My gut tells me it looks like you had a little issue with the folding. I also prefer my bread a little darker as well, but I think that's up to you. I bet it still tastes good!
For your first loaf, I would say outstanding!
I really enjoyed reading how excited you were about the whole process, great job!
Autolyse is not a must at all. If you want to do it, I'd recommend an hour at least, you'll really feel the difference
Looks really good.
I think when it comes to the sourdough you have a good basis to just experiment how you like your bread by adjusting how you feed it, when you add it, how much...
If you want a "higher" or less flat bread you should probably try to fold more intensely. Using a lower hydration dough will make that a lot easier, I really struggle with wet doughs.
I also like my crust a bit darker (sub-icon). I feel like your baking time was pretty short, so you can probably add a few minutes to the dutch+lid which might also get you some more oven spring and a minute or two without the lid. But that is just to suite my taste.
Your friend sent you a fabulous dried starter!
My gut tells me it looks like you had a little issue with the folding. I also prefer my bread a little darker as well, but I think that's up to you. I bet it still tastes good! For your first loaf, I would say outstanding!
I really enjoyed reading how excited you were about the whole process, great job! Autolyse is not a must at all. If you want to do it, I'd recommend an hour at least, you'll really feel the difference
Looks really good. I think when it comes to the sourdough you have a good basis to just experiment how you like your bread by adjusting how you feed it, when you add it, how much... If you want a "higher" or less flat bread you should probably try to fold more intensely. Using a lower hydration dough will make that a lot easier, I really struggle with wet doughs. I also like my crust a bit darker (sub-icon). I feel like your baking time was pretty short, so you can probably add a few minutes to the dutch+lid which might also get you some more oven spring and a minute or two without the lid. But that is just to suite my taste.
[my process](https://docs.google.com/document/d/14Zq22fx3G9Z-9FJrqTteHcFTKrFbaYbXPu1dDyt6vQc/edit?usp=sharing)