frequently asked
sourdough questions, answered
The questions that land in my DMs every single week — answered straight, with links to the longer versions.
Why did my sourdough come out flat?
A flat loaf is almost always under-proving or a weak starter. If the dough never roughly doubled during bulk fermentation, give it more time — 3 to 4 hours in a warm kitchen, longer in winter. And feed your starter twice (morning and evening) the day before baking so it's at full strength when you mix.
Why is my sourdough crumb so dense?
Usually the dough was too cold: water too cold, kitchen too cold, or bulk fermentation cut short. Use lukewarm water, find a warm spot (near the boiler works), and wait for the dough to double and turn jiggly before shaping — the clock matters less than what the dough looks like.
How do I get an ear on my sourdough?
Three things: score dough cold straight from the fridge so the blade glides; make one confident cut about 1cm deep with the blade at a shallow angle (roughly 30°) so you cut a flap, not a trench; and bake in a properly preheated Dutch oven so steam keeps the surface soft long enough for the cut to open.
Do I really need a Dutch oven for sourdough?
Steam is everything for oven spring, and a preheated lidded pot is the easiest way to trap it in a home oven. Preheat it at 250°C fan for a full 45 minutes, bake 20 minutes with the lid on, then finish uncovered. A deep oven tray with an upturned bowl over the loaf works in a pinch.
My starter has grey liquid on top — is it dead?
No. That liquid is hooch, and it means your starter is hungry, not dead. Pour it off (or stir it in), then give it two or three regular feeds — most starters bounce back to doubling on schedule within a couple of days. Sourdough starters are far harder to kill than the internet suggests.
How much sourdough starter should I keep?
Less than you think. I keep about 60g in the fridge and build up what a recipe needs the night before baking. Maintaining a huge jar just creates a huge discard problem.
How do I know when my sourdough is fully baked?
A probe thermometer reading 98°C in the centre means it's done — no more anxious knocking on the base. Then cool the loaf on a rack for at least an hour; cutting early collapses the crumb and undoes all that proving.
What flour should I use for sourdough?
Ordinary supermarket strong white bread flour works brilliantly — every recipe on this site is tested with it. No specialist bakery flour required. If you bake weekly, buying in bulk transforms the cost.
What's the best first sourdough bake for a beginner?
Focaccia. It needs no shaping skill or scoring, and it's delicious even when slightly wrong. Once that feels comfortable, graduate to a basic loaf with an overnight cold prove — the fridge does the scheduling for you.
What can I do with sourdough discard?
Waffles are the fastest answer: the acidity that makes discard 'waste' is exactly what makes them tangy and lets the bicarbonate of soda work, so older discard is actually better. Ten minutes, one bowl, zero waste.
Something else?
Ask via the contact form or tag @theclaphamcrumb — genuinely happy to troubleshoot a sad loaf.