I think my sourdough got worse after 6 months of better starter care

Everyone kept telling me to feed my starter twice a day and keep it in a warm spot. I did that for 6 months straight starting last fall. My loaves actually got flatter and more dense. I switched back to once a day feeding with colder water and my rise came back within 2 weeks. Has anyone else found that ignoring the common advice worked better for their specific kitchen conditions?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_rose18d ago

Overfeeding weakens the gluten structure.

skylerc8618d ago

Three days of not feeding and then a heavy feed does the same thing in my experience. @the_rose is right that the gluten gets hit hard when you overload it. A solid routine with consistent small feeds keeps the structure tight and the dough strong.