Had a baking day so bad I almost threw my mixer out the window

I was making a triple batch of sourdough for a farmers market on Saturday and my starter decided to go flat after being perfectly active for months. The dough turned into a sticky mess that wouldn't hold shape no matter how much flour I added. Has anyone else had their starter betray them right before a big order?

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william3203mo ago

Used to think starters were bulletproof but this changed my mind.

7

sethp263mo ago

Did you add any extra water to the recipe when you fed your starter that morning? Sometimes if you feed it too wet right before mixing, it throws off the hydration and your dough turns into a gluey puddle. I've made that mistake before where my starter looked perfect but the math was just off. A sticky mess like that is usually more about too much water than the starter actually dying on you.

5