Sourdough, explained properly.
Tested, in-depth guides on fermentation, hydration, starters, scoring, and the things that actually go wrong. Written by bakers who measure, not guess.
Bulk fermentation by temperature: a baker's guide
Bulk fermentation is the part of a sourdough bake where most outcomes are decided. Get the timing right and you get an open crumb, a clean ear, and dough…
Read →Why is my sourdough gummy inside (and how to fix it)
You cut into the loaf, the crust crackles, the crumb looks beautiful — and then the bottom centimetre is wet, sticky, almost paste-like. That's gummy…
Read →How to revive a forgotten sourdough starter
You opened the fridge and there it is — your starter. Last fed three weeks ago. Maybe two months ago. The hooch is dark, there's a sour smell, possibly a…
Read →Sourdough hydration explained: 65%, 75%, 85%, 100%
Hydration is the percentage of water in your dough relative to flour. A 75% hydration dough has 75 g of water for every 100 g of flour. That's it — the…
Read →Cold retard vs same-day bake: when to use each
The cold retard — that 12 to 36-hour rest in the fridge between final shaping and baking — is one of the most-asked-about steps in sourdough. Some bakers…
Read →The float test: when is your starter actually ready?
Drop a teaspoon of starter into a glass of water. If it floats, it has enough trapped gas to leaven bread. If it sinks, it doesn't — or it's been knocked…
Read →The DDT formula: water temperature for perfect dough
Professional bakers do something most home bakers skip: they pre-calculate the water temperature so the dough lands at a known temperature after mixing.…
Read →How to fix dense sourdough (12 causes diagnosed)
Dense sourdough is the most common complaint from home bakers, and it's also one of the most misdiagnosed. Bakers add water thinking it will open the…
Read →Starter feeding ratios: 1:1:1 vs 1:2:2 vs 1:5:5
The colon notation describes a feed by weight: starter to flour to water. A 1:2:2 feed starting from 20 g of ripe starter means 20 g starter + 40 g flour…
Read →Stretch and fold: how many, when, and why
The stretch-and-fold technique replaces kneading in sourdough. You don't develop the gluten by working the dough on a counter for ten minutes; you…
Read →Scoring sourdough: ear, bloom, and the basic patterns
A scored loaf opens where you tell it to. An unscored loaf tears wherever the dough is weakest — usually a ragged blowout along the side, sometimes a…
Read →Autolyse vs fermentolyse: the math behind both
You've probably read that you should autolyse your dough for 30 minutes, an hour, maybe overnight. Then someone tells you autolyse is pointless and…
Read →Whole wheat sourdough: hydration, timing, and protein
Whole wheat behaves nothing like white flour. The bran absorbs more water, cuts gluten strands as it hydrates, and ferments roughly 30% faster because of…
Read →Rye sourdough is different — here are the rules
Rye doesn't behave like wheat. If you've made a decent wheat sourdough and assumed rye is just a flour swap, your first 100% rye loaf will confuse you:…
Read →Winter sourdough: surviving a cold kitchen
Your starter doubles in 4 hours in July. In January it barely budges overnight. Same flour, same feeding ratio, same jar — but a 16°C (61°F) kitchen…
Read →Summer sourdough: don't let the dough run away
Your kitchen hits 28°C (82°F) and suddenly the bulk ferment you nailed all winter turns into a slack, over-proofed puddle by the time you go to shape it.…
Read →Plan your next bake
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