My sourdough is a brick! This is my fourth attempt and each behaves similarly.
it passed the leaven test, rose well on the first rise, the second rise after shaping it seems stunted. I try to slash it with my lame and it seems to only pull the dough. It then bakes exactly the way it looked when I put it in the oven. No rise at all!
Could my starter be bad?
Replies
What flour are you using?
Give us more details about your method and the timing of each.
I am using unbleached white flour. I feed it every 12 hours or so. I pour out the majority of the starter and then add 1C of warm water, stir well, then add 1C of flour, stir well and cover with cheesecloth or parchment paper
Sounds like you may be overproofing the dough. If it will rise the first time it will work. I feed the levain about 3 hours before I make dough with it. Then it's one slow rise with stretching and folding for a few hours. This is where I develope the gluten and add air into the dough. Shape, benchrest, shape and form. Then I can bake it in an hour or so or refridgerate until the next day.