c/bakers

My sourdough starter survived a 5 day power outage, somehow

Last month we had that big storm roll through and knocked out power for almost a week. I had a jar of starter that was maybe 6 months old, and I was sure it was a goner. I wrapped it in a towel and shoved it in the back of the fridge, figuring I'd just start over after. When the power came back, I opened the jar expecting gray liquid and mold, but it smelled fine, just a little sour. Fed it twice a day for two days straight, and it doubled like nothing happened. I made a loaf that weekend and it was honestly the best crumb I've ever gotten. Has anyone else accidentally cold-fermented their starter for way too long and had it bounce back? I'm curious if there's a limit or if these things are just impossible to kill.

2 comments

drews55•1d ago

Sourdough starter took 6 weeks to finally double, I almost gave up twice

I started my first starter back in March using just flour and water from a recipe online. For the first 10 days it looked dead, then it bubbled a little, then it went totally flat again. I kept feeding it every morning at 7am before work, even when I was sure it was a lost cause. On day 42 it finally doubled in size after a feed, and I literally stood there staring at the jar for five minutes. Has anyone else had a starter that took way longer than the "5 to 7 days" everyone promises?

1 comments

the_jenny•2d ago

The 4 AM bread bake that made me question everything about my starter

So I read this thing from a bakery in Chicago that claims their 90 year old starter actually does less work than a 2 day old one in terms of flavor. I always thought older = better, but apparently the yeast and bacteria evolve to be more efficient, which means less tang. Is my whole sourdough philosophy just a romantic myth, or is that place just pushing their own angle? Curious if anyone else has seen a noticeable difference between young and old starters in their own bakes.

2 comments

margaretc42•6d ago

Took me 8 years to realize I was overproofing my sourdough

I kept getting flat, sticky loaves and blamed my starter until a baker at a farmers market in Portland pointed out my bulk fermentation was like 6 hours too long. Anyone else have a basic technique click way later than it should have?

2 comments

keith164•6d ago

Hit 1,000 loaves sold this week and I honestly didn't think I'd make it there

I've been running a small sourdough operation out of my home kitchen for about two years now, and last Saturday I crossed the 1,000 loaf mark. It wasn't a big celebration or anything, just me tallying up my order book after a farmers market shift and realizing the number. What hit me was how that first batch of 12 loaves felt like climbing a mountain, and now 1,000 feels like I finally turned a corner. I had a lot of failures early on, like that time I forgot the starter in a cold garage and killed it, or when I sold underproofed bread that turned into hockey pucks. But I kept tweaking my hydration and scoring technique, and it started to click. Has anyone else hit a random milestone like this and felt weirdly emotional about it, or is it just me?

2 comments

karenc20•7d ago

Stumbled on a bakery in Nashville that uses a 120-year-old starter

I was in Nashville last month for a weekend trip and stopped into this tiny bakery called Loveless Bakehouse. The owner told me their sourdough starter was passed down from her great-grandmother and has been alive since 1903. She said it gives the bread a tangier flavor than anything you can get from a store-bought starter, which got me thinking. I've been feeding my own starter for about 8 months now, but it still tastes pretty mellow. Has anyone else tried working with a really old starter, or noticed a big difference compared to a younger one?

2 comments

rowan_ross•8d ago

Rant: overheard a baker bragging about cutting corners on dough temp

I was grabbing coffee at this place near my shop in Portland last week and two bakers were talking at the next table. One guy was saying how he skips the final proofing rest and just throws his dough in the fridge for 10 minutes instead. Said he's been doing it for 2 years and nobody notices. Man, that stuff makes my blood boil. I tried that shortcut once when I was starting out and my bread came out dense as a brick with zero oven spring. Sure, maybe your regulars don't say anything, but they can tell something is off even if they can't name it. Has anyone else seen people pull stuff like this and get away with it or am I just too picky about technique?

2 comments

margaret551•9d ago

Question about switching from active dry to instant yeast in my recipes

I was talking to a baker at the farmer's market last Saturday and she said she never uses active dry yeast anymore because instant gives her more consistent results. She mentioned I'd need to cut the water by about 20% if I make the switch. Has anyone else found that adjustment works for things like cinnamon rolls?

