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Threw a cold starter into my dough and got way better oven spring

I usually let my starter come to room temp before mixing but I was rushing last Tuesday morning. Just scooped it straight from the fridge and went for it on a batch of sourdough boules. Figured it would take forever to rise but actually it proofed in like 5 hours and the crust cracked open way nicer than normal. The crumb was a little more open too. Anybody know why that works? Is it just a fluke or is there some science behind cold starter doing something different?

3 comments

3 Comments

nancy92927d ago

Wait, doesn't the cold actually slow down the bacteria more than the yeast, not the other way around?

olivia_anderson28d ago

Haha that cold starter trick is basically me forgetting things and getting lucky! Tried it once when I was half asleep and my dough was ready way faster than usual, and I was like "uh okay I'll take it." My guess is the cold slows down the yeast just enough so the bacteria has more time to break down the gluten, giving you that extra spring. Or maybe it's a placebo effect and I just want to believe my laziness paid off!

grant.parker27d agoMost Upvoted

That cold trick actually works better than most people think because the bacteria in your starter are more active at lower temps than the yeast. I've left my starter in the fridge for a whole day before mixing and got the best oven spring I've had in months. Just make sure you give the dough extra time to warm up before shaping or you'll end up with a dense loaf instead.