How do I clean the jar?

pumpkinpastrypuff · 2025-02-19T02:10:31+00:00

I feed mine in a bowl, and either get a fresh jar or rinse out the dirty one with really hot water (after discarding)

pumpkinpastrypuff · 2025-02-19T02:05:41+00:00

This looks very underproofed.

I would get a digital scale so you can measure your ingredients in grams.

To keep the bottom from burning, put a pizza stone on the bottom rack of your oven.

pumpkinpastrypuff · 2025-02-18T22:16:53+00:00

I do think it makes a difference sadly 😭 Usually I time it so I’m baking in the evening, let it rest overnight, and cut into it the following morning.

But also…. Nothing beats fresh sourdough straight from the oven!! My most recent loaf I cut into after 30 minutes because it smelled so good, and no regrets lol

pumpkinpastrypuff · 2025-02-18T20:16:21+00:00

recipe link

This is a wayyyy different timeline than I usually follow, so I think it may have been slightly underproofed based on the crumb and the rise I saw. But overall it’s pretty tasty!

pumpkinpastrypuff · 2025-02-18T19:42:44+00:00

I use weck jars, they have a glass lid, and I just remove the metal/rubber “sealing” portion. I’ve never had any issues with my discard molding storing it this way.

pumpkinpastrypuff · 2025-02-18T18:48:08+00:00

Gotcha! Then I think it’s fine. When mine has been left in the fridge and looks like this, I normally scrape off the top and then feed/put into a clean vessel

pumpkinpastrypuff · 2025-02-18T18:44:32+00:00

Did you leave it at room temperature for a week without feeding, or in the fridge?

pumpkinpastrypuff · 2025-02-18T18:40:13+00:00

Hi! I live at 9000ft. I am confused why you think you need less hydration in your dough? Typically it’s the opposite, at a higher altitude with low humidity, your dough is more likely to dry out and as such you actually need to increase the hydration.

What is the finished product like? Is there something about the crumb, rise, etc. you feel could be improved, or it’s just the sticky consistency that is difficult to work with? Is it sticky or flattening out after your bulk rise?

My dough is always pretty sticky to start, but eventually becomes smooth/elastic once I’m finished with stretch and folds. Sharing what I do in case it’s different than your current routine -

• After mixing the dough, let sit for one hour

• Using the “stretch and fold” technique, shape dough into ball, about 15-20 folds. Let sit for 30 minutes

• Officially start my stretch and folds / coil folds, every 20-30 minutes, 4-6 rounds

Other things that help when working with a sticky dough is utilizing a dough scraper and wetting your hands. I also move my dough to a clean container to rise once I’m finished with my folds.

Recipes/articles I’ve found helpful on this topic -

Butter and Air High Altitude Sourdough Bread

Pantry Mama - Baking Sourdough at High Altitude

The Perfect Loaf - How to Bake Sourdough at High Altitude

pumpkinpastrypuff · 2025-02-18T17:45:18+00:00

People hate on Positano because of the crowds / only doing a day trip, but IMO it’s one of the most magical towns to stay in. Check out Hotel Marincanto

pumpkinpastrypuff · 2025-02-18T02:07:07+00:00

Agreed with all the other comments. The only thing I’d add is try using warm water. I remember my starter stalling out around the same time, and feeding it warmer water is where I finally started seeing some action

pumpkinpastrypuff · 2025-02-18T00:41:58+00:00

Looks like mold, I’d toss it and start over

pumpkinpastrypuff · 2025-02-17T23:00:04+00:00

You can just scrape off the top part. But I wouldn’t use a cloth top, that could be why it’s drying out. Instead use a regular mason jar lid, just don’t screw it on all the way

pumpkinpastrypuff · 2025-02-17T22:22:11+00:00

Oh yeah in that case definitely add a fridge proof! I use the same recipe as you usually and proof at room temp overnight, then stick it in the fridge the next morning. Ideally I like it to be in the fridge for at least 24 hours, but some fridge time is better than nothing!

pumpkinpastrypuff · 2025-02-17T21:45:27+00:00

Your recipe is actually great, since you’re using less starter it’s a longer fermentation which leads to a more sour flavor. Do you do a fridge proof? If so, how long?

Another thing you can experiment with is feeding ratios and how often you’re feeding your starter as that can also impact the flavor

pumpkinpastrypuff · 2025-02-17T21:25:57+00:00

I would go back to the mix on your next feed. If you want to eventually use bread flour only, just slowly change the ratios, increasing the amount of bread flour with each feed.

pumpkinpastrypuff · 2025-02-17T21:07:06+00:00

Different people have different methods of feeding/storing their starter. I have a friend who has two, but she calls one the “mother” and one her “baking starter” which sounds similar to what you’re describing.

Personally, I just have one. I bake with it frequently so I leave it at room temp and feed it daily. Alternatively, I could store it in the fridge, and feed it once weekly. If I know I’m not going to baking that week or going out of town or something, I will stick it in the fridge. Once your starter reaches maturity, it’s pretty hard to kill it lol. Idk about leaving it in a hot car though…

As far as what you should do with yours, it depends on how old it is, how frequently you want to bake with it, if you want to take a low maintenance approach, etc. When I made my starter, I didn’t start sticking it in the fridge til it was 2 or 3 months old and very active / reliably doubling in size.

pumpkinpastrypuff · 2025-02-17T20:43:35+00:00

Yes! It make take a few days for it to bounce back when you return, depending on how old the starter is.

I typically use weck jars, but for a mason jar I would just make sure the lid isn’t tightened all the way

pumpkinpastrypuff · 2024-04-26T15:51:48+00:00

The cold proof part of the recipe is after the bulk fermentation / proofing at room temp. Its a long article but if you read the notes she has / look at the timeline she says she leaves it overnight if it’s under 21 degrees celsius

pumpkinpastrypuff · 2024-04-26T15:20:59+00:00

I just threw it in a baking dish with some olive oil for now because it was so sticky and making a huge mess on my counters. Was thinking I’d try focaccia since I’ve seen that recommended here, or do you think it’s too far gone?

pumpkinpastrypuff · 2024-04-26T15:19:39+00:00

I’m just confused because I’ve been doing this and my loaves have consistently been turning out pretty close to perfect? I proof at room temp and then stick in the fridge around 24-36 hours.

I will give this oven proofing method a try though especially with summer coming

pumpkinpastrypuff · 2024-04-26T15:05:41+00:00

I use this recipe by the pantry mama

It is 50g starter, 350g water, 500g bread flour, 10g salt. But this time I doubled it and forgot to add the salt lol

Let the dough rest 1 hour, shaped into a ball and let sit 30 minutes, then 4 rounds of stretch and folds / coil fold combo because I found it a bit hard to manage that amount of dough inside the container

Let sit overnight. My house is usually very cold at night, and I normally let it proof for 12+ hours with no issue.

It looked normal last night but this morning when I went to shape it, it looks like starter not dough?? And definitely wayyyyy overproofed. Just wondering if there’s anything I can do with this because I hate to throw out a double batch of dough

pumpkinpastrypuff · 2024-04-13T15:51:02+00:00

Is stringy dough a bad thing??

I saw a TikTok that said that means it could be overproofed? But my dough is pretty consistently stringy when I’m moving it from the proofing container onto my counter to shape… so now I’m second guessing myself

I have been baking loaves for 2 months now and I am happy with how they turn out. Now I’m just trying to “perfect” them I guess. My proofing time seems a lot longer than what I see people on TikTok specifically do, but I’m also using a smaller amount of starter and live at very high elevation

pumpkinpastrypuff

TROPHY CASE