2 comments

flores.mark•9d ago

Found out my starter is older than I thought

I was going through some old texts with my grandma and found out she gave me her sourdough starter back in 2019. I always thought I started it myself around 2021. Turns out that jar she handed me had been alive since the early 80s according to her notes. That means my current loafs are technically 40+ years in the making. It kind of blew my mind that I've been baking with something that old this whole time without knowing. Has anyone else ever found out their starter was secretly way older than they assumed?

2 comments

oliver_baker49•13d ago

Took me 3 years to figure out I was overproofing my dough

Been making sourdough at home for a while now and my loaves always came out flat as a pancake. I kept blaming my starter or my oven temp. Then last week I watched a video from a bakery in Portland where they showed what properly proofed dough looks like versus dough that's gone too long. I realized mine looked like a sad blob that had given up on life. I was letting it bulk ferment for 8 hours when it should have been like 4 or 5. First batch I pulled after cutting the time back actually held its shape and got a nice ear. Anyone else have a basic technique they messed up for way too long?

2 comments

lisas78•13d ago

My buttercream was always grainy until a pastry chef told me this one thing

I used to always whip my butter straight from the fridge, figured it was fine. Then this older pastry chef at a workshop in Portland watched me and said "your butter has to be at 65 degrees or it'll never emulsify right." I went home, actually temped it with a thermometer, and my frosting came out silky for the first time ever. Has anyone else found that specific temp rule applies to other baking steps too?

2 comments

val974•13d ago

Had to pick between fresh yeast and instant yeast for a big sourdough batch

I was getting ready to bake 6 loaves for a farmers market last Saturday and realized I was out of fresh yeast. Had to choose between running to the store for fresh or using the instant I had in the pantry. Went with the instant since it was faster and I was already behind. The crumb came out fine but I felt like the flavor was a little flat compared to my usual fresh yeast batches. Anyone else notice a big difference between the two for sourdough?

2 comments

abby_fisher•15d ago

My grandma's tip about sifting flour three times actually saved my cake

Growing up my grandma always insisted on sifting flour three times before adding it to cake batter. I thought she was just being old-fashioned and fussy so I skipped that step for years. Last month I made a lemon layer cake for a friend's wedding shower and it came out dense with hard spots. I was so embarrassed I almost cried right there in the kitchen. My aunt watched me mess up and asked if I sifted the flour properly. I tried again this weekend with her method and the difference was night and day... the cake was light and fluffy like a cloud. Has anyone else had a stubborn baking rule they ignored until it backfired?

3 comments

parker_webb•15d ago

Finally gave up on rushing my sourdough starter

Spent three months trying to force a starter that would double in 4 hours. Then I just let it sit on the counter for two weeks feeding it once a day. Started using it on day 14 and the loaf came out perfect. Has anyone else had a starter that just needed more time?

2 comments

perry.jesse•24d ago

Went to that big bakery expo in Philly and everyone was obsessed with tangzhong

I was at the Philadelphia Bakery Innovation Show last Saturday and literally every demo booth was pushing tangzhong like it was some new secret. The James Beard guy from that sourdough place said 'if you're not using a water roux, your bread is just old news' which felt harsh lol. I saw three different vendors selling pre-made tangzhong powder at $12 a bag which seems crazy when you can just cook flour and water on your stove. The whole thing kind of rubbed me the wrong way because it felt like they were making simple technique into a fancy product. Has anyone else noticed bakeries pushing this stuff as a replacement for classic methods or am I just being grumpy about it?

3 comments

mason.drew•1mo ago

Unpopular opinion: Store-bought starter is totally fine for 90% of home bakers

I know everyone here swears by making your own sourdough starter from scratch. I did that for 6 months and it was a pain. Last week I picked up a dehydrated starter packet from King Arthur for $8 and it works just as well. My loaves come out the same. Am I missing something or is the gatekeeping just for fun?

