Ensure that your bakes go to plan every time with this extra know how and support. Gain an understanding of potential variables and substitutions, get troubleshooting ideas, a general shopping list to get started, tips for caring for your baking vessels, creative inspiration, and much more.

If you like, continue to practice your yeasted bread-baking skills, and stretch your know-how with the new tastes and textures in these extra recipes. Use the Measuring Cheat Sheet to upsize or downsize as needed.

When starting out with sourdough bread baking, it takes patience and attention to build a relationship with your sourdough starter—knowing how strong is strong enough, and how much attention is enough to get a good rise. These efforts may take longer than you like. You want sourdough now! We get it, we get it.

We want to share a tip with you that you may find helpful: The “Helper” Pinch (aka The “Cheater” Pinch)

Whether you’re a seasoned GF baker or a newbie, this trick will help you get sourdough flavor into a dough while expediting the rise (and maybe even getting a taller loaf). Using sourdough starter brings flavor and leavening power to a dough, but know that you can give the loaf a rising boost with a pinch or two of active-dry yeast if you like (just add when mixing dough).

That way you have two “teams” of yeast working their transformative magic—isolated and predictable “saccharomyces cerevisiae” from the active-dry yeast plus the mind-of-their-own wild yeast and lactobacillus that inhabit your sourdough starter.

The extra pinch of active-dry yeast helps the loaf rise faster and more reliably, which is helpful when becoming acquainted and familiar with the nuances of sourdough baking (it takes practice!).

The starter adds that deep flavor we look for in sourdough and the active-dry yeast helps the starter yeasts rise to the top and enhance flavor.

Just make sure that you watch the loaf so it doesn’t overproof. When the dough rises to the top of a 7″ banneton or bowl, it’s ready to bake. Depending on how warm your kitchen is, this could take 30 minutes to 3 hours.

You can also “proof” the yeast before adding to a sourdough mixture. Just whisk it together with the water and sweetener called for 5–10 minutes before mixing the dough. Let the yeast foam up and activate, then add to your dough with the sourdough starter. Try all of these variations and document what you prefer in your baking journal.

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Another trick: you can also try adding ¼ teaspoon of dry ginger to dough to help encourage activation of yeast and a taller rise. It’s a nominal amount so it won’t change the flavor, but the yeast know it’s there, and it can enhance their activity in the dough, yielding a stronger rise.

This is a convenient listing of some of the unique ingredients called for in this module. Use it to shop online or as a reference to learn more about new ingredients.

Some of these links take you directly to affiliate partner sites. You’re welcome to skip these links to research and buy products wherever, or however you like. 

This is a convenient listing of basic tools called for in this course as well as some “nice to have but not necessary” items that make baking easier and more fun. Read more about each and how we use them here.

Some of these links take you directly to affiliate partner sites. You’re welcome to skip these links to research and buy products wherever, or however you like. 

What should my starter smell like? What should it not smell like?

See The Sourdough Starter Roadmap. These are some common starter smells, what each means, and what to do about it:

• Yeasty: this is a happy starter, keep doing what you’re doing
• Slightly sour: this is a happy starter, perhaps a little bit hungry, so feed it fresh flour and keep doing what you’re doing
• Flour-like: this is a happy starter, perhaps needs to ferment a bit more between feedings so you get sour and yeasty notes too, give it some more time and keep doing what you’re doing
• Alcohol: this starter is hungry. Drain off the hooch on top, discard half of the starter, and give it a fresh 1:1 feeding—then feed it more frequently.
• Acetone: this starter is hungry. Drain off the hooch on top, discard half of the starter, and give it a fresh 1:1 feeding—then feed it more frequently.
• Nail Polish: this starter is hungry. Drain off the hooch on top, discard half of the starter, and give it a fresh 1:1 feeding—then feed it more frequently.
• Vinegar: this starter is hungry. Drain off the hooch on top, discard half of the starter, and give it a fresh 1:1 feeding—then feed it more frequently.
• Musty: this is a suspicious smell and likely means mold is present, start over.
• Putrid (vomit): start over.
• Foul: start over.
  

