Finding My Rhythm - Parenthood & Baking
Hello all,
6 months ago, I welcomed my first child to this side of existence. I baked two loaves of bread while I was in labor (actually, I shaped the loaves and started the proof - my husband had to finish the baking - I was, uh, indisposed), and then I took a long hiatus from baking. Now that my daughter isn't a newborn, I'm trying to re-establish my rhythm and to get back to baking.
My routine used to be as follows:
-Day 0, evening: feed starter to bulk it up
-Day 1, morning: make dough, stretch-n-fold
-Day 1, day: bulk fermentation
-Day 1, early evening; shape and proof
-Day 1, late evening: bake
Unfortunately, this routine doesn't work well anymore. I still get up at 6:00 a.m. but now first thing I need to nurse my baby, change diaper, start diaper laundry, etc. I usually try to catch a quick nap during baby's first nap of the day, so I don't have a chance to start making dough until later in the morning. Also, I used to bake starting quite late to allow for a long ferment and proof (sometimes putting the bread into the oven as late as 10-11 pm), but now I go to sleep early, before 10 pm, so I can get enough sleep as my daughter still nurses in the night.
I'm having a hard time figuring out how to make a new rhythm, so baking our bread is just a part of life. Right now, it feels like work. I think I need to spread out the process over 3 days, because baking day always started late and ended late.
How would you change this routine so it spans 3 days? Any thoughts on bulk fermentation overnight in the fridge? Or better to try proving in the fridge overnight? Any other bakers out there with little babies? How do you structure your baking time? The downside of a 3-day process is that I can't spontaneously bake a loaf. My colleague told me about "Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day" - would a process like that be better suited to family life?
Question #2: I used to keep my starter in the fridge always, take it out and feed it the night before baking. During my hiatus from baking, I was only feeding it 1-2 times a month, and it started smelling strongly of acetone. I've refreshed it by leaving it on the counter, feeding it daily for ~5 days on a 1:1:1 ratio of starter:water:flour, and it smells a lot better. So I think it's ok to use.
In the future, I'd like to leave the starter on the counter. How often do you recommend feeding the starter? How can I tell when it's hungry? If I'm only baking once a week, is it better to leave it in the fridge?
I like feed starter (or in my case I make a poolish) before bed. Make dough in AM and proof at room temperature. Whenever ready shape loaves and put in fridge for final proofing. Get up in the morning and turn on oven and preheat dutch oven. If the loaves look ready I leave them in the fridge. If not, I take them out and they'll be ready if an hour.
I find doing the second rise in the fridge gives me more freedom regarding timing and a much wider time range to avoid over proofing.
Also baking the bread in the morning gives me fresh bread that day, get to enjoy the crispy new crust.
I bake very similarly in routine to Esterc. One further time concession I give myself is the autolyse. I mix my flour and liquid early and let it sit til I'm ready to use it. I've not found a point that is too long yet as far as time spent autolysping but I have discovered that lovely custard-type crumb since using a longish autolyse. It also gives me much more freedom time-wise.
Typically I mix up the autolyse in the morning whenever it is convenient. My starter is usually fine by the am but sometimes I refresh it in the am too depending on flavour profile or quantity. Usually it's noon before I add the starter and salt and anything else that needs to be part of the mix. It takes me a maximum of 5 minutes to do that mix using Forkish's "pincer method". And then I'm in to the stretch and fold for the next two and a half hours (approximately) and then another 90 minutes or so of undisturbed bulk ferment. The only period I don't like to mess with - but I will if I have to - is the 2 to 2 1/2 hours alloted to the stretch and fold. Sometime near the dinner period I am shaping and placing in baskets. I leave the loaves on the counter or in the basement (cooler) until they start showing signs of rising and then I put them in the refrigerator. If I know the dough will have to retard a long time (for me that is after work the next day) I put them in the refrigerator immediately after shaping. They can always prof a bit more after retarding. I have read some bakers have left their dough much longer than me with good results.
