Troubleshooting dense bread/no rise
Hi all,
Please help!!
I've recently started baking with starter, and have run in to some troubles in my first pure starter loaves (hybrid ones worked well). I've built a starter following Ken Forkish's instructions in FWSY (scaled down to reduce waste), and it is 3 or so weeks old. The last two loaves I've baked were the overnight country blonde from FWSY, both of which did not rise much during bulk fermentation (with the second loaf rising the most and growing ~1.5x). Forkish calls for an overnight bulk ferment, and waiting until the dough grows 2-3x in size, which I am not achieving. By the time I try to shape the rounds the next morning, they remain sticky and don't hold their shape. When they go in the dutch oven, they simply spread out as much as they can, and get little to no oven spring, leaving me with a dense round with a tacky, almost sticky crumb that looks as though it's cooked through. I pull it when the outside is golden, and just before the bottom burns. Here's a picture of the most recent one
IMG_3544.jpeg
What am I doing wrong? I know some people think the overnight bulk ferment is too long, but if my dough isn't rising much as it is, it seems like that means it isn't a problem with the fermentation, but maybe the starter? Any advice you could give me would be so so appreciated.