“Your starter isn’t dying — it’s just cold.”

Baby it is cold out! Everything is different when the temperature and humidity drops. My baking "sweet spot" happens in October /Early November, then I find myself needing to make some adjustments to my process due to the dry, cold air.

Here are some things that I do a bit differently in the colder months:

A colder kitchen means longer rise time. I allow another hour or two to let my starter and dough rise. Give yourself time to adjust to changes.
Add steam when you bake, in my method I let my dough/bread tell me if it needs steam. If there is already a lot of moisture in the air/dough, I usually don't add steam, but December comes along, and I add some steam while baking to help my dough expand as it should. I think we all could benefit from a good steam!
Create a more ideal warmer environment. I usually make my dough/feed my starter around the time that I make dinner. Most days, that is the warmest my kitchen will be. So that helps kick start my dough in the colder environment. Plus, my dough/starter usually have doubled by the time I head to bed.

What are some things you have noticed to be different in your process since it has gotten colder? What adjustments did you make?

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