The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

slack dough

hmcinorganic's picture
hmcinorganic

slack dough

I have started working with more hydrated doughs.  I am working off the Bread Bakers Apprentice by Reinhart, french bread recipe.  I am using the high end of liquid, and the stretch and fold technique.  My dough is doing its first rise right now, but it is not holding its shape.  It is really spreading out all over the place and I can't imagine it will hold together when I form it into loaves;  I can't get surface tension on the dough.  Maybe it will improve after the first rise?  This is the 2nd wettest (after an attempt at ciabatta 2 weeks ago) dough I've worked with, and while I can tell gluten is forming, I can't get it to hold any shape like I can with a drier (less wet?) dough.

I am doing crazy stuff with the bread;  my schedule is crazy so I'm retarding it in the fridge, letting it develop overnight, and then warming it up for the rise.  I hope to bake it tonight, but I may have to let it sit longer.... this dough may end up being a huge pate fermente for more loaves at the rate I'm going.  

I picked a bad day to start this bread so I am going to try to salvage it :)

tgrayson's picture
tgrayson

I've been doing the same thing, and I've found that it rises quite nicely in the oven.  I've been proofing them in a couche, but they still get somewhat flat when I transfer them to the peel.  Still, they puff well in the oven.

bnom's picture
bnom

It really helps to shape the dough when it's still chilled from refridgeration. 

BTW, I just made the wettest dough ever...I added 100 grams of teff to my regular formula (70% hydration) and it practically turned it into soup.  Working with the cold dough I was able to form it into a, not too pretty, baguette but it flattened out in the oven.  I ended up practically pouring the remained of the dough into a pre-heated dodutch oven. That worked well. 

 

hmcinorganic's picture
hmcinorganic

well, I don't know the % hydration of my dough, but it was wet, and I had trouble shaping it and moving it around.  It didn't spring back, but it doesn't look like easily stretchable play-dough like I see in videos on this site.  Anyway, I shaped them into something between batards and baguettes and they look and taste great.  open crumb.... some big bubbles.  I am getting better.  :)