This one kind of sucked and I'm bummed.

Was my scoring of the dough too shallow, or was it the lower hydration that caused crappy spring? There's too many variables!

Starting temp, 515°F. Convection on.

• 0m: Six loaves, four ice cubes, and a spray of the oven.
• 5m: Spray the oven a bit with water. The top stone temp is at 450°F, bottom is at 425°F according to the laser. Internal thermometer says 460°F.
• 9m: A little bit of spring in the loaves, hurray.
• 12m: I spin the loaves, this time with gloves on.
• 15m: Move a couple of loaves around that are browning more than others. Additional spray. The laser thermometer says 377°F on the top stone and 350°F on the bottom (which seems low).
• 22m: All loaves come out.

I really disappointed with the ears on these loaves. Did I cut them too shallow? Or did the lower hydration cause things to stiffen up on the crust so the expansion couldn't take place?

Hero shot in the sun, with a detail of the crust

At least I know 10-20 folks who will gobble this stuff up regardless.

I'll take a day off baking I think, and then maybe… raise the hydration a little bit. I went 70% and that might have been a little low.