June 27, 2017 - 1:12pm
Bulk Ferment - Cold and Long, or Warm and Short?
Presently I bulk ferment on the counter for 4 hours, two of those hours contain periodic stretch-n-folds. I've never done differently, and it yielded good results once (the first time) and not so good results from there on out. I suppose I just never suspected that part of the process so it never really got put under the microscope. I also normally proof overnight in the fridge out of convenience. Short warm bulk ferment; cool long proof.
Trying to improve my process here - seeing where some folks are bulk fermenting for long periods in cold temperatures. What does this do, and does it replace some of the final proofing time, or otherwise change the way you final proof?
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It varies for different flours and different intended results. Time, temperatures and the strength of you leavening agent play a big part in the bulk fermentation and proofing.
4 hours has been a fairly general time for bulk ferments. My baguettes have a bulk ferment of around 1.5 hours and my sourdough pan loaves generally run closer to 6 hours. Dropping the dough temperature will extend those times and warming the dough will shorten the times. It is hard to predict a specific time without knowing your ferment's environment.
Some of the more profound results for me have been in managing dough temperatures. If I pay more attention to repeating the previous temperature environments I generally have a much more predictable outcome.
Jim
Bulk fermentation is done in my oven with the light on and the door cracked. That gives me a temperature of about 82 F. It usually takes about 4-5 hours for my sourdough to double. On the counter at 70-72F it can take a lot longer.
Proofing is done overnight in a 36-37 F Fridge for 10-14 hours. I like to stay under 12 hours but sometimes that isn't possible. I usually have about 13% prefermented flour.
table helpful as a general guideline on timing:
http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/5381/sourdough-rise-time-table (make sure that you read through the comments, as there is a better explanation of using the table in the comments than in the main post)
http://www.wraithnj.com/breadpics/rise_time_table/bread_model_bwraith.htm
As a general rule, I tend towards using 10-15% prefermented flour when I plan on a refrigerated bulk ferment or, more often, a refrigerated proof. If my kitchen temp is below 70 degrees, then I'll follow Danni3ll3's advice and ferment in the oven with the light on and the door propped open (which, for me, gives about 78 deg F), and I use the table as a rough guideline for times as my kitchen temperature increases in the summer.
If I'm trying for a one-day mix to baked, then I'll increase the prefermented flour to 20-25%, and try for around 78-80 deg F for fermentation and proof.
My starter is highly active, I often use different hydration levains (anywhere from 60% to 125%, depending on what I'm trying), and I always include at least 40% whole grains (and up to 100% whole grains), so the timing on the table is generally a bit slower than what I see in my kitchen. I find that a volume increase of 30-50% is all that I want during ferment, with about the same during proof (going a full double so far has always resulted in an over-proofed loaf for me).
I also find that dropping barometric pressure (such as from a storm blowing in) will drastically decrease the time it takes for proofing, and have had to add in some extra deflating and shaping to compensate.
I am constitutionally incapable of following a recipe, so I base my baking plan on what timing I want to use, what the temps / pressure are forecast to be, and then use the table to decide what amount of prefermented flour that I want. i then play with flour choices, add-in's, hydration, etc. to create the flavour profile that I want.
It is best to keep in mind, though, that the table is no more accurate than any recipe in predicting what your dough will do in your kitchen at the time that you are working with it. The "watch the dough, not the clock" is the most critical advice --- and use the fridge for ferment or proof (or both, or neither) to make the bake suit your schedule as much as possible.
Keep playing around to see what works best for you, and keep baking happy!
pressure making ferment and proofing times shorten. This is very cool for Loony Lucy and I . We will now be checking our electronic barometer, weather station thingy to see if it ever changes anything. All I get every day is 114 F, clear blue skies and no humidity to speak of:-) Maybe Lucy should invent a Barometric Chamber for bread making instead of wasting all of her time on those silly apps of hers - It might cure world hunger from failed sourdough.....just a thought.
I'm not sure how the pressure changes impact the actual fermentation, but it most definitely allows for much faster proofing / rising of starters / levains / dough. Same principle as the lower temperature for boiling point at higher elevations, I would think - less pressure on the surface inhibiting the rising of the gases within. We get some huge pressure changes through here all winter (thanks to the chinook winds through the mountains), and any time a storm rolls through.
Last week was a great example, when it was a rousing 69 deg in my kitchen (are you sure that humans and their canine rulers can even survive at 114?? Oh, that's right - it's a "dry heat"...), my 50% WG dough had 13% prefermented flour, and it more than doubled in volume within 90 minutes of the levain hitting the dough, even with me doing vigourous stretch-and-folds on the 30 minute marks. I flattened it, rolled it, and bagged it in to a banneton in the fridge for 12 hours, and it was more than tripled in volume in my 37 deg fridge and felt like saggy waterbed when I touched it. It got flattened again, and re-rolled as a pre-shape, and it almost doubled again while sitting on the counter for twenty minutes. I stretched it out a third time, shaped it again, and tossed it in to the oven as soon as it finished warming up --- and got a massive oven spring.
You and the fine lady Lucy should keep an eye on your barometer, as it wouldn't surprise me at all if you don't find some correlation between your rare over-proofed loaves and what the air pressure is doing... I also wouldn't be surprised to find out that all of the big pro bakeries use equipment with controlled pressure, and have their building HVAC systems set to maintain a much more stable pressure than we can do in our homes. I'm afraid Ms Lucy might find that her Barometric Chamber for sourdoughs is already considered a standard feature of the professional bakery proofing device (Big Baker not sharing the secret to curing world hunger?!?) --- so you'll just have to keep her working on that app for sending samples of your wondrous bakes out to all of us admiring (and drooling) fans...