Why does nobody talk about how easy it is to overproof dough in a warm kitchen

I left my brioche on the counter for an extra 45 minutes last Saturday while I was wrestling with a sticky vinyl plank in the next room, and the whole thing turned into a sticky puddle that collapsed when I tried to shape it. Has anyone else had a batch go totally flat from a room temp spike?

3 comments

3 Comments

bennett.evan1d ago

Buddy of mine had his kitchen get warm from running the dryer one summer afternoon, turned his sourdough into what he called "soup with bubbles" in less than an hour. By the time he got back to it, the dough had spread across the whole counter like a puddle and wouldn't hold any shape at all. He still jokes that the only thing it was good for was making a really depressing pancake.

oscarc1222h ago

Oh man, "soup with bubbles" is exactly right. I had the same thing happen when I forgot to move my starter away from the window on a hot day. The dough just turned into this sticky, liquidy mess that looked more like a science experiment than bread. I tried to salvage it by adding a ton of flour but it just made this dense, gummy blob that tasted like sadness. The worst part was cleaning it off the counter because it had this glue-like consistency that stuck to everything. Now I keep my starter in the fridge during summer or at least on the cool side of the kitchen near the floor.

evan_green5221h ago

Actually I sort of disagree with @oscarc12 about keeping everything in the fridge all the time. I've found that fermenting at room temp gives you way more flavor and a better crumb, you just have to watch it like a hawk once you learn your kitchen's hot spots. Warm kitchens are manageable if you cut your bulk time down and check the dough every 15 minutes instead of leaving it for two hours like a recipe says.