My first sourdough loaf took 5 tries to get right

I thought I was a decent baker, but sourdough humbled me fast. My first attempt looked like a hockey puck, dense and flat as a pancake. I kept thinking it was the starter, so I fed it for two weeks straight. Turned out my kitchen was too cold, around 60 degrees, and the dough wasn't rising at all. I finally bought a cheap proofing box from a baking supply shop in Portland. That did the trick, and on the fifth try I got a nice oven spring with a crispy crust. Has anyone else struggled with temperature killing their yeast activity?

3 comments

3 Comments

abbyg6023d ago

Did you ever try moving your starter to the warmest spot in the house? I kept mine on top of the fridge and it finally woke up, though I still managed to burn my first loaf so badly the smoke alarm joined the baking process.

finley_price2423d agoProlific Poster

One time my neighbor tried to revive her starter by putting it next to the space heater. Worked a little too well. The jar got hot enough to crack and starter went everywhere across her counter. Looked like a crime scene. She said the smell was worse than the burned bread.

harper69315d ago

Omg that's insane lmaoo. Did your neighbor try to clean it up herself or just call it a loss and wait for the smell to fade? I feel like that would be one of those smells that just sticks to everything in the kitchen no matter how much you scrub. Also was the starter even still alive after that or did the heat just kill it? Cause I'd be so mad if I went through all that mess and the starter was dead anyway.