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My aunt swore her sourdough starter needed singing to every morning

My aunt, who bakes like a pro (she’s been doing it since the 80s), told me I had to sing to my sourdough starter every morning for it to rise. I thought she was joking, but I tried it for a week with a little hum of 'Happy Birthday.' The starter bubbled like crazy, but when I baked the bread, it came out flat as a pancake and tasted like regret. Turns out she just wanted me to keep the starter warm by the stove, not serenade it. Has anyone else gotten baking advice that was more weird than useful?

3 comments

3 Comments

miles_hall1mo ago

Ha, that's amazing. I once spent a whole month tapping on my starter jar thinking I was "activating" it with vibrations. Ended up with a very confused, slightly agitated blob of flour water and a loaf that could double as a doorstop. @ivanscott is totally right about the temp thing, my oven with the light on turned my sad pancake loaf into something you could actually slice without injury. Honestly, at this point I'm just glad I didn't try reading it bedtime stories.

ivanscott1mo ago

Keep your starter in a warm spot around 75-80 degrees, anything colder makes it lazy and flat like you saw. A simple proofing box or even the oven with the light on does the trick way better than any singing routine. The bubbles just mean the yeast is active, but temperature and good flour are what actually give you that nice rise.

elizabethmason1mo ago

My friend tried the singing thing for weeks with her starter and got nowhere, until she put it in her oven with the light on and suddenly had a bubbly monster on her hands lol. She said it was like the yeast finally woke up and decided to party instead of just sitting there all grumpy. Temperature really is the secret, not serenading your flour water.