The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Scoring problem or proofing problem?

gregoryw's picture
gregoryw

Scoring problem or proofing problem?

Hey all- first post here- trying to get to the bottom of what’s going on here and see if any more experienced bakers could weigh in on what’s causing this problem. Every time I try a scoring pattern that isn’t a single slash, the loaf has less spring and comes out like the one on the left. That said, in this instance, I proofed the right hand loaf in the single banneton I own, and the other one in a linen lined colander. I should buy a second banneton but I’ve only been baking sourdough a month or so. This is one of the springiest white sourdoughs i’ve come up with after some experimentation, it’s 80% hydration and the flavor is great, I’m just curious as to whether this is caused by proofing in a colander or poor slashing technique. 

 

Heres my formula:

715g unbleached white flour

75g vital wheat gluten

50g barley

50g dark rye

100g spelt

764g water

200g starter at 100% hydration

6 sets of stretch and folds for 3 hours plus one extra hour of bulk

12 hour retard in proofing baskets

baked in Dutch oven at 500 for 20 min lid off for 25

Filomatic's picture
Filomatic

Hi Gregory and Welcome.  These are beautiful loaves, and most would be more than happy with these, myself included.  It would also help to see a crumb shot, but to my eye I see no evidence of over-proofing or any adverse affect from the colander.

(1) Great color (help from residual sugar, so food supply not exhausted); and

(2) No slumping (food supply did not run out and damage gluten structure)

That leaves shaping and scoring.  The shaping seems just fine.  The scoring was clearly less successful in the one loaf.  I don't have it handy, but recently there was a link posted from a school (I believe it was French), where they diagrammed how to get different results from different scoring methods.  I'll try to find it and post the link.

Phil

gregoryw's picture
gregoryw

hey phil thanks for the reply - i like this recipe and it took a month of post lurking on this site to arrive at what I ended up doing. i just bought a lame which hopefully will help! heres a crumb shot of the flatter loaf. 

Filomatic's picture
Filomatic

Looks good, although there are a couple very large holes.  Some would take issue with that, others not.  It doesn't appear over- or under-proofed.  I haven't been able to find the link I was searching for.  Unfortunately the search function on this site is not the best.  I look forward to seeing more of your baking.

Phil

wally's picture
wally

I don’t think proofing is the problem. Both loaves look well proofed and the color is very nice. The lame may help your scoring, I do notice that you’ve got some really big holes and also some very tight crumb at the bottom of the loaf. That’s most likely a shaping issue. Practice will tell you how rough/softly to handle the dough to get a more consistent crumb. I am a bit puzzled as to why you are adding vital gluten to the dough. It should not require additional gluten.

Keep at it, those loaves are really nice looking!

gregoryw's picture
gregoryw

Hey Wally! Recipes I was looking at were calling for bread flour, which was twice as expensive at my grocery store. Instead I just bought regular old unbleached white flour, and added gluten, which is apparently how to make bread flour. Perhaps I should try without the gluten and see if I still get the same springiness. 

wally's picture
wally

Anything that’s unbleached & unbromated will do for “bread flour.” King Arthur is my preferred brand, and it’s actually called AP in grocery stores (their labelled “bread flour” is actually a bit higher in gluten content). It’s not that much more expensive than the usual brands. The important thing, though, is unbleached/unbromated. Unless you’re making bagels, high percentage ryes, or multi grains, you really don’t need to be adding vital gluten to your AP/bread flour.