TIL a simple change to my sourdough schedule saved my weekend

My sourdough loaves were always flat and dense if I baked on a Saturday. I thought it was my starter, but after three bad weekends, I tried something different. I now feed my starter on Thursday night and put it straight in the fridge. I pull it out Saturday morning, let it warm up for an hour, and then mix my dough. That extra cold ferment gave me a much better rise and flavor. Has anyone else had to tweak their timing like this for weekend bakes?

3 comments

3 Comments

mitchell.lee11d ago

Read a blog post about cold fermentation fixing timing issues.

jake_torres6817d ago

Is your starter just more of a weekday morning person? Mine definitely is. I tried the classic weekend schedule for months and got what I'd call 'sourdough pancakes'. Moving my feed to Thursday and using the fridge was the only thing that saved me from my own sad, flat bread. That cold nap really does make all the difference.

umar5917d ago

That "cold nap" idea you mentioned, @jake_torres68, is spot on. I started treating my starter's fridge time like a real rest period, not just storage. I make sure it's fully active before it goes in, so it wakes up hungry but not tired. It went from sluggish to reliably doubling in about four hours after I pull it out.