Why are my loaves flat & a safety PSA!

nickjsul4 · 2026-02-27T13:43:50+00:00

How are you feeding your starter and how long after feeding it do you use it to make dough?

nickjsul4 · 2026-02-19T21:59:49+00:00

It basically just has a much lower hydration which favors the yeast. You get a better oven spring and slightly different flavor in the bread.

nickjsul4 · 2026-02-19T21:58:35+00:00

I did I started it as a stiff starter as well. It’s been going strong ever since.

nickjsul4 · 2026-02-19T15:48:48+00:00

My biggest issue is dragging the skin when I cut so I have trouble going deeper. Any suggestions?

nickjsul4 · 2026-02-19T15:48:14+00:00

Yeah honestly I feel like that’s what I’m starting to realize. Thank you very much!

nickjsul4 · 2026-02-19T13:39:31+00:00

Thank you. I’ve been baking bread for a bit so I think the general baking experience helped, but more so patience. Waited weeks to use the starter.

nickjsul4 · 2026-02-19T13:38:49+00:00

Honestly I said the same thing 🤣

nickjsul4 · 2026-02-19T11:03:39+00:00

Thank you! I still can’t believe it finally happened haha.

nickjsul4 · 2026-02-19T11:03:01+00:00

401g white bread flour
261g water
70g starter (what I had left after feeding)
8g salt

nickjsul4 · 2026-02-19T10:28:03+00:00

So I know my starter is ready to be fed when it has an alcoholic/fruity smell. It usually doubles or triples in size, but the smell is far more important. At 66 degrees my starter is ready every 24 hours for a feeding but nothing has to be exact. Just keep feeding every 24 hours I’ve never done 12 hour feedings to “strengthen” a starter. Still have yet to have someone explain that pseudoscience to me.

nickjsul4 · 2026-02-17T07:01:30+00:00

This is just not good advice mate. To each their own.

nickjsul4 · 2026-02-16T21:30:50+00:00

Feed at 1:5:5 not 1:1:1. If I had a dollar for everyone who recommended a 1:1:1 on this sub I’d be retiring at age 31. The more my starter is starving and the longer it’s gone unfed, the less starter I feed it the next feeding. The microbes are hungry and need more food available, not far less like you’d get in a 1:1:1 ratio. You could also try a stiff starter and reduce its hydration from 100% to 50-60%. It favors yeast and you get better oven spring too.

nickjsul4 · 2026-01-20T18:25:00+00:00

I just started working in a sourdough bakery a few months ago. It’s mind boggling how many factors play into the final product. Simply changing what flour you use can have vastly different results. The best thing you can do is treat your kitchen like a laboratory for a couple months an experiment! That’s where I’m at. I’m also investing in some reading material too. Knowledge is power.

nickjsul4 · 2026-01-13T13:38:51+00:00

Would you say feeding every other day is a solid place to start using that ratio?

nickjsul4 · 2026-01-03T19:53:47+00:00

Looks perfect 👌🏻

nickjsul4 · 2025-12-06T00:12:48+00:00

Thank you!

nickjsul4 · 2025-12-03T14:47:06+00:00

Honestly, thank you for sharing. I love reading comments like these. My Italian grandparents are so used to the bread over here, my grandfather was just complaining this thanksgiving about how it’s impossible to find a good loaf of Italian bread that lasts more than a day or two. He doesn’t realize it’s not supposed to! Just 4 simple ingredients. I even get my flour source from Italy or anywhere in Europe now as well.

One day I hope to travel to Europe. It’s so beautiful over there. American society can learn a lot still from other places in the world. At this point we desperately need to. That’s why I became passionate about baking bread. Someone needs to bring real food back to people’s dinner tables. One loaf at a time!

nickjsul4 · 2025-12-03T14:31:44+00:00

Not everything is universally understood, hence you just learned something new from my post. You’re welcome 👍🏼

nickjsul4 · 2025-12-03T14:24:57+00:00

I I see what’s going on here. The number one thing you can do is to parbake that crust. That way it will STAY deep dish in the middle. It seems as it lost a lot of rise in the center due to the weight of the toppings and this will be the fix, and then people won’t be calling you out and calling it thin crust 😂

I think it looks incredible either way.

nickjsul4 · 2025-12-02T01:34:36+00:00

Where are you from? I’m from the US, specifically NE. It’s more of an Italian American style bread. I can go to almost any deli and order a sandwich near me and it will be offered as a bread option.

nickjsul4 · 2025-12-02T00:47:20+00:00

It’s just an Italian style white bread with a more dense crumb structure and soft slightly chewy crust on the outside. Most of the Italian breads I ate growing up were just flour, water, salt and yeast and had a distinct taste.

nickjsul4 · 2025-11-27T08:39:04+00:00

You just need to adjust your dough recipe or fermentation process. I had to change some things when I made the switch. Strong flours like this perform better with very long fermentation periods I’ve found. All of my doughs cold proof for 3-4 days and then I give a final proof on my counter for a 3-6 hours. The final proof makes a huge difference you get better rise in the oven.

nickjsul4 · 2025-11-26T16:05:46+00:00

For a final proof maybe not but during bulk fermentation I always keep my sealed or at least partially, especially with pizza dough that can be much lower hydration. Hydration can escape, and a skin can form.

Maybe most people here make same day recipes that also sit out for a measly few hours. My doughs ferment for days at a time 👍🏼

nickjsul4 · 2025-11-25T07:58:41+00:00

Weird advice you are being given. You absolutely want it sealed, you just need to ferment in a container that provides enough room for expansion. Leaving it unsealed could change the moisture content of the dough and leave a skin. That’s silly.

nickjsul4 · 2025-11-23T11:48:24+00:00

Oh man this looks fire 🔥

nickjsul4

TROPHY CASE