April 17, 2016 - 6:21pm
Crust and Crumb critique?
Anyone up for a visual critique? Thanks in advance! (20 % whole wheat, 80 % KA Bread flour, 75% hydration)
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Anyone up for a visual critique? Thanks in advance! (20 % whole wheat, 80 % KA Bread flour, 75% hydration)
I'd gladly eat that whole thing with a smile on my face. Might not have time to critique the crumb :)
Looks well fermented and well baked. A slightly tighter shaping might leave you with less holes toward the crust, but honestly I think this bread is a testament to consummate skill. Keep doin what you're doin !
Thank you... I wondered why the bigger holes near the crust. I have a hard time getting oval loaves shaped and formed tightly. Gotta work on that.
Oval loaves are hard for me too, but you can try doing it like Sebastién Boudet:
https://youtu.be/PFCsu9k4j84?t=156
I try to do it like this from time to time. Also, Mark from the Back Home Bakery (a poster here) uses a very similar method, that too can be found on YT.
Btw, the bread looks really nice. Perhaps you could pat it down before shaping it to get the holes to be more of the same size, but that isn't really the same style of bread...
I find that when I succeed at rolling/tucking the bread like in the clip above, the crumb is quite even and has a nice 'swirl' to it (kinda like a vortex). That might be something to try.
Regardless; very good work!
I could watch the slashing part of that video 100 times. I will try my shaping that way next batch... seems pretty straight forward. I'm wondering if that is cornmeal or semolina that is being used for dusting??
That video is hypnotic! I want to make bread like that! any one know where I can find the recipe please?
.... below for the recipe :) Not entirely sure about the difference between semolina and durum wheat here though! In Sweden, the flour he uses is called durum, I don't think we use the name "semolina". I've only ever seen that on imported products...
I don't know how many times I've watched it either, it's that good. The dough is roughly like this:
75% regular wheat
25% semolina
66% water
15-25% starter (100% hydration) ETA: 15-25% calculated from both the flours (which make up 100% together)
2,5% salt
Semolina is used for the dusting, I'm 99% on that one. It's a very nice bread!
Everything seems just fine to my eye on this one. Is this one of the batards that emerged from the WFO bake?
Same bake. I'm posting another pic at the end of this thread with another curiosity from that bake... SO much to learn!!
Looks good to me :)
Thanks!!
The holes are irregular, from large to small and glossy with no gummy anywhere - the hallmark of the perfect crumb. The crust was well browned all the way around with an ear and bloom and the loaf has pulled itself up off the baking surface to get the rounded shoulders. Looks perfect to me . Well done and
Happy baking
I appreciate your kind comments, AND your posts, from which I've learned a lot.
you can easily knock the dough down after a slightly shorter bulk rise and give it another albeit shorter second bulk rise. That's what bread flour is for, longer holding out power for extended fermentation. Up to you. :)
Mini, I'm bulk fermenting at about 36F - is that too cold? I do that overnight and then pop the dough out in the morning to room temp (68F) counter, covered. I keep an eye on it and preshape before it peaks, then final shape and proof either in fridge or room temp or 86F oven, depending on how the dough is proofing and when the oven will be ready and whether or not I have the mowing done (you get the picture). At what stage of the game should I try the punch down? Thanks!
I was only going on the photo and the initial post. So you delayed bulk fermenting by keeping the dough cold. 36°F is rather cold. And it's a sourdough? I stick to my suggestion. "Punching down" was for a yeasted bread, one with added yeast. But the idea of degassing and letting the yeast continue to ferment longer still might help with the crazy bubbles. :)
In one of the 4 loaves (same bake as first pic in this thread) I found the following - The bottom portion of the pic is the first cut off the end, the top portion is exactly in the middle. What possibilities explain the differenc in the crumb structure? Thanks in advance!!
I had that problem with my first SD loaf. Feedback I got was the tightness was probably due to under proofing. I think it was. I started letting my loaves bulk ferment almost completely at room temp, then per shaping then shaping before putting them in the fridge over night. I bake straight from the fridge. Things got better from there.
http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/45059/first-sourdough-loaf-need-help