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Help! Sourdough timings for Friday evening bake. I work 9-5

bendy's picture
bendy

Help! Sourdough timings for Friday evening bake. I work 9-5

Hi All

I'm new here so hope this post is OK here.

I am an ok bread baker and love a fresh sourdough for the weekend (eggs on toast a fav)

But I work full time and have never worked out a good schedule for a Friday night bake.

I'm thinking that I should be able to get things started on Thursday evening then maybe a bit of shaping on Friday before work. With the bake on Friday when I get home.

Does anyone have method that works round these timings?

I would love to hear if you have

Thanks

Lechem's picture
Lechem (not verified)

Do you have any recipe in mind?

bendy's picture
bendy

Hi

I am pretty flexible with the recipe if it works for me. 

I'm looking at this at the moment http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/53813/san-joaquin-sourdough-two-ways with the Bâtards version being favourable.

But will work with anything

Ta

 

 

 

 

 

williampp's picture
williampp

Hi Bendy, To plan an exact procedure, will take a lot of experimenting. Depends if you live in a cold of hot country. My quick thoughts are, mix dough & do a couple of stretch & folds before you go to bed Thursday. Do first rise on counter overnight. If you live in a hot country, make your dough with cold water, or it may overproof, If you live in a cold country, make your dough on warm water, to make sure it's ready by morning. Shape Friday morning, then into the refrigerator, for the day. If second rise is not complete Friday night you will have to give it some counter time to complete. Bake. Hope this is of some help.

Bill.

bendy's picture
bendy

Hey there Bill

Sadly I live in a cold country (UK) so I think your ideas sound about right. like the cold/warm water idea, might need to work that into the 2 days of summer we get here.

 

Thanks again

 

Ben

Lechem's picture
Lechem (not verified)

Let's try and work out a schedule around this recipe and your schedule. We're looking at a Thursday morning levain build. Thursday night you mix the dough, do a few stretch and folds then an overnight bulk ferment. Friday morning shape the dough and refrigerate. Friday night - bake. For this the recipe needs to be tweaked so that you drop the starter % for a long overnight bulk ferment. Something closer to 10% starter.

 

  • 100% flour
  • 80% water
  • 2% salt

 

  • 500g flour
  • 350-400g water
  • 10g salt

 

  • 480g flour
  • 330 + 50g water (you're in the UK and might find dropping the hydration will be beneficial for the flour used)
  • 10g salt
  • 40g starter (8.3% starter to be precise)

 

We're going to keep your starter at 100% hydration to make it simpler. So prep your starter Thursday morning before work so it's active by Thursday night. Then onto the recipe Thursday night.

  • 432g bread flour
  • 24g whole-wheat flour
  • 24g medium rye flour
  • 330 + 50g (add the extra 50g water slowly if you think the dough needs it)
  • 10g salt
  • 40g starter

Form the dough Thursday night, perform 4x stretch and folds 20 minutes apart then bulk ferment in a cool spot overnight. Aim for about an 8 hour bulk ferment.

Come morning shape the dough into your banneton and refrigerate.

Bake Friday night.

 

P.s. this is an educated guess only. The recipe is near enough taking into consideration alterations needed and the timings are an estimate. It might need tweaking.

Gill63's picture
Gill63

When I was working I used to use Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s recipe/method in the River Cottage Everyday cookbook. Worked well for me - in the UK.

He doesn’t talk about % hydration (not a dedicated bread or even baking book) but talks of making a starter and keeping at a thick batter consistency. I just did it by feel, but probably about 100% hydration.

once active I kept the starter in the fridge, and for a Fri evening bake got it out Thurs before bed, took approx 100mls and combined with 250g bread flour (white worked best for me) and 275ml warm water. Mixed up , covered with cling film and left overnight. Fed remaining starter and left out overnight before putting back in fridge.

