I am in an apartment where the room temperature at my bread-making station stays at mostly 80 degrees. And after 6 or 7 bakes, the dough is ALWAYS loose, sloppy... i.e, overproofed. Getting a bit tedious!
Just wondering if lowering the water temp (also 80) significantly would be a simple remedy. Any tips on how low to go would be appreciated - as well as any other ideas!
Use ice water and try to get your dough temp after mixing to 75 F. Also if you’re using a starter you can decrease the amount of starter used.
short answer yes. I've read that commercial bakeries in hot climates routinely mix their doughs with ice water.
Longer answer: depends on what you want your timing to be & if you worry abt final dough temperature. I'd experiment -- chilling water to maybe 55F and seeing how long it takes the dough to develop ... and then adjust to your liking as you bake more.
Rob
You could also put the container of dough into an insulated chest with some ice cubes. Some experimentation ought to let you keep the dough in the range of say 72 deg F - 76 deg F. That should make fermentation and proofing less finicky. Warmer dough will be softer and stickier so a little cooling should help with handling, too.
TomP
The info given in the replies is a HUGE help and confirms my thinking. THANKS - will def be using some COLD water next time.
Use less starter. Enjoy!
Elly has a video about making sourdough in a hot climate. She bakes in Queensland, Australia.
https://youtu.be/OhTRwn2H1-I?si=SZ58dOdx9ygoZ54o
Thanks for the link to Elly's warm-weather tips. DEF learned a lot about keeping things COOL!