Had to choose between a sourdough starter or instant yeast for a big order

A local cafe in Boise wanted 50 loaves of sourdough for a weekend event. I had to decide between using my 5-year-old starter, which is slower, or adding a bit of instant yeast to speed up the bulk ferment. I went with the starter, trusting the flavor, but it meant pulling an all-nighter to manage the timeline. The bread turned out great, but I'm wiped out. Has anyone else faced a tight deadline and stuck with a traditional method over a faster one?

2 comments

2 Comments

sam_hayes312d ago

Honestly, pulling an all-nighter for bread sounds a bit extra. It's just a cafe order, not a museum piece. Couldn't you have just used a tiny bit of yeast to help out and still gotten good flavor?

the_caleb12d ago

Man, that reminds me of the time I tried to hand-whisk meringue for a huge pavlova.