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Can You Use Self-Rising Flour for Sourdough Starter?
Self-rising flour adds baking powder and salt that a sourdough starter feed does not need. What to feed instead, and how to recover after one accidental feed.
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Sourdough Internal Temperature: When to Pull the Loaf
Use your sourdough recipe’s temperature together with its crust cues. King Arthur’s no-knead loaf specifies at least 210°F (about 99°C); that is not a universal endpoint.
Is the Sourdough Starter Float Test Reliable?
King Arthur's own posts show a fed starter can float hours before it is ready. What the float test actually measures, and the rise check that decides when to bake.
Can You Use a Stainless Steel Bowl for Sourdough?
Yes. King Arthur Baking names stainless steel mixing bowls as fine for sourdough starter and dough, and bare cast iron, copper and aluminum as the reactive metals to avoid. How to confirm the bowl's material, and how to judge a rise you cannot see through the side.
How to Calculate Sourdough Salt With Starter Included
Salt percentage counts all flour, including the flour in your starter. Learn the formula, worked examples, and a check that catches double counting.
Why Sourdough Dough Forms a Dry Skin During Fermentation
A dry skin on rising sourdough comes from evaporation, and a towel is not enough of a cover. Here is what Philip's sandwich-dough test showed, which covers work, and how to handle dough that has already skinned over.
Can You Use Tap Water for a Sourdough Starter?
Potable tap water is usually fine for a sourdough starter, and bottled water is not automatically necessary. Here is what to check about your water treatment, filter claims, and the other reasons a starter slows down.
Autolyse vs Fermentolyse: When Does Sourdough Fermentation Start?
A strict autolyse rests flour and water before the starter goes in, while a fermentolyse starts the bulk clock at the first mix. Compare the two, and when each helps.
What Changes When You Switch Between a Stiff and a Liquid Sourdough Starter
A stiff sourdough starter and a liquid one differ mainly in hydration. Here is how to calculate it, feed by weight, and keep a bread formula's flour and water totals aligned.
Why Is My Sourdough Pale? Separate Crust Color From Doneness
A pale sourdough crust usually points to heat, steam, or residual sugar — not automatic underbaking. Separate crust color from doneness and change one variable.