A bakery owner in Savannah told me my sourdough was underproofed, and she was dead on

Margaret Stone · 2026-09-11T01:00:09.972836+00:00

I brought two loaves to a little bakery in Savannah back in March to see if I was on the right track, and the owner poked one, looked at the crumb, and said the dough needed another hour and a half bulk ferment. She pointed out the tight, gummy spots near the bottom and told me my kitchen was about 6 degrees cooler than I thought, so my usual 4 hour rise was never going to cut it. I bought a $12 thermometer for the counter, started letting the dough go 5 and a half hours, and the next bake finally got that open crumb I had been chasing since January. Now I judge it by how much the dough has puffed instead of watching the clock. Curious if anyone else figured out their proof times were off because of room temp and not the starter.

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A bakery owner in Savannah told me my sourdough was underproofed, and she was dead on | Baking Fails And Wins - Pinecone Attack