Frank deserves a medal for service. It's wild how many things work like that, where you just have to clock the hours before it clicks. My guitar playing was trash for years before my fingers finally remembered where to go on their own. What's the next baking goal after hitting 500?
Honestly, that muscle memory thing is so true for everything. You ever hit a point where you just stop overthinking it and your hands know what to do? So what's the next big bake after 500, like a crazy wedding cake or something?