Bread baking became much more enjoyable for me once I realized how much freedom I had time-wise. Other than the stretch and fold phase I have very little hands on time.
I hope that helps you in your scheduling. I baked when my children were small and my daughter Is probably a better baker than me now. It is just something they grew up with. Now I bake with my grandchildren when I get the chance. :)
However you sort it out, enjoy your baking and your infant. Time flies. If all else fails you can call in the heavy artillery to assist - THE HUSBAND!
You must mean MOM!! ;-)
So, why don't you mess with your S&F period? That's the one period I usually don't pay close attention to - just S&F when I walk by the mixing bowl, or whenever I remember.
Also, could you tell me more about the "pincer" method to add the starter to the autolyse? I tried roughly your schedule for the last loaf I baked, and it turned out pretty well - except it was darn tough to mix the liquid-y starter into the hard, tough dough. (I use a more liquid starter, so the dough was very very stiff before its addition.)
Thank you for your respose!
Hello again...
Yes on the heavy artillery! But don't forget to cut yourself some slack too. Even Supermom needs time outs :)
I'm glad you were moderately pleased with your results. That's a very positive re-start.
In answer to your queries...
As for the stretch and fold period, I feel that this is an important time to commit to because the dough is going through probably the most important development stage. The gluten is developing and I feel that I don't want to impede its progress in any way. So I pretty much commit to the three or four intervals of stretch and fold that might be needed for that gluten development. If I ever had to interrupt my baking at that point I definitely would but I prefer not to.
There is a good explanation of the "pincer method" at the link below. YouTube also has some good Forkish videos showing the pincer method. But basically you are just squishing in the salt and starter after the autolyse with about osix squeezing movements along the dough - sort of sausage-like. Then do it again until you feel its well mixed. Nothing pretty. Remember with the autolyse you aren't developing - just mixing the flour and water until no dry spots remain. But the autolyse does give you a much easier mess to work with.
http://bakingartisanbread.blogspot.ca/2014/03/ken-forkishs-field-blend-2.html
This weekend my bake was the following:
1000 g flour.
700 g water
20 g salt
150 g starter (75% hydration)
So my hydration is about 70% - pretty workable. Not too too hard to handle in any respect. I mixed my flour and water at about 830 am. At the same time I refreshed my starter since I wanted leftover. At about 1100 am I added the starter and salt to the autolyse and "pincered" it til i was satisfied. I left it in my mixing bowl and covered it. First stretch and fold at about 40 minutes in and then pretty much three more sets at around 40 mins apart. At that point the dough was becoming resistant much more quickly - even though it feels much more pliable - so I let it rest for a couple of hours. Now it was close to dinner time so I divided and shaped and put it on the basement floor. After another and a half I realized it was proofing rather well and I stuck the baskets in the fridge til 1100 am the next day. i preheated the oven and Dutch ovens, flipped my loaves into the hot Dutch ovens straight from the fridge, scored them and baked covered at 450 for 20 mins and 400 for 25 mins uncovered.
That sounds like a lot but I was also grocery shopping, cleaning, coffee breaking, etc etc in between.
i started sourdough baking I think in 2010. I got a lot of help/advice from dabrownman, dmsnyder and dragon (in alphabetical order :)). I am very happy with what I can accomplish now. Everyone here is very helpful. I learned finally that nothing is so rigid that you can't make it work somehow. What I have described has become so easy with very little contact really and it is always so exciting to see how well you did this bake. :). I am smitten. I mix flours all the time - never straight AP. Anyway despite the fact that I work full time I have found that I can make it work even evenings.
Good luck with your scheduling challenges!
I use a Kitchen Aide for my dough, 4 to 6 minutes depending on how the dough looks. Usually one or two stretch and folds in the first hour or two. If I don't have time for the stretch and fold it comes out fine. I just like the way it feels to do the stretch and fold I think. The dough feels so silky. Don't Chad and Ken use mixers in their bakeries?
So I don't think hand pincering the dough and the stretch and folds are mandatory for good bread if someone has a busy schedule.
