My whole batch of sourdough went flat because I forgot about the weather

I was in my kitchen in Portland, trying to get a head start on some loaves for a friend's party. I had fed my starter, mixed the dough, and left it for its first proof like I always do. But I completely forgot that we were having a sudden heat wave, and my kitchen was about 85 degrees. I came back after 3 hours and the dough was a sticky, sad puddle that had already peaked and collapsed. I almost threw it out, but I decided to try saving it by folding in a little more flour and doing a cold proof in the fridge overnight. It was a gamble, but the next morning it had some structure back. The bake was okay, but the crumb was way tighter than I wanted. Has anyone else had a batch go wrong because of a quick temperature change, and what did you do?

2 comments

2 Comments

green.victor24d ago

My last apartment in Phoenix had this west facing wall that acted like a solar oven. I learned to keep a cheap oven thermometer next to my proofing bowl. If it hit 80, I'd mix my dough with ice water straight from the fridge. It wasn't perfect, but it bought me an extra hour before things got soupy. That kind of heat makes the yeast go crazy and eat all the food before the gluten can set up right. Your fridge save was smart, basically putting the yeast to sleep so the flour could catch up.

the_olivia24d ago

Oh, a "sticky, sad puddle" is the perfect way to describe that feeling. I've been there, staring at a bowl of dough soup wondering what I did wrong. Forgetting about a heat wave is such a classic baker's move, isn't it? Your fridge save was basically an emergency room visit for bread.