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Tip - Aliquot Jar Calculation

DanAyo's picture
DanAyo

Tip - Aliquot Jar Calculation

30g dough is placed into a graduated Aliquot jar. All air under dough is removed by pressing the dough down.
2.48g of water is poured on top of the dough to get to the 30ml mark.

From the above it is determined that the 30g dough displaces 27.52ml (or grams) of water.

For this example a 25% rise is targeted.
27.52*0.25=6.88

Just to make sure the dough is fully submerged as it grows, an additional 10g water is added. That brings the level to the 40ml mark.

Once the water level in the Aliquot jar rises to 46.88ml the fermentation of the bread dough is complete.

Below are a couple of images that may give you some ideas
It helps if you lightly wet the jar to prevent dough sticking.
The jar lifts the cover and keeps the dough from sticking to the top of it.

Tip - placing plastic wrap on top the dough or on the end of the tamper makes tamping it down in the jar with some sort of a push rod more easy. The dough doesn’t stick to the tool and the wrap is easily removed. 

Any small jar can work. This is the one I use.

Here are more links related to the Aliquot Jar.

http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/64897/aliquot-jar-determine-bulk-fermentation-rise

http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/65182/tip-small-portion-control

Kristen of Full Proof Baking is credited with coming up with the Aliquot Technique.
https://youtu.be/8BvoEWDNRfs ?t=90

GlennM's picture
GlennM

What are you guys using for graduated aliquot jars?

idaveindy's picture
idaveindy

I purchased one of those at my local Big Lots.

Benito's picture
Benito

I’m using clean specimen jars that doctors/labs give patients to collect various specimens.  They are quite ideal for this use.

Benito's picture
Benito

Dan your calculations are correct.

I find with the layer of water on top of the dough I can press it down quite firmly to remove air and water at the bottom of the jar without the dough sticking to my fingers.

Doc.Dough's picture
Doc.Dough

I can press the dough down so that it fully contacts the bottom and sides of the container without any air or water underneith with a wet finger.  Then I add water up to 40ml. I never have exactly 30.000g after I have transferred it to the container because I measure it on a milligram scale, but the weight of the primary dough container goes down by 30g when I remove as much as I am going to take (to 1g accuracy).

DanAyo's picture
DanAyo

I tried a little water in the bottom of the Aliquot but it caused the dough to not stick to the bottom of the jar. For that reason the dough is put into the dry jar.

Does anyone have a good idea for tamping the dough down in the bottom so as to remove all air pockets? I am using a flat ended round wooden dowel that has had the end soaked in water. But it is less than perfect. A piece of plastic wrap placed on top the dough helps. Any more ideas?

Benito's picture
Benito

What I’ve been doing is starting with 10 mL of water in the empty jar.  The pressing the dough ball into this each time more water from below the dough comes to the top, I pour some of it off repeating this until the doughball is pressed into the bottom with little to now air or water below the dough.  I’ve been pouring off the water so that it is level with the dome of the dough and not leaving any extra in the aliquot jar.  This way I can still read the meniscus which usually stays level with the dome of the rising dough.

The water prevents the dough from sticking excessively to me, but because I gradually pour it off, my dough never detaches from the bottom of the jar.

GlennM's picture
GlennM

I picked up the same jar that Dan has and I’m going to make a boule. I know that you have been using the 30% for the Benny method with baguettes, would you  take the Boule at 30% and put it right in the fridge overnight, shape and bake tomorrow or shape right after the bulk?

Benito's picture
Benito

Glenn your results may vary, but I’ve been ending bulk fermentation of my boules and batards between 50-60% rise the in the aliquot jar with good results.  I then shape and depending on how the dough feels during shaping I might add another 20-30 mins of bench rest before putting the shaped dough in banneton in the fridge overnight and then bake from cold.  If the dough is feeling extra pouffy then I might skip any bench time for fear of overfermentation.

GlennM's picture
GlennM

Hi Benny

I will try it that way. I used Dans method of adding water to the 40 ml mark with 30 gr of dough . I guess I would end it at around 60 ml?  I’m proofing in my toaster oven at 80 so I will shape and right into the fridge

Benito's picture
Benito

Glenn, I measure the base volume by the dome of the dough and base the 50-60% rise on that.  If the dough takes for argument’s sake 30 ml of the volume and you allow a rise of the water from 40 mL to 60 mL, then you’ve actually had a 66% rise and potentially overfermented.  That being said, I recall one post of Kristen’s from Full Proof Baking where she said that ended bulk of her dough at 100% rise.  Because I’ve had slightly overfermented dough with 65% rise one time, I haven’t gone past 60% lately.

So what I do is after I have the dough well pressed to the bottom I pour off most of the water just leaving enough to act as the level for the dome of the dough.

GlennM's picture
GlennM

So if I stop at 55 that should be about 50%?

Benito's picture
Benito

Yes in my example if the dough was at 30 mL and the water at 40 mL then a 50% rise would be when the water reached 55 mL.

GlennM's picture
GlennM

I have it in the fridge now. I made a 1/2/3 loaf with tanzhong and a teaspoon of organic honey.  Hope it works out!

GlennM's picture
GlennM

Looks good so far. Thanks for the help

Benito's picture
Benito

Great oven spring you achieved there with that boule, I can’t wait to see the crumb Glenn.

GlennM's picture
GlennM

1/2/3 loaf with tangzhong and a tablespoon of honey

Benito's picture
Benito

Beautiful crumb Glenn, very successful bake.