HI... i agree completely with your comment. I used to use a mixer regularly. I don't now because I am lazy - I don't like cleaning up the kitchen. But I in no way meant to imply the pincer method is superior. just a good way of mixing a couple of loaves at a time.
Yes I believe both Robertson and Forkish have noted that they use commercial mixers now for the quantities they make for sale.
Double post
The refrigerator is your time machine. The kind of routine estherc describes- overnight cold retardation, bake in the morning - is my preference, and I don't even have a baby to care for.
One of Julia Child's greatest gifts to home bakers was to say you can refrigerate your dough at almost any point between initial mix and the bake, if needed to accommodate other demands. In fact, you can also feed and ferment and then refrigerate your starter. It will keep healthy for at least 3 days, if it's a firm levain. Maybe only two days if it's liquid. In fact, you may find you prefer the flavor you get with a levain that has spent time in the cold. Compensate by using warmer water, if you mix your dough with still cold starter. I do this frequently with good results.
Congratulations on you daughter, and happy baking!
David
Congratulations on being ready to bake after only six months! Our son knocked us both out for two years. Enjoy it though, it goes fast. Our son visited last night, he's 23 and balding now.
My schedule is a little different although it amounts to almost the same thing. Friday evening I build the levain (or feed the starter if that's what you want to call it) and mix the flour and water for an overnight autolyse. Saturday morning the levain is ready to go, so I mix it into the autolyse, add salt, do my stretch and folds over a few hours, then into the fridge until Sunday, when I let it warm up for an hour or two, shape, proof for only 30-60 minutes, and bake. The long, cold bulk ferment develops wonderful flavor. No doubt it does the same in the proofing stage if it works for you.
I have tried the overnight proof in the fridge but haven't had good luck, it's always way over proofed, deflates when slashed and not much spring. Probably my bad techniques to blame but personally I get better results the other way around.
Anyway, it cuts down the long days and late nights in the kitchen. More than one way to do it. --
May your daughter have beautiful early memories of beautiful bread.
Tom
Quick follow up question - what is the consistency of your dough before you add the starter? I tried something roughly like this for my last loaf, and the dough was really, really stiff, and it was pretty difficult to work in the starter (as I use a more liquid-y starter).
Last weekend I used 1000g. flour (30%whole wheat, 5%rye, 15%barley, rest AP) and 740 g. water for the autolyse, usually I use 20 to 40 g more water which works better, I was experimenting. And I used 160 g of starter at 100% hydration so my final hydration this time was 76%, I think it's better and easier with a bit more water.
I hand mix the autolyse but only until the flour is wet, no dry spots. Next morning sometimes I mix in the starter and salt by hand, sometimes in the old Kitchenaid which is too small for this amount. Depends on whether I'm in a hurry and how my arthritis is. But I definitely wouldn't say it's hard to mix either way.
Tom
Another advantage to the refrigerated 2nd proofing is the colder dough holds its shape better when I take it out of the bannetons.
I also wonder if I get greater oven spring from the quick jump from cold temp to extremely hot temp when baking straight from the cold retard. It seems so to me.
I think my oven spring is better with the colder dough.
Day 0: late evening. Mix starter from fridge, flour, wayer & salt. Leave 30 minutes, lightly knead. Top-up starter. Leave both overnight in a coolish place (18°C).
Day 1: 5:55am. Starter back into fridge. Tip dough out, gently degas, shape into banneton leave to prove in warm place. Do the baby stuff.
7:30 dough into hot oven.
8:00 to 8:10 enjoy hot bread :-)
Other than the baby stuff that's what I did last night/this morning. It's 7:20 as I type this, breads will be going into the ovens in about 30 minutes time (I'm a bit later as I have 20 loaves to bake). I also did the starter differently - 3pm yesterday I took it out o the fridge and bulked it up enough to do thoe 20 loaves, left it out until the evening when it went back in the fridge.
Easy, low-impact breads.
-Gordon