Some of you know it as the aliquot jar. Same trick, less intimidating name. Take a small piece of your dough at the start of bulk, drop it in a clear jar, mark the starting line, and let it sit right next to your main bowl. That little jar tells you what's happening inside your big batch without you having to guess. Here's the part most people miss: you're not waiting for the dough to double. You're watching for halfway. Roughly a 50% rise on the jar. If you let it hit double, you've already overshot. The dough kept fermenting past peak, the gluten structure started breaking down, and the loaf you bake is going to read flat, gummy, and dense even though you swore you followed the recipe. This is why so many of you have been fighting tight crumb and disappointing oven spring. The fix is simple. Watch the jar, not the clock. Pull when it's halfway up. Watch the lesson, grab a jar from your cabinet, and try it on your next bake. Drop a comment when you do. I want to see your before and after.

A stiff sourdough starter is typically maintained at 45 - 50% hydration. It offers several advantages over the liquid (100% hydration) starter. Key Benefits: Longer Peak Window: Stiff starters are not as time sensitive as a liquid starter. Why? Because they are denser, they ferment more slowly and stay at peak much longer than liquid starters. In most cases, several hours longer than liquid starters. Liquid starters which might collapse within an hour of peaking Enhanced Yeast Activity: The lower water content boosts yeast growth over lactic acid bacteria (LAB), leading to a milder flavor profile that is less sour and more yeast forward, making it ideal for enriched doughs like brioche, panettone, or cinnamon rolls. Honestly I use my stiff starter for any recipe without issue. Improved Dough Structure: Using a stiff starter helps preserve gluten strength because it reduces enzymatic activity that otherwise breaks down gluten proteins. That gives you.... Better oven spring (taller loaves). Easier handling and shaping, as the dough is less likely to become "slack" or sticky. Resilience in Heat because stiff starters are more stable in hot climates (80°F+). A liquid starter can quickly over-ferment and turn soupy & gloopy in the heat. But a stiff starter holds its structure and ferments at a more predictable pace. Easier Maintenance: Fridge Longevity: Stiff starters can survive longer in the refrigerator between feedings. Sometimes several weeks without developing the strong vinegar smells or acidic breakdown common in liquid starters. Less Mess: Stiff starters are dough-like and do not leave behind the sticky, liquid residue typical of a milkshake or pancake consistency starter. If you'd like to begin your journey with a Stiff Starter say "Squad Me" in the comments!! Here's how to start your Stiff Starter: 3g Active Bubbly Starter 15g Water 30g Flour Mix starter and water together until the water looks milky and the starter is dissolved. Then mix in flour, stirring untill it's too stiff to stir. Pour it out onto a clean counter top, every crumb, and knead the ingredients together until you have a cohesive dough like substance. Lastly roll into a ball or roll out into a strip and roll up like a cinnamon roll and place into your jar. This feed ratio is a 1:5:10 giving you a 50% hydration stiff starter. This will take about 10-14 hours to peak at 73*F. You only need to feed once every 24 hours. I feed at 6pm the next morning when it has peaked I place it in the fridge until time to feed again at 6pm. I don't keep my starter in the fridge for days or weeks... That's my personal preference.