3 comments

robin896•1mo ago

Stopped into an old bakery in Little Italy last month and felt like I stepped back 40 years

I was walking through Little Italy in San Diego a few weeks ago and popped into this tiny bakery called Italianissimo that's been there since the 70s. The guy behind the counter must have been 80 years old, and he was still mixing dough by hand in a big wooden trough. No stand mixers, no digital scales, just his hands and a little bench scraper. It got me thinking about how much the trade has changed since I started baking 15 years ago. We have all these temperature controlled proofing boxes and fancy hydration calculators now, but that old guy was just going by feel and the look of the dough. I asked him about it and he said "the flour tells you when it's ready" which sounds like something from a movie but he meant it. Has anyone else run into an old timer who works totally different than us?

3 comments

jamesc79•1mo ago

Vent: My sourdough starter exploded all over the kitchen last night

I keep my starter in a quart mason jar and I guess I fed it too late before bed. Woke up at 2am to a loud pop and found sticky fermented goo dripping down my cabinets. Had to scrub everything before work this morning. Anyone else had a starter go rogue on them and find a better container system?

3 comments

laura_wilson•1mo ago

Overheard a new baker bragging about using bread flour for everything

Last week at the shop I heard her tell someone she uses bread flour for pie crusts too and I wanted to scream about gluten development, has anyone else had to bite their tongue watching beginners ignore basic flour science?

4 comments

robin896•1mo ago

Burned two batches of croissants at the community oven in Austin last month

I was so excited to use the new wood-fired oven at the co-op bakery space. I thought I had the temp dialed in but the bottom got scorched on both trays. Lost about 6 hours of work and like $30 in butter. Turns out that oven runs way hotter on the floor than the thermometer reads. The person running the space didn't warn me either. Has anyone else had issues with uneven heat in shared ovens?

3 comments

martinez.paul•1mo ago

The before and after on my sourdough starter after 3 weeks of discarding

I seriously almost gave up on my sourdough starter after day 5. It was just this gray bubbly mess that smelled like feet and did nothing. But I kept feeding it exactly 50g of flour and 50g of water every morning before school. By day 14 it started doubling in size and had that tangy, fruity smell instead. Now at week 6 it's a total beast - doubles in 4 hours and gives me the best oven spring I've ever had. Has anyone else had that moment where your starter suddenly clicks and turns into something way better?

3 comments

casey268•1mo ago

My bread mentor told me I was overkneading and it clicked

Honestly I've been baking for about 2 years and couldn't figure out why my sandwich loaves always came out dense. A baker at the farmers market in Austin watched me one time and said 'you're beating the air out of it, not building structure.' I cut my kneading time from 12 minutes down to 7 and started using the windowpane test. Has anyone else had advice from a stranger totally change their outcome?

3 comments

iris_barnes87•1mo ago

I disagree that old sourdough starter is always better

I used a 10 year old starter from a friend for 6 months and my bread was okay but never great. Switched to a new starter I made from scratch 3 weeks ago and the flavor is way more complex and lively. Has anyone else had better luck with a young starter over an ancient one?

4 comments

the_faith•1mo ago

Customer told me my cake layers were too dry, had to rethink my whole recipe

A lady at a farmer's market in Denver last June told me my chocolate cake was 'crumbly and dry' right to my face. I was mad at first but she was right. I cut my bake time by 5 minutes and started brushing simple syrup on each layer. Turns out I was overbaking everything for years because I was scared of underdone centers. Anyone else have to totally change a go-to recipe based on one piece of feedback?

4 comments

shanes66•1mo ago

Vent: My whole bakery had to toss a batch because of mislabeled flour bags

I went to the supply store in Portland last week and picked up what I thought was bread flour. Turns out someone mislabeled a whole pallet of all-purpose flour as bread flour. I didn't notice until I pulled my loaves out of the oven and they were flat and dense. I lost about 40 pounds of dough and had to refund four wholesale orders. The store manager admitted they had complaints but didn't put up a sign. I'm going back today to check every bag myself before I buy. Has anyone else had supply mixups like this mess up your baking?

3 comments