Warning: restaurant owner asked me to 'fix' my sourdough with extra yeast, glad I held my ground

A guy at the farmers market in Portland told me my 3-day cold ferment was wasting time, said he adds instant yeast to everything, and I almost walked away but then he admitted his breads go stale by noon, has anyone else had to explain why slow proofing matters to someone who thinks faster is always better?

2 comments

2 Comments

joseph_hart1mo ago

Ha, I gotta say I see it a little differently. Yeah, slow proofing gives you that tang and better texture, but if you're selling at a farmers market and your bread is rock hard by noon, that's a real problem too. Maybe he's not all wrong that some folks just want a soft loaf for lunch, not a project. I've had days where a quick yeast boost saved my butt, though I'd never ditch the cold ferment completely.

the_derek1mo ago

Started doing half my batch slow and half fast, covered both bases.