Words you'll meet

Sourdough glossary

Short, plain definitions. Terms are linked from our recipe and starter guides the first time they appear.

Autolyse: Resting just the flour and water (before adding starter or salt) for 20–60 minutes so the flour hydrates and the dough becomes easier to work.
Baker's percentage: A way of writing a recipe where every ingredient is a percentage of the total flour weight (flour = 100%). 700 g water to 1,000 g flour is 70%.
Banneton: A proofing basket, usually cane or wood pulp, that supports shaped dough during the final proof.
Bench rest / pre-shape: Loosely rounding the dough and letting it rest uncovered for 20–30 minutes before final shaping, so the gluten relaxes.
Bulk fermentation (bulk): The first, longest rise after mixing, while the dough is still in one mass. Most of the flavour and strength develops here.
Cold retard / cold proof: Proofing shaped dough in the fridge, often overnight. It slows fermentation, deepens flavour and makes scoring easier.
Crumb: The inside of the loaf: the pattern and size of the holes and the texture of the bread between them.
Desired dough temperature (DDT): The target temperature of the dough after mixing, often around 24–26 °C. Hitting it makes fermentation timing more predictable.
Discard: The portion of starter removed before a feed. It can be used in pancakes, crackers and other quick bakes.
Ear: The raised, crisp flap of crust that forms along a score when the loaf opens well in the oven.
Hooch: Grey or brown liquid on top of a starter. It's a sign the starter is hungry, not that it has gone bad.
Hydration: The weight of water as a percentage of flour weight. Higher hydration means a wetter, stickier dough.
Lame: A razor blade on a handle used to score (cut) the dough just before baking. Pronounced "lahm".
Levain: A portion of starter built up specifically for one bake. Many home bakers simply use their main starter instead.
Oven spring: The rapid rise a loaf makes in the first part of baking as gas expands and the yeast has a final burst of activity.
Peak: The point after a feed when the starter has risen as far as it will go, usually domed and roughly doubled, just before it starts to fall.
Poke test: Pressing a floured finger into proofing dough to judge readiness: fast spring-back means more time, slow spring-back means ready.
Proof (final proof): The last rise after shaping, either at room temperature or in the fridge.
Score / scoring: A deliberate cut in the top of the dough that controls where the loaf opens in the oven.
Starter: A culture of flour and water, kept going with regular feeds, containing wild yeast and lactic acid bacteria that leaven sourdough.
Stretch and fold: Lifting one side of the dough, stretching it up and folding it over, repeated around the bowl. It builds strength without kneading.
Surface tension: The tight outer skin created during shaping that helps the loaf hold its shape and rise upwards.

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