Why does nobody talk about how much humidity changes bread dough

I've been baking sourdough for about 8 months now and last week I made the exact same recipe I did back in January. The January loaf was tight and dense, the one from last Tuesday was airy and perfect. The only real difference was I moved my proofing spot from near the radiator to the basement where it's cooler, around 62 degrees instead of 75. Has anyone else noticed a huge swing in their dough just from where they let it sit in the house?

2 comments

2 Comments

gavinw451mo ago

Hold on, is humidity really that big of a deal? I've baked through every season and never changed a thing and my loaves turned out pretty much the same.

the_evan1mo ago

OH man, absolutely. I heard this food science podcaster once say that humidity is basically the "invisible hand" of dough. I guess when it's more humid, the flour absorbs moisture from the air, so your dough is actually wetter than the recipe intends. That would explain why my summer dough always turns into a sticky, slack mess compared to my winter loaves which are stiff and need way more water. It is WILD how such a tiny change in the room can mess with the final crumb.