November 14, 2010 - 10:56am
Rescuing over proofed loaves
While I was proofing today's bread, I got interrupted and just plain tied up for a while. By the time I could get back to it, the dough was seriously over proofed. When I tried scoring the first one with a lame, it was practically a joke. The loaf got a bit mangled, and deflated quite a bit. The second one scored better with a tomato knife, but still deflated, just a little less so.
Once I had them in the oven, it occurred to me that I probably could have re-shaped them and proofed a second time. What are your thoughts on this idea? Would this possibly help, or would it just be a bad idea?
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If it's using commercial yeast, then yes, you can just punch it down and reshape. Hell, it'll even taste slightly better.
If it's sourdough, however, then you're probably out of luck. At this point, slashing it might hurt it more than it helps. I've gently stuffed overproofed sourdough into a loaf pan that's helped slightly, but in the end it doesn't mask the fact that it's clearly overproofed.
If its overproofed, it's collapsed. It has collapsed because the yeast has consumed all the food and the CO2 pressure has torn the gluten. Start again or use this as a starter.
You are now the proud owner of a big starter! If you add some fresh autolysed dough and a little more flour, then it will quickly rise again. Keep an eye on it.