Took me two years to figure out I was overproofing my sourdough

I kept getting pancakes instead of loaves with good oven spring. Dense, flat, sad bread every time. I was proofing for like 8 hours because that's what some blog said. Then my buddy who runs a bakery in Portland clocked my starter was fine but my bulk ferment was way too long. Cut it down to 4 hours at room temp and suddenly I got those ear cracks. Anyone else have a timing tip that turned their bread around?

2 comments

2 Comments

tyler_bell18d ago

I mean 8 hours seems wild even for a cold ferment, no wonder you got flat bread. My fridge bulk goes like 12 hours but at room temp I’m usually done in about 3 or 4 max depending on how warm my kitchen is. Maybe check your water temp too, that messed me up for a while.

taylor_hayes2518d ago

8 hours cold? Were you trying to bake a fossil 😂