Troubleshooting…

There are a lot of variables when baking sourdough – here are some of the common issues you might face, and how to solve them

How do I know when my starter is ready to use?

Your starter will have nearly doubled in size and be really bubbly. If it isn’t like this it could be down to one of two reasons. Firstly, your starter culture isn’t strong enough yet – which means it likely needs to have some discarded and fed again. The other reason might be that it has over-proved. If left for too long then your starter will rise to its peak and then collapse as the structure isn’t strong enough to support itself – a good way to check if it’s in a good condition is to see if a teaspoon of it will float in warm water.

My starter doesn’t smell very nice

A strong starter should smell sweet and just a little sour and yeasty. If it is smelling unpleasant this could be an indication that the wrong type of bacteria may have colonised the starter. If this is the case you should discard it and start again. A common reason for this happening is keeping the starter too close to a fruit bowl, which allows the wrong bacteria and yeast to get in.

How do I know when my dough has finished its bulk fermentation?

This is a tricky question as there is no exact science. The dough should have risen and domed in its proving bowl, and you may also see bubbles on the surface of the dough. It is slightly down to intuition, however, so the best way of knowing is to keep baking regularly and that intuition will improve.

What is the maximum time I can leave my dough in the fridge? Can it over-prove?

I try not to leave any dough cold-proving for more than 18 hours. After this time the acid built up in the dough will be quite strong, and the tenderness of the crumb will reduce slightly.

I don’t have a banneton – what can I use?

A clean, well-floured tea towel lining a bowl or colander works well – the towel will stop the dough from sticking.

I don’t have a casserole – what can I use?

If you don’t have a casserole or cast-iron pot you can use a baking stone or even a thick baking tray – but you’ll need to get steam into the oven. When you pre-heat the baking stone, also preheat a baking tray in the bottom of the oven. Once the loaf is on the baking stone, carefully pour a kettle of just-boiled water into the preheated baking tray and quickly shut the oven.

What is the best temperature for proving the dough? Temperature is hugely important. Too cold and the loaf may not prove enough. Too hot and it may ferment too much and be over-proved. The ideal temperature for fermenting sourdough is 26C – some people use a thermometer to check the temperature of their dough as they go.

Why doesn’t my sourdough have nice big irregular holes inside? Those big-holed sourdough loaves you see on social media are hard to achieve as you have to use really strong white bread flour, have the loaves highly hydrated and really well fermented. Basically, they take lots of practice!

Why didn’t my bread get a big oven ‘spring’ and turn out a bit flat?

There are several reasons this could have happened. Firstly, the dough might have over-fermented, meaning the structure will have begun to break down because, after a while, the yeast and bacteria will start to destroy their own strong structures. Or it could also be that you added too much water to the dough during mixing, meaning that it was very difficult to pre-shape and then doesn’t have the strength to support itself as it rises in the oven.

Why doesn’t my loaf have the decorative ‘wheat ears’ like those I see on social media?

If you’re using a knife that isn’t sharp enough to score the loaf, then it won’t be cutting cleanly enough to guide the direction the dough rises in. I’d suggest investing in a lame, which is a holder for a razor blade that cuts the dough deeply and cleanly, and will give you the best shot at achieving those big, sharp wheat ears.

How long should I wait before slicing?

It’s best to wait for a few hours or until the loaf cools before slicing into it – which may be a painful wait. This allows the structure to set and will make it easier to cut without it tearing or ripping. But if you really can’t wait, then getting stuck into it while hot won’t do it any harm!