That Saturday my sourdough loaf turned into a pancake made me rethink my starter

So last week I was finally confident enough to bake two loaves for a church fundraiser in Portland. I had my starter on a perfect schedule for 3 days, fed it at 8am like clockwork. But Saturday morning I woke up late and didn't realize the kitchen was way hotter than usual because the oven was on for another batch. By the time I shaped the dough it was slack and sticky, and it spread out flat like a frisbee in the banneton. Baked one anyway and it came out dense with a crust like a hockey puck. I donated that one to the trash can and spent 20 bucks at the bakery down the street to cover my table. Turns out I needed to adjust my hydration down when it's over 75 degrees in my apartment, not just stick to my usual recipe. Has anyone else had their starter double too fast on a warm day and completely wreck a bake?

2 comments

2 Comments

scott.drew22d ago

Whoa, that's a rough way to learn that lesson. But here's the thing nobody mentions, your starter might have actually been fine, it's the gluten that took the hit. Warmth makes the enzymes go wild and they can tear down the dough's structure way before you even shape it, so it's not just about hydration. I've had bakes where the dough looked perfect and strong, then turned to soup in the basket because the kitchen was stuffy. If you want to avoid the bakery run again, try doing your final proof in the fridge even if the recipe says room temp, it buys you way more control. Take this with a grain of salt, but I think a lot of people blame their starter when it's really the temperature of the whole process that's the culprit.

logan23622d ago

Never thought about the fridge trick that way, but you're probably right @scott.drew.