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My sourdough starter isn’t becoming bubbly—help—I want to bake some sourdough asap!

Sourdough starter takes time to develop. A new starter can take 7–10 days, and a freshly fed mature starter could take a few days to get going depending on the conditions of your kitchen. Be sure to read all of our tips for Biological Leavening—there are exact temperatures and conditions you can try to create for more success, and more success quickly. See The Sourdough Starter Roadmap.

If you try all of the Biological Leavening tips and have referenced The Sourdough Starter Roadmap, and it’s still not active, there’s a chance that your source for the starter could have heated it at some point in transit (or in a storage facility) above 135°F–140°F (57°C–60°C) which is the temperature yeast begin to die. It could also have been irradiated to a degree in transit that could have killed the starter. You may need to find a new source, or try our Grape Mash Sourdough Starter method so you can control the conditions more for success.

You also want to make sure that you are not using chlorinated tap water—this can kill, or “turn off” the yeast. Spring water, distilled, and filtered water is best for happy yeast.

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What are the best temperatures to get/keep starter active for baking?

Loads of tips and temperatures here for starter and dough: Biological Leavening

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It’s been a few days since I fed my starter and the top 1″ of it is liquid! Do I drain it off or stir it in?

This is alcohol accumulation (aka “hooch”) and it just means that your starter is hungry. If it’s a bit darker or more golden than water, and you don’t see mold anywhere, it’s ok. Sometimes, a change in pH can cause discoloration. You can stir it in (adds sour flavor) or drain it off (keeps things more neutral/fresh/yeasty). If you drain it off, try to replace the amount of hooch removed with clean, warm water to maintain consistent hydration levels and microbial happiness. If you see mold anywhere, start over.

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My sourdough starter is alive and well but it’s not very sour.

This is not a bad thing. Sourdough starter doesn’t have to be overtly “sour”—sourness comes with age and also less frequent feedings. You can play with both to control levels of sour flavor in your bread.

1.) If you want a more sour bread, you can use more starter (you can adjust the recipe with the tips here) in your recipe.

2.) You can also allow the starter to ferment a few hours/days longer without feeding it. It may not be as active and bubbly as a freshly fed starter because it’s hungry—it should have some bubble activity at least like this:

And at best like/closer to this:

When you add an unfed starter to a dough mixture, that’s technically an outside-of-the-jar “fresh” feeding, so you can monitor the rise (it may take longer for the yeast to activate IN your dough) and then bake for a more sour loaf.

3.) When hooch (alcohol) settles on top of your starter, stir it back in before you feed it (instead of draining it off)—hooch adds sourness.

Remember, with sourdough, it’s more about nuanced complexity of flavor overt sour flavor. Grab your baking journal, play, and write it all down.

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My sourdough starter isn’t becoming bubbly—help.

See The Sourdough Starter Roadmap.

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My sourdough starter has mold on top, what do I do?

If you see mold, or any pink, grey, green, black, or blue discoloration on the top of your starter or walls of your jar, you should play it safe and start over. Skimming off the top may not be enough to ensure safety as depending on the pH of your starter, the mold could be creeping down into the mix.

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My sourdough starter has pink, grey, green, black, or blue discoloration on top, is all lost?

If you see mold or any colored discoloration on the top of your starter, you should play it safe and start over. Skimming off the top may not be enough to ensure safety as depending on the pH of your starter, mold could be creeping down into the mix.
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I want to add my discard to other recipes. how do I do that?

Storing and Using Sourdough Starter Discard

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My starter has tripled in size and I can’t possibly use it all, what do I do? I don’t want to waste it!

Storing and Using Sourdough Starter Discard
How to Dry Sourdough Starter.

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I’m trying to save money on ingredients. How should I feed my starter.

To simply maintain the starter while using as little ingredients as possible, use a 1:1:1 ratio of starter:flour:water in grams to maintain the starter. If you use measurements by volume, you may need a touch more water to reach the consistency of baby food—not too watery, not too thick. The yeast want some texture in the mix to grow.

