Vent: My sourdough starter disaster last Tuesday

I usually agree with everyone that a stiff starter is the way to go for better control, but I gotta say, my experience last Tuesday totally changed my mind. I was in a rush before a big moving job and fed my usual 100% hydration starter with a 1:2:2 ratio. By lunchtime, it had absolutely exploded over the bowl, like a sticky mess everywhere. I tried to salvage it for a batch of country loaves, but the dough turned out gummy and flat, even after a 4 hour bulk rise. Meanwhile, my back-up liquid starter that I keep in the fridge actually gave me a perfect oven spring and open crumb with zero fuss. Has anyone else had a day where their starter just totally betrayed them for no clear reason?

1 comments

1 Comment

sam_anderson8d ago

So does anyone actually keep backup starters in the fridge for moments like this? My buddy Mike, he works at a bakery downtown, told me his liquid starter went totally rogue once. He fed it the night before like always, but next morning it was this purple-ish, hooch-smelling monster that had crawled up the sides of his cambro. He tried to use it anyway, thinking a stiff starter would save him, but the dough turned into a sticky pancake. Meanwhile, his old fridge starter, the one he only uses when he's lazy, gave him the best oven spring he'd had in weeks. Sometimes your starters just have a personality clash, I guess.