Dough is wet and sticky after bench rest.
I've recently had a problem where after a 1hr bench rest of my hi-ex (stone ground Farmer Ground Flour) boules, the dough loses tension then becomes wet and sticky when I try to pinch the bottom seam.
550g hi-ex
550g AP
50g rye
260g levain (20g starter; 120g water/50g hi-ex, 50g whole wheat, 20g rye)
860g water
27g salt
I mix 2 minutes speed 1 on a 30qt planetary mixer, autolyse 30 min then mix 4 minutes on speed 2-1/2. Dough is 73F. S&F 3 times every 30 minutes. After 4-5 hours bulk ferment (or until 50% rise) and delicate degassing, the pre-shape seems fine. But when I do the final shape it is like whatever gluten development I have disappears, but only when I try to pinch the seams.
Is this a symptom of mixing speed/time or bulk ferment? Should I be mixing slightly longer at a slower speed?
why such a long bench rest? I cannot say much about the mixer, since I knead by hand, but I have never let the dough stay for such long periods at the bench rest. Your hydration is around 75%, so after one hour resting, maybe this is what you should be getting. Another thing, has this always been the case, or have you altered something in the procedure and only now is having this problem?
I'm with Calneto. An hour is a long bench rest. The purpose of bench rest is to let the dough relax enough to be properly final-shaped after the pre-shape. If your dough actually requires that long to relax, then I would prescribe Valium or an hour on the couch (as opposed to en couche) :-). But seriously, if you are in a humid environment, a freshly pre-shaped dough will absorb moisture out of the air when exposed out in the open and thus become more sticky. In fact, all doughs, in my experience, become more surface-sticky the longer they rest. A quick gentle reshape will almost always bury or stretch/dry the sticky surfaces, yielding a more manageable dough. And of course, a little flour added to the surface is no sin or compromise.
In addition, 4-5 hours of bulk might be too long as well. You say "dough is 73F" but what is the temperature of the space in which it's fermenting? You might try shortening that by an hour or two.
Tom
It was suggested by Danni on this forum that a 1hr bench rest would best suit the type of flour I am using (whole grain stone ground) and a 16hr retard in the fridge. I've had good result with the 1hr benchrest and then right into the fridge. But I will shorten it as the kitchen gets warmer (kitchen is about 63-65F).
The dough has become sticky on occasion when I pinch the seams. I bulk ferment in an 83F tote box until the dough increases by 40-50%. Today I began a longer 1st mix (4 minutes) and then 4 minutes after autolyse at a slightly lower speed and the final shape held up well. I suspect warmer days in the kitchen may be the variable, which is beyond my control.
I have trouble figuring out what the optimal BF volume increase should be. Also, is an oval or droopy crumb an indication of overproofing?