Watched a pro baker in Portland kill my sourdough routine

I was in Portland last weekend visiting a friend and stopped by this bakery called Little T. The baker there showed me how he handles his starter - feeds it at 9pm sharp every night, uses half the water I was using. I always thought my morning feeding schedule was fine but he said the temp drop at night actually slows the fermentation too much. Tried his way for 3 days straight and my loaves got way more oven spring. Has anyone else switched their feeding time and seen a difference?

3 comments

3 Comments

mark_green9d ago

My starter is basically a moody teenager that feeds whenever it feels like it.

jenny1989d ago

Honestly, that temp drop thing makes a ton of sense now that I think about it. Did he mention if using less water changed the hydration level of your final dough at all, or just the starter itself? I'm curious if that half the water trick messes with the flour-to-water ratio later on.

quinnm778d ago

Yeah but @mark_green's lazy teenager approach is actually closer to my sourdough's natural rhythm, and I've found the stiff starter keeps my final dough way easier to handle without getting gluey.