12 Bulk Fermentation Hacks That Transformed My Sourdough Baking

Struggling with sourdough bulk fermentation? Discover 12 tips to master this tricky step, troubleshoot common issues, and bake your best loaf yet! TIMESTAMPS: Intro: 0:00-1:03 Tip 1 (Importance of Dough Temperature): 1:04-1:42 Tip 2: (Controlling Dough Temperature): 1:43-2:54 Tip 3 (Sourdough Journey's Chart): 2:55-5:16 Tip 4 (Aliquot Method): 5:17-7:22 Tip 5 (Starter Amounts): 7:23-8:38 Tip 6 (Lots of Bubbles): 8:39-9:00 Tip 7 (Stickiness of Dough Surface): 9:01-10:07 Tip 8 (Domed Dough): 10:08-10:27 Tip 9 (Dough Pulls Away From Bowl): 10:28-11:41 Tip 10 (Jiggly Dough): 11:42-12:10 Tip 11 (Poke Test): 12:11-13:47 Tip 12 (Bubbles On Dough After Pre-Shaping): 13:48-14:47 Conclusion: 14:48-15:26 Before we get into the tips, I wanted to quickly explain why bulk fermentation is so frustrating and mysterious. The reason? There are so many variables. I love recipes that are specific, and sourdough bread is anything but! In fact, some people prefer to call it a sourdough formula versus a sourdough recipe for this very reason. There is no “time” allotment for bulk fermentation. It may take me 5 hours, and it may take you 3 hours or even 15 hours. The temperature of your home, the maturity of your starter, the type of flours you use, the temperature of your water, the humidity in your home… all of these are variables that impact the length of your bulk fermentation. That’s why it’s such a pain in the rear end, but with the tips in this article, I hope to demystify it a bit and give you some more tools to add to your bulk fermentation tool belt. **RESOURCES & LINKS** The Sourdough Journey's Dough Temp Chart: https://thesourdoughjourney.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/TSJ-Dough-Temping-Guide.pdf Crusty Cravings by Hannah's Aliquot Charts: https://www.instagram.com/p/DBhSLBEJpF1/?img_index=1 Audrey on TikTok (Aliquot method): https://www.tiktok.com/@artisansourdoughbaker The Sourdough Journey's Crumb Reading Chart: https://thesourdoughjourney.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/How-to-Read-a-Sourdough-Crumb.pdf My sourdough bread recipe: https://thatsourdoughgal.com/the-best-foolproof-white-sourdough-bread-recipe/ Written version of this video: https://thatsourdoughgal.com/sourdough-bulk-fermentation-tips/ #bulkfermentation #sourdoughtips #sourdoughbread