So after I’d done as much infuriating worky-work as I could, I heated the oven to MAX with pizza stones on the middle rack.

When the oven had reached the correct temperature, I attempted making a bun-type shape with the still very liquid dough, but that was never going to work. So I kind of poured it into a cast-iron pan lined with baking paper, shoved it in the oven and hoped for the best.

And then after about 10 minutes, the oven lost power.

Clearly TheUniverse did not mean for this bread to be made! We checked fuses and plugs and, nothing. It was very dead.

I was ready to throw the second lot of dough in the bin and and Rye-an along with it, because ARGH! What an inordinately frustrating experience this bread-making had become! Don talked me out of it because he thought I might want to have another attempt – HA!

And then after about 20 minutes, the oven turned itself back on as if by magic, and baking resumed.

And after about 50 minutes (plus the dead time while the oven was off), we had bread!

Very, very flat bread. Obviously it was never going to rise with the dough as liquidy as it was.

And even had some bready holes!

With some trepidation, we tried it with our dinner of creamy veal with pasta.

It was very dense and chewy and it tasted …

LIKE PROPER SOURDOUGH!!!!! It was delicious! The flavour was incredible!

And all made with just flour and water and two weeks of coddling!

So then I put dough2 in a loaf pan. It looked to actually get a little rise, but then the oven died again.

This one was quite stodgy on the inside (because of the oven issues), but we’re totally using both loaves for future breadcrumbs.

And of course, I’ll be trying again – but perhaps when the temperature is not quite tropical.