Sourdough Boules

Last night I decided to make a second attempt at sourdough loaves.  My sourdough starter has been growing and fermenting for over a week, and I thought that it was time to try again.  This batch started off promisingly - the sponge grew quite a lot between Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon when I started to work on the bread.  For the sponge (a mixture of starter, flour, and water that ferments and rises overnight), I used white bread flour, rather than all purpose flour.  For the dough, I used mostly all purpose flour, substituting about a half cup of rye flour and some ground flax seed for added fiber.  The loaves are delicious, but still not as airy as I want them to be.  The dough didn't rise as much as I had hoped it would during the initial rising periods.  Then, after I shaped it into loaves and wrapped it in towels to rise again, the dough expanded a lot on the sides but didn't rise up.  I think that next time I need to place the loaves in small bowls for the final rising period so that they are less likely to spread outward.

Don't get me wrong, the sourdough is DELICIOUS.  It is heaven slathered in butter (or in white bean spread for the vegans out there).  But I'm just not satisfied with the loaves.  They are too crispy outside and too spongy inside.  Oh well, better luck next time!