I Was 100% Sure This Sourdough Would Work… It Didn't (Here's Why)

I was SURE this would work. The crust looked like a magazine cover… and then I cut it open. 😅 Fresh cherry tomato + garlic + basil sourdough: a total fail, and I'll show you exactly why it happened (and how to fix it). Usually I test every recipe several times before I film it. This time? Experiment day. I saw a viral Reel, got inspired, harvested my cherry tomatoes, and thought "what could go wrong?" Spoiler: a lot of water. 🍅💦 This video is the honest version: the excitement, the gorgeous crust, the raw gummy crumb, and the science behind it, so you can skip my mistake. 🔬 WHY IT FAILED (the simple version) 1. Too much water: Cherry tomatoes are mostly water. I added a whole puree on top of normal dough hydration, and the flour simply couldn't absorb it all. 2. Sugar + acid from tomatoes: They weaken gluten structure, so the dough holds less gas and less structure. Sugars also brown the crust fast, so the outside looked done while the center was still raw. 3. Raw garlic: It adds moisture and active compounds that can interfere with fermentation and dough structure in large amounts. ✅ HOW TO DO IT RIGHT NEXT TIME • Cook the tomato puree down (or use sun-dried tomatoes) to evaporate the water • Use roasted garlic instead of raw • Reduce the water in the recipe to compensate, and add tomato gradually • Consider adding basil at the end of folding, and bake a little lower and longer 🌾 FLOUR BLEND (500 g / 17.6 oz total) • 300 g / about 2½ cups unbleached high-protein bread flour (10.5 oz) • 100 g / about ¾ cup whole wheat flour (3.5 oz) • 100 g / about ¾ cup + 1 tbsp spelt flour (3.5 oz) 💡 Tip: Weigh your flour if you can. Cup measurements vary a lot with flour type and how you scoop, and grams are what I used. 📋 WHAT I DID (so you know what NOT to copy) • Cherry tomato puree (fresh, unreduced) • 2 garlic cloves, minced (raw) • Water + sourdough starter • Flour • Fresh basil leaves, added during stretch & folds • Overnight cold bulk fermentation • Dutch oven: 25 min at 250°C / 480°F covered, then 25 min at 180°C / 355°F uncovered 💬 Have you ever had a recipe fail after you were totally sure it would work? Tell me your best (or worst) kitchen fail in the comments, I read every one! And if you have a tomato-bread fix, I want to try it. 👇 🔔 Subscribe for tested recipes… and the occasional honest disaster. #sourdough #sourdoughfail #tomatosourdough #bakingfail #homebaking #tintARTreats