BAKING BREAD - high-altitude sourdough notes from my kitchen
Out of all the sourdough advice I’ve found online, one thing I rarely see talked about is altitude and how different sourdough can behave when you’re baking above 5,000 feet.
Meet Catherine, my sourdough starter that I brought home from San Francisco on our honeymoon. She started her life at sea level and came home with me to Colorado, where the air is much drier and we’re baking at altitude. Since then, I’ve been learning how much location can actually change the process.
At higher elevations, lower air pressure and drier air can mean faster moisture loss, and fermentation can feel a little different too. I’ve noticed Catherine dries out much faster if she isn’t covered well, hydration matters more than I expected, and following someone else’s exact fermentation timeline doesn’t always work in my kitchen.
The biggest thing I’ve learned is to watch the dough instead of the clock. I’m looking for bubbles, a noticeable rise, a lighter and more aerated texture, and that slight jiggle that tells me fermentation is happening throughout the dough.
I’m still experimenting with hydration, temperature, feeding ratios, proofing times and all the little changes that come with baking sourdough in the mountains, but that’s also my favorite part of it. Every loaf teaches me something new.
If you’re baking sourdough at high altitude too, save this because I’m going to keep sharing everything I learn along the way. 🍞🏔️
#sourdough #highaltitudesourdough #sourdoughstarter #highaltitudebaking #sourdoughbread
Baking sourdough bread at high altitudes, specifically above 5,000 feet, introduces interesting challenges that can really transform your usual process. From my own kitchen experiments, I’ve noticed that the drier air and lower atmospheric pressure in mountainous regions significantly influence how the dough behaves. One of the biggest adjustments is managing moisture; higher evaporation rates mean your dough will dry out more quickly unless you cover it well during fermentation and proofing stages. This often means increasing the hydration level slightly compared to sea-level recipes. Fermentation also accelerates at altitude due to lower air pressure, so relying on traditional timing can lead to over-proofing. Instead, I’ve learned to trust visual and tactile cues—like visible bubbles, dough expansion, and that characteristic jiggle that indicates a well-fermented loaf—rather than just the clock. Temperature control becomes even more critical; slightly cooler proofing environments help slow down fermentation to a manageable pace. Feeding ratios for your sourdough starter may also need tweaking. A higher feeding frequency or altered flour-to-water ratios can keep the starter more active and in balance despite the faster fermentation speeds. This adaptability is key to maintaining a healthy starter like my own, Catherine, who traveled from sea-level San Francisco to the high plains of Colorado. Through trial and error, each loaf baked in high altitude conditions teaches important lessons. For my fellow bakers up in the mountains, this ongoing learning process is incredibly rewarding. By paying attention to your dough’s behavior, adjusting hydration, and managing proofing times with altitude in mind, you’ll find that you can consistently bake light, airy, and flavorful sourdough bread even above 5,000 feet. Keep experimenting and sharing your successes and challenges to build a community of high-altitude sourdough enthusiasts!
as someone who lives in colorado— add 2 tbsp of flour and cook for 2 mins more than what the recipe says