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Vent: My whole week got ruined by a batch of 'artisanal' sourdough I tried to make
Last week I decided to jump on the fancy sourdough trend after seeing it everywhere. I followed a recipe that needed a starter fed for 5 days and a 12-hour proof. The whole process took over a week of my time. The result? Two dense, gummy bricks that tasted like vinegar. I wasted almost a full bag of good flour and a ton of effort. What made it worse was that my friend, who bakes normal bread, just made a perfect loaf in 3 hours with regular yeast. It felt like the whole 'artisanal, slow-ferment' thing was just a trap for people who want to feel fancy. Has anyone else had a sourdough disaster that made you give up on a food trend?
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anthonymurray5mo ago
Consider the water you used! I had the same thing happen and it turned out my city's water treatment made my starter weak. Switched to bottled spring water for feeding and suddenly got that good rise. Also some recipes act like sourdough is magic, but it's just a fussy pet. My first few loaves were total doorstops until I stopped following those super long fancy steps and just watched for the dough to double, not the clock.
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umamartin5mo ago
But bottled water is such a waste of money, @anthonymurray.
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the_oscar5mo ago
That 12 hour proof is probably where it went wrong. Most sourdoughs actually peak after 6 to 8 hours at room temp, anything longer and the acid builds up too much, giving you that vinegar taste and killing the gluten structure. I gotta give a nod to @umamartin too because even with perfect timing, bad water can wreck the whole thing. I switched to filtered tap after my first failed batch and it made a real difference.
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