After 6 months of baking, here's what I've learned about diagnosing common sourdough problems.
Starter Health
Signs of a healthy starter
- Doubles in 4-6 hours after feeding
- Smells pleasantly sour/yeasty, not acetone
- Passes the float test at peak
- Consistent rise pattern day to day
"My starter won't rise"
Most likely cause: Too cold. Yeast activity drops sharply below 72°F.
Fixes:
- Find a warmer spot (top of fridge, inside oven with light on)
- Use warmer water for feeding (85-90°F)
- Try a higher hydration (equal parts flour:water by weight)
- Be patient — new starters can take 10-14 days
Common Bread Problems
Dense crumb, no oven spring
| Possible Cause | How to Test | Fix |
|---|
| Underproofed | Poke test springs back fast | Longer bulk ferment |
| Overproofed | Dough is slack, won't hold shape | Shorter bulk or colder temp |
| Weak gluten | Dough tears when stretched | More stretch-and-folds |
| Starter not at peak | Didn't pass float test | Feed 4-6h before mixing |
Too sour
- Reduce bulk ferment time
- Use more starter (15-20% instead of 10%)
- Keep dough warmer (yeast favored over bacteria)
- Use less whole grain flour
Not sour enough
- Longer cold retard (24-48h in fridge)
- Use less starter (5-8%)
- Add some rye or whole wheat to the levain
- Longer autolyse (2+ hours)
My Current Recipe
- 400g bread flour, 50g whole wheat, 50g rye
- 375g water (75% hydration)
- 100g levain (20%)
- 10g salt
- Bulk: 4-5h at 78°F with 4 stretch-and-folds
- Cold retard: 12-16h
- Bake: 500°F covered 20min, 450°F uncovered 25min
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