Hi Amy, unless you have changed the type of flour you normally use to a flour with a lower protein percentage, I suspect your results are likely to be temperature related. If your home is warmer this time of year, the dough may be rising and fermenting faster (which sounds like a good thing), but this could be contributing to the structure of your dough breaking down earlier than you expect it to, which is what happens when dough over-ferments. Check out this article on Desired Dough Temperature for some tips on regulating the temperature of your dough, which should help you achieve more consistent results. If the dough is rising well during the bulk ferment, I doubt the issue is related to your sourdough starter.
July 14, 2023 at 11:55am
In reply to My starter is, as usual,… by Amy Manny (not verified)
Hi Amy, unless you have changed the type of flour you normally use to a flour with a lower protein percentage, I suspect your results are likely to be temperature related. If your home is warmer this time of year, the dough may be rising and fermenting faster (which sounds like a good thing), but this could be contributing to the structure of your dough breaking down earlier than you expect it to, which is what happens when dough over-ferments. Check out this article on Desired Dough Temperature for some tips on regulating the temperature of your dough, which should help you achieve more consistent results. If the dough is rising well during the bulk ferment, I doubt the issue is related to your sourdough starter.