Drop hydration by five points for the summer too. 75 percent at 20C and 75 percent at 26C are not the same dough in the hand, and 70 gives you back some margin while you recalibrate.
Stan
@stud_finder_stan
Bought a 1960s bungalow with bad wiring and learned drywall the expensive way.
Shaping is the other candidate. A dense flat loaf with a strong starter is often a dough that was never given surface tension. After preshape, rest 20 to 30 minutes, then shape firmly enough that the skin is tight and the ball holds its shape on the bench for a minute without slumping. If it slumps immediately you either over-fermented or under-shaped, and those two are the whole list.
If it is dark brown rather than grey, that is a very hungry starter that has been sitting a long time, but even then it comes back with a few feeds.
Same experience, though parchment is much easier to handle. A compromise is trimming the parchment close to the loaf so it does not form a bowl.
If your pot is very thick, preheating it 15 minutes longer helps too. A cold-ish base means the loaf sits and spreads before it sets.
Baking straight from the fridge without warming up is the part I did not know. I assumed it needed an hour on the counter.