If you want to activate the starter and build up quantities for baking, use a 1:2:2, 1:3:3, or 1:4:4 ratio in grams so you have enough starter to bake with and enough to reserve and feed for future loaves. If you use measurements by volume, you may need a touch more water to reach the consistency of baby food—not too watery, not too thick. The yeast want some texture in the mix to grow. The more vibrant the bubbles and growth with each feeding, the more frequently you’ll have to feed. When you are feeding your starter 2–3 times per day and it’s doubling in height, it’s ready to bake.

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Is it normal for my starter to deflate when I stir it? Should I stir it before using it in a dough?
It is totally normal for a starter to deflate when stirred—you’re knocking the air out of it. You can stir it into a dough mix or scoop it in, once in the dough, the yeast will find their way and start munching either way.

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I would like to gift some starter to a friend, should I feed it for him/her first?

First, “yay” for sharing some starter—what a gift! Yes, feed it before giving it to your recipient and walk them through the maintenance and cultivation steps.

If you want to dry some starter to gift/share, check out How to Dry Sourdough Starter.

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I’m going out of town, will my starter live?

Yes it will. Give it a feeding before you leave and then seal it in an airtight glass container to store in the fridge. You can be gone for a few months and with persistent fresh-flour feedings when you return, you can bring a starter back.

If you want to dry some starter to use when you get back, check out How to Dry Sourdough Starter.

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I have a beautiful crust on my bread, but the entire insides sunk away from it! What happened?!

It’s usually better to underproof than overproof a dough, since the latter can cause something called “flying crust.” Flying crust is when the yeast have fermented a dough too long and the structure of the dough has been compromised. When the dough goes into the oven, the bread may oven spring beautifully and form a lovely crust, but when you cut into your loaf, the dough has sunk away from the crust leaving a big hole. This means that for this recipe, you need to proof for less time. Start with 20–30 minutes less—track your adjustments in your baking journal.

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I have a starter but it’s made with wheat flour, can I turn it into a GF starter?

If you have Celiac or are serving someone with Celiac, or you have a gluten sensitivity, you should secure a gluten-free starter. If you want a gluten-free starter but you don’t have a sensitivity, you can start with 35g (roughly 2 tablespoons) of that gifted gluten-full starter and feed it in a 1:1:1 ratio two times per day with gluten-free flour (we recommend brown rice) for a few days. Eventually, the substrate (the flour) will be replaced with brown rice flour and the older the starter is, the more gluten-free it will become. The risks associated with Celiac are not worth trying this method, but if you can handle some gluten, you can try this and after time the starter will become gluten-free.

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My crust was crispy when it came out of the oven, but it got soft after cooling.

It’s normal for crust to soften a bit once cooled, but it should still feel crusty and firm. If you have a soggy crust, your bread needed to bake longer—if your bread interior didn’t have enough time to bake out the moisture, it will move from inside the bread to the crust as it cools. Be sure to reference M4L1 for tips to test doneness.

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My crust is just too hard for my taste, is there anything I can do to soften it?
Yes. Try the following and track what works best for you in your baking journal.
1.) As soon as your bread comes out of the oven, wrap in in a kitchen towel and allow it to cool—the steam will release but go back into the crust to help soften.
2.) You can also add 1–3 tablespoons of oil to your dough—if you do this, reduce the liquid (ie: water or milk) amount by the same amount.
3.) When your loaf comes out of the oven, you can use a basting or pastry brush to paint some milk (dairy-free or dairy-full) over the crust.
4.) Make sure that you store your bread in an air-tight container—as you store, the bread will still release moisture and if it’s all in an air-tight container, it will go into the crust to soften it.

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My crust is just too soft for my taste, is there anything I can do to make it more crusty?
Yes. Try the following and track what works best for you in your baking journal. See our Tips & Tricks for High-Moisture Loaves.
1.) Use a cast-iron Dutch oven with a lid or a Challenger Bread Pan for super crusty loaves—be sure to also see our know-how about Oven Differences.

2.) Make sure that you are using the steaming technique using a cast-iron vessel with a lid if you have a gas oven and with or without a lid if you have an electric or convection oven. Revisit the Lessons in this module for how-to tips.

