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PSA: I stopped using a scale for my sourdough starter and my loaves actually got better
For about six months I weighed every single gram of flour and water going into my starter, following a strict 100% hydration rule. The loaves were fine, but they were always a bit flat and dense. Last month I got lazy and just eyeballed it, adding flour until it felt right and water until it looked like thick pancake batter. The starter bubbled up faster and the bread had a much more open crumb and better rise. Has anyone else found that being less precise with the starter gave them better results?
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patricia_schmidt141mo ago
My starter was a fussy pet for two years with my digital scale. I switched to a big ceramic crock and just feed it by feel every morning now. The change was huge, like it finally woke up and got happy. My guess is the tiny changes in hydration day to day actually help it. That strict 100% was probably stressing it out. My loaves have been so much more consistent since I stopped worrying about the numbers.
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samjohnson1mo ago
What size crock did you switch to, and how much starter do you keep in it?
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