Hot kitchen, lazy starter

The heat is here. My starter peaked at 4:15 this afternoon instead of 6:00 like it does in winter, and I almost missed it because I was hanging laundry outside.

This is the part of summer baking that catches everyone off guard. Your starter doesn't change. The kitchen does. At 78°F, fermentation happens almost 50% faster than at 68°F. There's a doubling rule for yeast activity around every 10°F — it's real.

What I do now:

• Feed in the evening instead of the morning
• Watch for peak around 5–7 hours instead of 8–10
• Cold retard everything overnight, no matter what the recipe says

The slow bake of October doesn't return until October. Embrace the chaos.

— Sarah