The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Dough temperature

Suemac's picture
Suemac

Dough temperature

Relatively new to artisan baking...

I've been practicing the Levain Baguette from In Search of the Perfect Loaf by Fromartz for a month or so. My second try was awesome - great crust that crackled as it cooled, big holes and custard crumb - thought I'd figured it all out in just two tries - HA! It was just beginner's luck :-). Still, I'm getting pretty consistent product using that recipe and wanted to branch out; trying the Pain au Levain from Bread by Hamelman this weekend. 

I haven't paid a lot of attention to dough temperature previously; Fromartz doesn't talk a lot about it. Hamelman, on the other hand, does. I understand how to calculate water temp I need to get the optimal final dough temperature. However, the Pain au Levain has a 20 - 60 minute autolyse - everything except salt & levain. Does that rest affect my final dough temp, especially if my room is very cold or warm? I guess I'll just ignore it and calculate my temperature like the text says - then check my dough temp along the way so I'll know empirically - but I wondered if anyone already knew the answer.

thanks, Sue

 

Hanzosbm's picture
Hanzosbm

Hi Sue,

I also am relatively new to artisan baking, so if the experts feel I'm off on this, please correct me.

My understanding is that temperature is going to affect the rate of fermentation which will also affect the speed at which the dough rises.  Living in a crappy apartment in southern California (builders assume good weather so insulation is horrible), my interior temperature fluctuates wildly depending on time of year and time of day.  I've learned that I really have to just learn when the dough is right rather than looking at the times because the times vary depending on the temperature and it's not something I can control. 

Herein lies the problem for most home bakers.  I don't know about you, but I am self taught.  And no book, video, or forum can ever really explain to me how a dough should feel.  I'm sure our ancestors learned by the sides of their elders who can say "stick your hand in there, that's what it should feel like" but we are left to trial and error.  I know I am far from getting this right every time, but I have learned to ignore the clock and go by when it feels right.  Knowing the temperature is only going to benefit you if you're able to control the temperature, and even then, all that means is that it is more likely to align to the stated times in your recipe.  But if you can learn how to tell when a dough is right, none of that will matter.

108 breads's picture
108 breads

I guess I could use the thermometer to monitor dough temperature, but I prefer to learn to heed the look and feel of a dough as it develops. In terms of room temperature, I like the rhythm of the seasons and working with, even enjoying, the cold, kitchen of a winter night and the hot, humid kitchen of a summer day. Maybe it's the connection to thousands of years of baking, before commercial yeast, before electronics, and before refrigeration, though I do not eschew the last two. There's nothing like the fridge to allow a normal life and making breads to coexist at the same time.

Suemac's picture
Suemac

Thanks for the help. I think maybe Hamelman is very "do it this way" because professional bakers have to produce a reliably consistent product on a predictable time schedule. That means things like temperature, flour characteristics, etc. are important. They are also important for home baking, but not nearly so much. We have the time to wait a little here, speed up a little there - according to the feel of the dough. I need to develop that sensitivity you're talking about so that I can achieve some consistency to my baking without sticking to a rigid schedule.

In any case ... I made the Poolish Baguette and the Pain au Lavain from Bread this past weekend. I did do the temperature calculations for both, but both doughs ended up at 73 degrees rather than 76.  They were quite tasty, though my aesthetics need some work. For some reason my lame tends to rip the dough rather than cut - haven't figured out what's going on there - and I didn't cook either quite long enough. I think the baguette had a better flavor than I've gotten from the Fromartz recipe, though, and I love the Pain au Lavain - very nice crumb, good flavor and kept like a champ.

Hanzosbm's picture
Hanzosbm

Glad to hear it worked out well!  I completely agree that the demands on a professional baker make things much more difficult.  There are days I feel like saying 'eff this job, I'm going to go become a baker' but then I think about the rigid demands versus the fun I have doing a loaf here and there at home and it reminds me that a job is still a job.

I personally don't own a lame, so I can't offer a whole lot of advice there.  I shave with double edged razors and tried using one hand held one time with very poor results.  Instead, I typically use a bread knife although with my last loaves it was dirty so I used a boning knife which worked just fine.  What I have personally noticed is that the beginning of the cut doesn't seem to really get much depth, so what I do is start the cut a little earlier than what I really want so that it'll really start opening up where I'd like.  I know that's confusing.  Imagine a 10" long loaf that I want to have a 6" score on.  That means 2" unscored on each side, right?  Well, I'd start the cut about an inch from the end.  The blade doesn't seem to really cut for about the first inch, so the score actually begins at the 2" mark where I want it. 

Obviously, equipment and techniques vary, but I've found that works for me.  Now if I can just get the angle right to get that nice crispy ear...

Stu_NY's picture
Stu_NY

I was using a sharp knife for doing my scoring but after reading and watching Hamelman video decided to get the lame and work on technique. I have been making his Poolish Baguette as well. My first attempts were tearing more than cutting as well. Then i realized how strongly he stressed the swift cut. So, I went for it, and sure enough a very swift cut (assuming sharp blade of course) was the key. I got really nice clean slits. Also, the cut is supposed to me more linear than angled and only cross a one inch ish strip across the top. This made a dif for me too- hard to do diagonal swiftly on a rounded surface vs relatively flat length of the top of loaf!

Hope that helps!