TIL the hard way that letting my sourdough bulk ferment in the fridge was a mistake when I woke up at 3 AM to an overproofed mess last Tuesday

I always thought the cold proof was foolproof, but I left my dough in there for like 18 hours and it turned into a sticky puddle. I was at my kitchen counter, trying to shape it, and it just spread flat like pancake batter. Ended up dumping 500 grams of flour and starter into the trash because I panicked. Maybe I should have just baked it in a loaf pan anyway? Has anyone here salvaged an overproofed dough by baking it in a tin or something?

2 comments

2 Comments

paige_ellis597d ago

Did you try naming it before it turned into a crime scene?

theawest7d ago

Used to think cold proofing was the safest route, but this story made me reconsider completely. My own dough once turned into a sticky mess after 20 hours in the fridge, and I just baked it in a loaf pan anyway with decent results. The crumb was dense but still edible, so you might try that next time before trashing the whole batch.