How can I tell if my sourdough has overfermented?
Love to hear it clicked. That diagnosis is spot on, and now that you can read the signs you are most of the way there. For the next bake, aim to end bulk around a 50% rise and lean on a strong, yeast forward starter, and you should see a real jump in your results.
Answered by Hendrik, The Bread Code
From the book
To fix issues related to over-fermentation, you need to stop the fermentation process earlier. What I like to do is to extract a small fermentation sample from my dough. Depending on the volume increase of this sample, I can mostly judge when my fermentation is finished. Try to start with a 25 % volume increase of your main dough or sample. Depending on how much gluten your flour has, you can ferment for a longer period of time. With a strong flour featuring a 14 % to 15 % protein, you should be able to safely ferment until a 100 % size increase. This however also depends on your sourdough starter’s composition of yeast and bacteria. The more bacterial fermentation, the faster your dough structure breaks down. Frequent feedings of your sourdough starter will improve the yeast activity. Furthermore, a stiff sourdough starter might be a good solution too. The enhanced yeast activity will result in a more fluffy dough with less bacterial activity. A better yeast activity also will result in less acidity in your final bread. If you are a chaser of a very strong tangy flavor profile, then a stronger flour with more gluten will help.
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