- COMPLIMENTARY SHIPPING OVER £50! (UK only)
- COMPLIMENTARY SHIPPING ON ORDERS OVER £50! (UK only)
There’s something magical about sourdough baking — the slow fermentation, the sour flavour, the ritual of feeding your starter. But then summer hits, and suddenly your reliable little jar of bubbly joy turns into a chaotic science experiment. If your starter’s gone rogue in the heat, you’re not alone. Sourdough starters struggle in the summer, and here’s why, plus tips of how to deal with it.
Changes in Ambient Temperature
Sourdough starters thrive between 21°C and 24°C (70°F–75°F). In the summer, your kitchen might be creeping well beyond that, especially without air conditioning. Higher temperatures speed up fermentation, which sounds like a good thing… until it’s not and your starter isn’t behaving how you want it to.
You’ll notice:
A super bubbly starter that rises and falls too fast
A sharp, almost acidic smell (a sign of over-fermentation and hunger)
A watery layer on top (hooch), even just hours after feeding
Basically, your starter is fermenting faster than you can keep up with.
Feeding Schedules Get Messy & complicated
In cooler months, once-a-day feeding works fine. But when it’s warm, your starter might be peaking and collapsing within 4–6 hours and can become hungry very quickly. That means if your normal feeding routine might not work for you by the time you’re ready to bake.
Things to try:
1. Switch to a twice-daily feeding routine if you’re keeping it at room temp
2. Increase your ratios, it takes longer for a higher ratio to double, a high ratio in the summer can behave the same as a lower hydration in the winter.
3. Find a cooler spot in the house, maybe on tiles or near a drafty window.
4. Make sure you’re using a high protein flour, one that is 13g of protein per 100g is optimal.
In Summary: It’s Not You — It’s the Weather
Sourdough starters are living things, and like us, they can get cranky in the heat. But with a few tweaks — cooler feeding times, adjusted hydration, fridge breaks — you can keep it alive and thriving until autumn returns.
So don’t be too quick to think your starter doesn’t work. Give it a little time, a lot of flour, and play around with the ratios. Even in the summer, sourdough success is still totally possible.
Got questions or your own hot-weather sourdough tips? Share them in the comments below!
