I was grabbing a delivery at this little spot called Rise and Shine Bakery off Colfax and saw the baker feeding his starter. He told me he keeps it in the fridge during the week and only feeds it once every 5 days with a 1:5:5 ratio of starter to flour to water. I tried it on my starter and it's way less work than my daily feeding routine. Has anyone else tried a cold bulk fermentation for their sourdough?
I got a starter from a friend last month and she told me it came from her grandmother who started it in 1972. I did the math and this thing is over 50 years old. I was just feeding it and baking with it like it was some random goop. Now I feel like I'm taking care of a historical artifact or something. She said her grandma used it during the oil crisis when people went back to baking at home. I found an old blog post from a baker in Portland who traced her starter back to 1890s San Francisco. Makes me wonder how old some of these starters really are. Has anyone else gotten a starter with a known history or age behind it?
Kept getting a weird smell and no rise. Switched to bottled water and it doubled in 4 hours. Has anyone else had water chemistry mess with their starter like that?
I had this beautiful bubbly starter going for like 2 weeks. Fed it every 12 hours, it doubled in size no problem. Then I got busy and stuck it in the fridge thinking it would just chill out. 3 days later I pulled it out and it had this weird orangeish liquid on top and smelled like nail polish remover. Tried to feed it twice but it never came back. Had to dump the whole thing and start over. My buddy said I should have fed it before putting it in the fridge and left more headroom in the jar. Any tips for keeping a starter alive in the fridge longer?
She said I was developing way too much gluten for a simple sandwich loaf and after I cut my kneading time from 10 minutes to 5 my bread actually rose properly, has anyone else been overworking their dough this whole time?
I was using a sharp knife for months and getting ragged results, but that cheap little lame with the curved blade gave me clean slashes on my first try. Has anyone else had a cheap tool unexpectedly fix a major problem in their baking?
I've been making bread since January, hit my 50th loaf today with a basic white bread recipe. That number made me realize I'd been underproofing for months because my kitchen is cold and I never adjusted. Did anyone else hit a random number like 50 or 100 before things suddenly clicked?
I see everyone stressing about getting that big oven spring in their sourdough, but my flat loaves taste just as good sliced for sandwiches. Does getting a big rise actually change the texture or crumb, or are we all just chasing Instagram photos?
I was at a Shell station in Tucson filling up and saw a sign that said 'use hot water from the tap for faster dough rise.' Figured it was fine and tried it with my starter. My bread came out dense and flat like a hockey puck. Found out later that hot tap water can kill the yeast if it's over 120 degrees. Has anyone else tried a shortcut that backfired this bad?
I went with the scale after my third dense loaf and it saved me 45 minutes of cleanup. Measuring cups let me down every time I packed flour different. Anyone else ditch the cups for good?
I was over at my neighbor Steve's place last Saturday, and he saw me struggling with a flat loaf I brought over. He said, "You're using tap water straight from the faucet, aren't you?" I admitted I was, and he explained the chlorine kills the yeast activity if you don't let it sit out overnight. That one simple thing about letting the water dechlorinate first hit different because I'd been blaming my starter for being weak for like 2 months. Has anyone else had some small trick totally change their bread results?
Stopped by Miller's Bakery last weekend on my route, the place that closed about 5 years ago. The building's been empty this whole time and I guess someone finally pulled down the faded wooden sign out front. Reminded me how they used to sell those crusty sourdough loaves for $3.50 that I'd grab on my lunch break. Anyone else have a local spot that just quietly disappeared?
I keep seeing people say you absolutely need a banneton for good bread, but I've been using a regular mixing bowl lined with a dish towel for the last 12 loaves and my crust comes out fine. Is there a real difference, or is this just a fancy tool trap for beginners?
He Said 'Just proof it in warm water for 10 minutes, it's not that hard.' I tried it with a basic white loaf last Tuesday and the rise was way more consistent. Doesn't anyone else prefer dealing with the extra step for better control?
I finally got my starter active enough to bake with after like 10 days of feeding. I was dead set on using my trusty loaf pan because that's what my mom always used. But then I read like 5 threads here saying a dutch oven gives you better oven spring and a crustier crust. So I borrowed my neighbor's enameled cast iron dutch oven. Man, what a difference. The bread puffed up huge and the crust cracked in the best way with that deep brown color. My only complaint is I nearly burned my arm pulling the hot lid off after 20 minutes. Has anyone else switched from a pan to a dutch oven and never looked back?
I kept trying to force my starter to double in 4 hours like everyone online says it should. Day after day it just sat there with a few tiny bubbles. Finally on day 14 I stopped feeding it every 12 hours and just left it on the counter for a full day. When I came back it had this big dome on top and smelled like ripe fruit instead of sour feet. I think the rush to make super active starter actually hurt my progress. Has anyone else had a starter finally take off after you just left it alone?
I kept getting dense, flat bread from my no-knead recipe and was about to give up, but then a guy at a baking class in Omaha said to just poke the dough after the rise and watch how slow it springs back. The dough should barely bounce at all before you bake it, and now my loaves have that open crumb I was chasing for months. Has anyone else messed up timing because they thought the recipe's rise time was more important than how the dough actually felt?
I was totally against the whole sourdough craze, thought it was just trendy nonsense for people with too much time. But my neighbor kept bringing over loaves from her 3-year-old starter named Bertha, and after trying it 4 times I finally admitted it tastes way better than my quick yeast bread. The tang and the chew are just different, and now I've got my own jar of goop on the counter. Did anyone else fight this for months before giving in?
She said it makes the bread softer and last longer without getting stale, and honestly the texture was way better than my usual loaves. Has anyone else tried this trick or am I just late to the party?
I had been baking for three weeks and all my loaves were dense and flat, and I was ready to quit. My aunt watched me feed my starter and said I was starving it because I was only giving it 50 grams of flour instead of 100. Since I doubled the feedings my bread actually has air bubbles now - has anyone else found that their starter needs way more food than the recipe says?
Bought this expensive curved lame from a specialty baking site because I thought it would give me perfect scores. Used it twice and realized my old straight razor blade works just as good for my basic sourdough loaves. The handle is nice but I could have spent that money on better flour instead. Anyone else regret buying fancy tools too early?
I always wondered why my homemade sandwich bread turned into a brick after day two. Then I read this food science blog that explained how tangzhong, where you cook some flour and water into a paste, locks in more moisture. I tried it last Sunday with a standard white bread recipe and the loaf stayed soft for almost 5 days. Has anyone else had luck adjusting their hydration ratio with this method?
She watched me mix for 30 seconds and said 'your dough is fighting you, not cooperating,' so I cut my kneading from 12 minutes to 6 and my crumb went from dense to airy overnight. Has anyone else had a pro spot a simple fix like that?
I did a side by side test last night with the same dough batch and the oven proofed loaf came out with way better oven spring and crumb. Has anyone else had drastically different results depending on where you let it rise?