My first sourdough loaf came out flat but the taste was perfect

I finally got my starter going after 2 weeks of feeding it every morning. Used the recipe from the library book with bread flour and let it proof for 5 hours on the counter. It barely rose in the oven and came out like a dense pancake, but the flavor had this nice tangy bite that store bread never has. My kitchen was 62 degrees that day, so I'm wondering if that's why it didn't puff up. Has anyone else had a flat first sourdough but still kept trying, or did you change something specific about your proofing setup?

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lisa_ross1625d ago

Did you check if your starter actually doubled in size before you mixed the dough? Sounds dumb but a lot of people think its ready when its just bubbly and that makes a huge difference for the rise. Also 62 degrees is cold, your dough probably needed like 8+ hours to proof, not 5. I had the same thing happen, then I moved my bowl onto the warm spot on top of my fridge and used a thermometer to hit 75-78 degrees for the bulk rise. Night and day difference, first loaf was a brick and second one had actual holes in it. The tangy flavor stays even when you fix the rise, so definitely keep messing with it.