Hit 500 sourdough loaves baked this morning and it still taught me something new

I counted up my batches from the past two years and realized I just passed 500 loaves, but the big surprise was how much my crumb structure changed after loaf 400 when I started using tap water instead of filtered - has anyone else seen a weird shift like that after so many bakes?

2 comments

2 Comments

casey_torres6026d ago

Huh, is it possible the shift was more about your technique evolving than the water? I've been baking for about 4 years now and I'll swear my crumb got worse when I switched from filtered to tap for about 3 weeks, then it evened out. My guess is your starter just adapted to the local minerals over time. Not saying you're wrong, but in my experience, water changes hit hard at first then fade once everything adjusts. Take it with a grain of salt, but I'd be curious if you tried filtered again for a batch to see if it reverts.

baker.simon26d ago

my guess is your starter just adapted" - sure, but maybe the tap water minerals are genuinely doing something different now that your starter can't unlearn.