u/da_gingerbreadman

I let it sit on the counter for only two days, and it had been in the fridge prior to that. It smells like acetone. No new smells. Is it still safe to use? :((

Hii! I’m confused as to why my loaves keep turning out gummy. Though my most recent bake was better and only slightly gummy, I want to know what causes it and improve :))

For context, my starter is almost a month old (26 days old), and I feed it a 1:3:2 ratio with bread flour, but I recently added whole wheat flour to its feeding. I decided to stop feeding it every day and started putting it in the refrigerator and only feeding it a day before I decide to bake.

My problem with my recent loaf is that it’s a tad bit gummy but fluffy, so I’ll take it as a plus. There aren’t many holes, which kinda upset me a bit, but hey at least it’s not dense. I’ve tried baking it for a longer time because I thought I was just underbaking it, but the crust was already turning a bit too tan and borderline burnt.

For comparison, I’ve attached my second and most recent loaf. I’m deeply ashamed of my first loaf, so I wouldn’t even bother adding it LOL. Both are mini loaves btw because I’m still trying things out.

I need all the help I can get, so I would very much appreciate your insights!

Ingredients: 250g bread flour 50g whole wheat flour 180g room temp water 60g starter 6g salt

Autolyse: Mix 250g bread flour, 50g whole wheat flour, and 180g water 1 hr rest Add 60g starter 30 min rest Add 6g salt 30 min rest

2 rounds of stretch and folds (30 min intervals) 1 last final round of coil and folds

5 hrs bulk fermentation Shaped before cold fermenting for 18 hours Baked straight away from the fridge

Baking: 200 degrees celsius for 40 mins 30 mins with lid on 10 mins with lid off (temp lowered to 170 degrees celsius)

P.S. It’s so painfully hot and humid from where I live therefore my dough ferments a lot faster