Fri am, add 300g of whatever bread flour I had/ fancied, 1tbs/12g olive oil and 10g salt and made dough. Usually did this in my Kenwood with the dough hook, whilst getting breakfast sorted. Depending on my flour mix usually took 5-10 mins, Turned out, shaped into ball and returned to lightly oiled bowl, before covering and leaving whilst at work. In the summer I made sure it was in the coolest room in the house. Fri after work, degas, shape and place in banneton. Leave to rise somewhere warm for 1 1/2 - 3 hrs until roughly doubled.

Bake on stone, with steam at 230 C for 15 mins, then reduce temp to 200C for approx 30 mins.

Remeber to turn off oven when removing loaf before bed??otherwise it’s another trip down to the kitchen when the realisation strikes!

Gill

bendy's picture
bendy

Hi Gill

That sounds very do-able, thanks. 

As for the remembering to turn off the oven, I'm bound to forget that ;-)

Getting some great ideas thanks

pul's picture
pul

I just finished a bake that might fit your schedule. It has worked with 20% to 30% whole grain in the recipe. Assume you want to bake on Friday night, then these steps have worked for me and may fit you as well.

1. THU night build your levain or feed your starter

2. Friday morning, mix all ingredients and bulk ferment for at least one hour and half before going to work (you may use the oven pilot lamp if it is too cold), then put the dough in the fridge. Apply the standard stretches and foldings (2 or 3 times) during the bulk fermentation

3. Friday evening after returning from work, shape the dough and proof it for 1 to 2 hours (actually you may shape it even after the short fermentation is finished if desired)

4. Bake

Below is the result of a pretty much hands off loaf that I have prepared today. Enjoy. peter

bendy's picture
bendy

Wow they look great Pul and another great recipe that I think will fit my schedule 

thanks :-)

HansB's picture
HansB

Thursday morning. Start time can be adjusted of course. I built the Levain at 0900:

 

  • 20g Starter
  • 20g Whole Wheat
  • 20g Strong Bread flour
  • 40g water

I'll mix at + 8.5 hours (1745)

 

Thursday evening. Mix wil be:

 

  • 150g White Whole Wheat
  • 350g Strong Bread Flour
  • 365g Water
  • 10g Salt
  • 100g Levain

 

Add Salt at 1845

Stretch & Folds (3) until 2015.

 

Let bulk approx 60-90 minutes until about 30% volume increase. Approx 2130

 

Thursday night. Pre-shape then rest 30 minutes. Shape and place in refrigerator. Approx 2200

 

Friday. Preheat oven when you get home, bake cold from refrigerator as soon as oven is hot.

 

I'll post photo of the finished loaf tomorrow.

 

bendy's picture
bendy

Yet another option. Thanks again this one will definely fit in with my work times.

 

cheers mate.

HansB's picture
HansB

Here is the finished loaf. I went a bit longer than the 19 hours CF in the refrigerator but I think the result would be the same.

bendy's picture
bendy

Nice one 

bendy's picture
bendy

This is a nice place to spend some time

I am going to be busy. 

bendy's picture
bendy

Ok my first go with the weekday timings. I would say I have “learnt a lot” with this attempt ;-)

timings worked well as did the Dutch oven bake

The but is the dough was way to wet. So need to work on that. 

Still thanks for help with this. The next one will be better 

???

HansB's picture
HansB

Not a bad start Bendy. Maybe try 5-10% less hydration? And you may want to try to brush off some of the excess flour before baking.

bendy's picture
bendy

OK after a fair amount of experimentation here is where I have got to, and I am very happy with the place.

Wednesday Night - Starter out the fridge and feed with 100g of water and 100g of plain flour. Let it do its stuff

Thursday after work - follow this recipe http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/33725/my-basic-sourdough-bread-recipe but I have up'ed the water to 320g. Then last prove in the fridge until i get home on Friday

Friday - Take out 2 hours before bake. Then dutch oven bake at 235 lid on for 30 mins. Then lid off for 15.

Perfect for me. 

I also want to thank you all for all your help getting here :-)