That time a bakery owner in Boston told me my sourdough was too wet and I spent 3 months fixing it

Honestly, I thought I had my sourdough recipe down perfect. Then last fall I took a loaf to a small bakery in Boston called The Oven Spot. The owner, a older lady named Rita, took one look at my crumb and said 'you're drowning it, honey.' She pointed out my hydration was around 85% and suggested I drop it to 72% for a better structure. After 12 failed batches and a lot of wasted flour, I finally got a loaf that actually held its shape in the oven. Has anyone else run into a baker who called out a specific flaw that totally changed your approach?

2 comments

2 Comments

kevin_martin26d ago

My wife's rye recipe was 50% hydration - dense as a brick.

the_elizabeth26d ago

dude I used to swear by 65% hydration for everything, even rye. but after a friend made a loaf at 55% and it came out with that perfect tight crumb, I totally get why some recipes go lower. the key is really long autolyse and not fighting the dough too much. 50% sounds crazy, but for a dense sandwich style it actually makes sense now.