Hello Mon,
Of course the recipe, with it’s times and temperatures, is given as a balanced process, to get the best bread possible. This does not mean that, if you take ‘a bit’ longer here and there, you will not get a decent loaf. But especially with a few hours longer final proof it can be tricky. It depends on at what conditions and what temperature the dough was proofing. If there are clear signs of over-proofing like no spring back when you poke the dough, loss of volume and of course collapse when you score the dough, then your bread will probably be flat and dense after baking.

But our main advice is, even if you have these signs, always bake the loaf (as soon as possible). Because you will always end up with an edible bread, even if you have tin slices, you can always use it (even roast it, grind it, make croutons) in some way, which is better than throwing it away of course.

Hope this helps.
Best of luck with the baking!

Hello Liz,
Although it feels very ‘authentic’ to use a banneton, there are many options for substitutes. People use glass, metal or ceramic bowls, even colanders, pots or baking pans. The good thing about bannetons is they are especially made for the job and food safe. So you always need to be sure the alternatives you use are also clean and safe. Many bakers use linen or cotton cloth as a liner. The cloth is sprinkled with (rice) flour to prevent sticking.
The main thing to focus on is the size of the bowl you use compared to the dough. The dough needs support, that is the main function of a proofing basket, so make sure it is not too big.
I have also seen people use a ricotta basket, also lined with cloth, and that seems to work well.

Hope you will find something useful, already there in your pantry.
Best of luck and enjoy your sourdough baking!

Marieke

Hello Jo,
Thank you for your kind words 🙂
You should not worry too much about the clean sides. Our photo’s are ‘a few years back’ and I think we gave it a bit of extra effort back then to make it look nice. Just scrape it down as best as you can, maybe use a silicon spatula for the job. We do not clean the jar between refreshing. But once in a while, you can change and transfer the culture to a clean jar and give the other one a good clean too. Just see what works for you and for the culture. So keep checking it is in good condition. So smell and observe like we say in the tips.
The only reason to change the consistency (add more or less water) is if you want more or less sour (also see tips above).

Wishing you all the best with the baking and a long and active life for the culture!

Greetings from Holland,

Ed & Marieke

Firstly, I’m really enjoying and appreciating all the information on your website, thank you.

I’m on the last couple of days of making a sourdough culture and I have a question about the container. In the photo yours is extremely clean, mine is not, the sides of the inside of the jar are covered with bits of the culture, I’ve tried to scrape them off while agitating it but it’s very sticky. Do you clean the jars between refreshing the culture or perhaps my culture should have more water added?

Jo (In the UK)

Yes, you do. If you make 3 loaves you do everything x 3, including the sourdough culture. So make a batch of pre starter x 3 , final dough x 3 and divide the batch of dough in three equal pieces at the final shaping stage.
Hope this answers your question.

Enjoy your sourdough baking!

Greetings from Holland to BC Canada

Hello Karen,
You did well throwing it away and starting over. You are definitely not the only one, having to give it a few tries, before you get a good culture started. So do not give up and if you get mold again, one thing you can also try is a different sack or brand of flour.

Good luck!

Hello Dori,
You can read our tips here to help you with this:
www.weekendbakery.com/posts...eful-tips/
Also try and experiment with different types and brands of flour, this also can make a difference.

Hi Kristin,
It depends, but normally it is not a good idea to use it, because of the weakened gluten. If it has only just started to deflate and it is a relatively low % of the total dough, you can still get a decent loaf.