My aunt's sourdough tip finally paid off after 6 loaves

My aunt told me last fall to keep my starter in the fridge between bakes. I ignored her for months because I thought it needed room temp all the time. After 6 flat loaves I gave it a try. Last Sunday I pulled out a loaf with a perfect oven spring and an open crumb. Has anyone else had a family member give advice that actually saved their baking?

2 comments

2 Comments

morgan_butler1mo ago

man I was totally the same way, I read all these blogs and forums saying room temp starter is the only way to get good rise so I just left mine out 24/7. ended up with this sour, vinegary mess that barely bubbled and my loaves looked like hockey pucks. then my neighbor whos been baking since the 70s told me the same thing your aunt said and I was like "no way, that goes against everything" but eventually I got tired of wasting flour and tried it. now I feed it the night before, throw it in the fridge, and pull it out a few hours before I want to bake and honestly the crumb is way more open and the flavor is more mild and pleasant. it's like the fridge forces the yeast to actually work slower and develop better structure instead of getting all crazy and then dying off.

noah_webb1mo ago

Funny how the old school advice always ends up being right, but we all gotta learn the hard way first. Your aunt sounds like she knew what she was talking about, that fridge trick really does change everything. Took me way too many flat loaves to finally listen to my grandma about flour hydration levels. Sometimes you just gotta trust the people who have been doing it forever instead of the internet experts.