Pro tip: I finally figured out why my bread was always dense and flat

I've been baking sourdough for about 3 years now, and my loaves always came out like bricks. Last month I took a class at a local bakery in Austin, and the instructor watched me mix my dough. She pointed out I was adding the salt at the exact same time as the starter, which kills the fermentation. My water temp was also way too cold, around 60 degrees, when it should be closer to 80. Switched both things up and my last 4 loaves actually got a good spring. Has anyone else had a simple fix like that completely change their baking?

2 comments

2 Comments

colemiller29d ago

Bet the salt thing gets more people than they realize. Also check your tap water if you're on city supply, chlorine can mess with fermentation just as bad as cold temps.

green.jessica29d ago

Started a batch of pickles last month and realized halfway through I forgot to dechlorinate the water. Total waste of good cucumbers. Now I just leave my tap water out for 24 hours before using it and that solved the problem completely. Salt though, that one bit me early on. Under salted everything and wondered why my ferments were getting mushy instead of crisp.