Can you slice it, or is it rock hard? If you could slice it I think you could make bruschetta. I often toast the baguette slices for my bruschetta before assembling it. Bruschetta 1 (6.5 ounce) jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped 2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese 1/3 cup finely chopped red onion 2/3 cup diced roma tomatoes 5 tablespoons mayonnaise ½ c frozen chopped spinach, well drained 1/2 c finely chopped shrimp (optional) Parsley flakes 1 French baguette, cut diagonally into 1/3 inch thick slices Preheat the broiler. In a medium bowl, mix marinated artichoke hearts, Parmesan cheese, red onion, tomatoes, mayonnaise, spinach and shrimp. Top French baguette slices with equal amounts of the artichoke heart mixture. Arrange slices in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Sprinkle with parsley. Broil in the preheated oven 2 minutes, or until toppings are bubbly and lightly browned. Linda

You didn't say exactly what it was that you didn't like about the bread, and that would affect what you could use it for or whether you should just throw it out. You could possibly use it for French Toast and adjust the batter to compensate for the off flavor. If the bread is too sour, add more sugar to the batter or just serve more syrup with them. Here's my recipe: Lars' French Toast Ingredients: 2 large eggs 2/3 cup water 1 tsp Vodka 2 Tbsp oat flour 2 Tbsp unbleached wheat flour 1/8 tsp salt 1/4 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp baking powder 4 pieces sliced bread* butter, for frying Maple syrup Directions: Beat eggs in a small bowl, add water and Vodka and stir to combine. Mix dry ingredients together in a separate bowl, and add wet ingredients. Pour all but about 2 tbsp of this mixture into a low (square, if possible) bowl for dipping the bread. Have cast iron skillet on a burner at medium heat. Dip one slice of bread into batter and allow it to absorb as much of the mixture as possible. Add 1 tsp butter (more or less) to the skillet, and then slide the bread onto the skillet using a pancake turner. Cook for 2 minutes on each side, and remove to a 220 degree oven to keep warm. Repeat the process until all four pieces have been cooked. For the last piece of bread, it will be easier to pour the remaining batter on top of the bread, to let it absorb. This is in case the bread is falling apart and does not want to stay in shape. Serve with real maple syrup. Serves two. *It is best to use bread that is slightly sweet (or Challah) and that has some spice, such as cinnamon, already added to it. If using plain bread, you may want to add a bit of cinnamon and sugar to the batter. Lars

Oh, my! I can't deal with an oven without mitts. My great auntie made lovely potholders but I can't use them. My skin cries. :) Word of caution--if the mitts you got aren't water shedding, don't use them near the hot water from the bain marie. It's like touching a hot pot with a wet potholder or towel, but your can't drop it until you can get the mitt off. Most are fine, but some are just pretty fabric. I have a pair of cute pink ones that I was given. Only, really, for taking a hot pot to the table because they're just cotton so not safe enough around water, and too pretty to use around spatter that will stain. :) The bread pudding will still be sweet, because there is sugar in the gingerbread, but it's going to have sausage and lots of spices and fresh ginger and onions. The other bread is one of my sourdough starter discard breads, also from the freezer, and it's very sour, so I'm hoping they'll cancel each other out. :) Congrats on delighting your suffering friend!!

When dough has good structure before proofing and poor/no structure after proofing, it is over proofed. The yeast has multiplied and produced gas so much that the gluten structure has broken down. Why was an overnight proof okay in the video and recipe that you used but too long for the bread you made? Several factors occur to me - biggest influence first: Your bread had a 1/2 tsp of commercial yeast, the other two had only starter. I've made rye bread and regular sour dough bread both ways: starter only or starter plus a 1/4 to 1/2 tsp commercial yeast. Even that small amount of commercial yeast decreases rising time a lot. 8 or more hours warm rise was probably too much for dough with a 1/2 tsp yeast. You started the bread in a bread machine which warmed it for two rises (an hour) while the video and recipe just did a half hour rest on the counter (possibly in a fairly cool room. So the yeastie beasties in your bread had a head start on multiplying. Possibly your kitchen and oven-light warmed oven were warmer than the environments in the video and recipe you followed. Another factor I'm not sure about. I've not made no-knead sourdough bread in the bread machine. Generally, the sourdough recipes I've used emphasize gentle handling of the dough after the initial mixing - no knock down, just stretch and fold. Possibly the knock down and second knead in the bread machine reduced it's structure. I'm not convinced of that, but it is different from the recipes. Even for sourdough starter only, 8 hours for a warm environment rise seems long. I've done counter rising that long, not rising with additional warmth. With commercial yeast added I would only do an overnight rise in the fridge. To avoid over-proofing, either find a recipe that uses starter plus yeast to use for the timings or do the rise during the day when you can check on progress to figure how long it needs or put it in the fridge to do the overnight rise in the cold. Over-proofed dough collapses very easily. When the dough is properly proofed, you will find it easier to slash without deflating. On the other hand, over-proofed dough isn't going to have oven spring so it shouldn't benefit from slashing. I slash either with a safety razor blade or with a double edged razor blade threaded onto a thin bamboo skewer to give the blade a curve like most lames. You want a thin, very sharp blade for slashing. A razor blade can be replaced when it's edge dulls.