The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Scoring problems

Florentina's picture
Florentina

Scoring problems

Hi everyone,

I recently started baking sourdough bread. 

The bread below it’s a Vermont Sourdoughs with 10% WWF from Jefrey Hamelman’s book. The taste is very good and the bread keeps its moisture up to a week. The only thing that bothers me is that the dough gets dry after proofing and scoring is a little difficult.

I use wood pulp bannetons and I dust with 85% wheat flour.

Can you please give me some advices to get a better result.

 

Thank you!

 

 

 

David R's picture
David R

My quick initial thought is that maybe your bread is getting too hot from above, and that you might need to experiment with placement in the oven, temperature adjustment, or "stuff like that". (There are so many ways to approach it - as long as you get something that works, it's good.)

Florentina's picture
Florentina

I use an electric oven. On the last two baking (that includes the bread from the first pictures I uploaded here) I preheated the oven for about an hour at 260 degrees C with ventilation on, and at the baking time I stoped the ventilation and I reduceed the temperature at 230-240 degrees C. On the other hand the flour I use now has a higher ash content and maybe this has influenced the final aspect of the bread.

Below I preheated the oven at 240 degree C, scoored the bread and put it on the oven (it tooked me like half minute because I don’t have all the necessary tools) and let it bake for 40-45 min. Here the ash content is lower.

Now looking at these pictures I will preheat the oven 240 degrees C and continue baking without modifying the temperature.

 

breadyandwaiting's picture
breadyandwaiting

What environment are you proofing in? Placing the basket inside a sealed plastic bag can help retain moisture. Cold proofing (in the fridge) will make the loaf significantly easier to score as well. 

Florentina's picture
Florentina

I proof at room temperature (21-23 degrees C) and humidity between 30-50% covered with a plastic bag and protective cloth for bannetons. Can it be possible that the blade I use for scoring is not sharp enough?

About what you said regarding cold proofing I saw that was a difference but when I did that I didn’t have bannetons. I used covered glass/plastic bowl with kitchen towel and dusted with a lot of flour to avoid sticking. Is there a difference between the two methods (bannetons or glass/plastic bowl)?

Mini Oven's picture
Mini Oven

it could use a longer bulk proof before a final shaping. (June 1,  11:07)

Florentina's picture
Florentina

Do you refer at first images posted or the ones in the comment for David R? Because the bread from the pictures posted  on comments for David R is made following the recipe of Peter’s Reinhart book and needed retarded bulk fermentation and I agree with you that the dough needed extra time for: 1. the period from getting out the dough from refrigerator and shaping; 2. the period for final fermentation taking in consideration the low temperature that I had in the room - 21C (70F).

For that bread I was proceeding differently regarding the preheating the oven: not heating the tray from the beginning because I don’t have a stone and preheating just 15 minutes the oven till it reached the desired  temperature. Also I forgot the oven with the ventilation on for the first 10 minutes) and that was the result.

For the bread in the pictures where I asked advices for easy scoring I preheat the oven with the tray inside and I got better results on the overall aspect of the bread, less for the scored part of course.

Thank you!