awww thank you so much for this comment – it made MY day!

how did it turn out?

Are you letting it sit and rest for a bit with about a cup of flour before adding the rest? This really helps soak up some of that moisture. But yes, this dough is a little more sticky than others because you want those big bubbles throughout. I err on the side of less flour then shape it with extra if I can’t handle it without flour because it’s too sticky. That seems to help and get it manageable enough to shape and rise a second time. I have never used more than the called for amount of flour in this recipe, but altitude would effect that as well!

Thanks for that!

I don’t, sorry!

I think so . . . at least!

Yes, put a non-airtight lid on it. You can flip the canning lids around so the rubber ring faces up, then screw that on if it’s what you’re using! I have a video on youtube showing how to reconstitute the freeze dried stuff. It will be 3 quick parts!

You WILL make beautiful bread, I promise! It takes time. How long did you let it rise the first time? Had it risen at all before braiding it? Or was this just the second rise where it didn’t get up there? My first thought is that it probably wasn’t kneaded enough to start. If doing it by hand, it should take at least 20 minutes (a real workout!) because you just aren’t going as fast as a mixer would. I have done it lots in the past and it takes a while. To see if it’s kneaded enough, grab a chunk of the dough and gently stretch it apart with your fingertips. If it tears, it isn’t done. If you can see through it and it doesn’t tear, it’s opaque, then it’s ready! It needs to be smooth and elastic before you let it rise.
Then let me know about the rise times. And we’ll go from there! And thank you for asking so many questions — it makes me happy that you are really invested in making it work. It will take some time, but you will get there. My first loaves 4 years ago were AWFUL. haha.

You can bake the loaf just on a sheet pan in the oven! It won’t get as crusty on the outside/chewy on the inside, but will still bake a great loaf.

Brittany,
Hi! You measure out what you need, then feed the remaining starter! The best way to get started with it is to find someone with a good starter that you know makes excellent bread! There are over 1,000 strains of wild yeast, so if you capture your own and make a starter from that, you never know what you are going to get! I know people have had success with it, but I prefer knowing it’s good before putting in all the effort! I do sell my starter in freeze dried packets here on my blog, and it’s over 200 years old, happy, and makes wonderful bread! It’s very mild. If you want to make your own, I would just google “how to make a sourdough starter” but it will have more tang than a natural yeast start.
Let me know if you have questions!

Thank you!