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My bread interior is too hydrated for my taste, is there anything I can do to make it drier?
Yes, although more moisture is 100% normal in a gluten-free bread using whole grains, without fillers, bleached flours, and loads of starches. See our Tips & Tricks for High-Moisture Loaves.

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My crust isn’t brown. Why? What can I do?

Try the following and track what works best for you in your baking journal. See our Tips & Tricks for High-Moisture Loaves.
1.) Use a cast-iron Dutch oven with a lid or a Challenger Bread Pan for super crusty loaves—be sure to also see our know-how about Oven Differences.

2.) Make sure that you are using the steaming technique using a cast-iron vessel with a lid if you have a gas oven and with or without a lid if you have an electric or convection oven. Revisit the Lessons in this module for how-to tips.
3.) You can add 1–3 teaspoons more sweetener to your dough—when you steam there will be more in your dough to crystallize and help brown the crust.
4.) Once your dough has baked the entire time, you can cheat and broil the top of your dough if needed until brown.

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My bread didn’t rise that much.

On average, a gluten-free bread using whole grains, no fillers, no bleached flours, and minimal starches will rise to a maximum of 3½″ but will usually be 2½–3″ at its highest point. Make sure you’re keeping your starter and dough warm enough—see Biological Leavening.

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My bread is too dense and heavy. Why? What can I do?

Sounds like over or under proofing, an ingredient measurement mixup, or inaccurate oven temperatures… try the following and track what works in your baking journal for the future.

1.) Try aerating the dough more. Sift together dry ingredients before adding liquids. Make sure you are measuring all ingredients properly and allowing the dough to rise long and warm enough.

2.) Try a little tenderness when working with already proofed loaves. Before baking, try not to push down on the dough. Tuck edges carefully and lift instead of pressing and pulling once the dough has proofed.

3.) Proof dough longer, especially if you have a chilly kitchen (tips here). Yeast likes warmth, and is most active and releasing CO₂ when it’s warm. It may need more time to do its thing.

4.) Make sure that oven temp is hot, hot, hot so you get that oven spring. Use an oven thermometer.

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My bread rose beautifully but when I cut into it, it sunk.

Make sure that you allow the bread to cool 100% before cutting into it—if you cut into a hot or even warm loaf, the release of heat and steam is too drastic and the structure of your bread can collapse. You also may have let the dough proof/rise for too long, this also can compromise structure. Was your yeast dead? Proof the yeast to ensure that the yeast is alive and ready to help your bread rise. Was your starter nice and bubbly before mixing into the dough? If not, it could have “slept” on its activation/rising duties.

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Is there a better oven for GF baking? Gas or electric?
Yes. See Oven Differences and then revisit the module lessons for tricks to make any kind work best.

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With proofing baskets, what size is best? 
For gluten-free breads, we like 6–7″.

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I have silicone bread pans. I do intend on investing in better bread pans but is it okay for the time being?

Our breads are not tested in silicone pans, due to the fact that they don’t really distribute heat to create a crust like our recommended options do. We love to say “go for it,” but we can’t guarantee results with a silicone pan. If you go there, be sure to let us know how it works for you. We recommend borrowing a recommended pan from a friend, co-worker or family member if you can’t, or don’t want to, invest in one right now. You can repay them with bread!
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How do I increase yeasty flavor in my loaf?

Add more yeast to an active-dry yeasted loaf or sourdough. If you do, keep an eye on the proofing time—you may only need 20–30 minutes, especially if you have a warm kitchen. If you mean that you want more sour flavor and tartness in a loaf, try cold fermentation—revisit the lessons in this module for tips.

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How do I swap sourdough starter for recipes that call for yeast?

See the tips here for a choose-your-own-adventure tweaks—we haven’t tested exact amounts with our recipes, but these are good tips for you to try it out.

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Could the water from my tap be inhibiting rise of my dough?”

Yes. As discussed in the lessons, tap water can be highly chlorinated and it could be killing yeast or diminishing their activity. Try filtered/purified, warm water instead.