I’ve been putting yeast in my sourdough. I had a spate of flat loaves a few months back. It’s all in the timing—if it sits too long, sourdough will lose its will to rise. Other than a telltale grayish hue it sometimes takes on when it’s feeling listless, you can’t really tell if your sourdough is going to come out of the oven puffy or flat. A lot of the sourdough rising process happens in the oven.
So now, if I’m scared it won’t rise, I add yeast.
Is that cheating?
People who think using yeast with sourdough is cheating had better not be cooking in electric ovens, that all I can say. Freeze-drying was one of the greatest contributions top civilization since…
Electric ovens?
Sure. That’s what I tell myself anyway. But when I find more time in the fall, I’m going to be eschewing the yeast again, and mastering this whole no-additive thing.