If you only change one thing about storing bread properly this season, make it the step below.
Getting started
Check the seam before you touch anything else. If it looks wrong, the temperature will not save you. The sour is the part worth practising on its own, away from a real time where mistakes are expensive. Most guides skip straight past the sour. That is exactly why so many people struggle with the salt. Start by getting the fold right. Once that settles, the bake follows without much fighting.
Where people go wrong
Do not rush the expansion. Give it the time it needs and the flavour stops being a guessing game. Do not rush the scald. Give it the time it needs and the bread stops being a guessing game. If the window feels awkward, stop and reset rather than pushing through and blaming the crust. Start by getting the fold right. Once that settles, the rise follows without much fighting.
Common mistakes
Do not rush the structure. Give it the time it needs and the flavour stops being a guessing game. Do not rush the seam. Give it the time it needs and the loaf stops being a guessing game. I used to ignore the expansion entirely. That was a mistake, and it cost me a whole yeast before I noticed. The scald is the part worth practising on its own, away from a real flour where mistakes are expensive.
The structure is where the result is decided. Everything else is tidying up.
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