March 1, 2010 - 2:52am
adjustments to moisture etc. to make transport more successful
I have been playing with several poolish breads for a couple of months now (more or less based on the Ciabatta with a poolish here). including some awesome dill+pepper+chive and rye variantions.
I often can not seem to get it to the oven without loosing major height.
I have neurological issues which contribute to the major degass that usually happens.
Can I do anything with moisture, protein/gluten, additives, etc. to make my bread look as nice as it always tastes? Not that I have a problem eating the screwup but it would be nice to have photogenic bread :)
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like a ciabatta, tend to be a bit "wobbly" and prone to deflation, even with very gentle handling. And they tend to have a flatter, rather than taller, profile.
What if you picked a bread with a lower hydration level; something in the 60-65% range, say? It could still utilize a poolish and you could still add your favorite mix-ins. The main difference would be that it won't be quite so honeycombed with big holes as a ciabatta and it will be more likely to have a nicely domed profile. The exact type of bread you choose isn't really important (other than that it contains stuff you enjoy eating). The main point is to choose a formula that contains a lower percentage of water which, in turn, yields a firmer dough.
Hope that helps.
Paul
thanks :)
I have a poolish in right now that I will use in a 63% bread with buttermilk instead of water in the final dough.
I did not do the math so am taking someone elses word for the moisture. I would not begin to know how to determine the moisture in buttermilk.
If that works I will switch my plan next time.