March 24, 2016 - 7:43am
New Baker with some minor issues :)
Hi, I am seeking some advice on the below recipe and the results
My bread recipe
250g strong white 250g wholemeal flour
340 ml water
40ml olive oil
7g dried yeast pack
8g Salt
I have made quite a few loaves with the above recipe, they are all tasty with decent crusts but fairly dense. and with cracking at the base. I have a couple of pics and hopefully someone might be able to advise on what needs altering.
I bulk proof for 1-2 hours until doubled in size, then knock back and shape and prove for appox an hour testing with a finger for slight springback.
Oven 220 for 45 mins then cooling.
Any advice gratefully received
Worz
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hate to say you need more water with the UK flours you are using which are much less thirsty then in the USA where I would be at 78% hydration instead of 68% to open the crumb. The bottom looks pale to me. What are you baking on. Otherwise it looks pretty good to me for 50% whole grain bread. Maybe Gordeon will chime in here.
Welcome and Happy baking
Thanks for the quick responses :)
I am finding the dough pretty hard to handle with the hydration as it is. I will try upping it though.
I am baking it on a normal baking tray with flour and parchment. I do the shape and final prove on this tray.
Dabrownman are you suggesting that using wholemeal is different to all white? I just thought it would be better for me as I am eating so much hehe.
take 2 03 baking sheets and stack them, turn them over on the rack so the bottom is up and that is what you bake on. More mass will help. Make suere you are preheating to 500 F and then turn down to 450 F as soon as the bread goes in. If you form a round then you can cover it with a big stock pot or SS mixing bowl to hold in the steam for the first 15 Minutes so the crust doesn't set of until the dough has sprung. Then once the lid comes off turn the oven down to 425 F to finish baking. Bake until the inside temperature hits 97 C with an instant read thermometer. That should cure your pale bottom crust and help the spring and crumb. Without a tin you don't want add more water. Your flour in the UK is weak when it comes to soaking up the liquids.
It's very nice for hand formed and unsupported proof bread. SD is a whole different animal but someone with your baking skills should have no worries.
Happy baking
It looks like a cross between a nice sandwich loaf and a more rustic boule! I think I agree with DAB that you might want to bake it in a tin if it's to be a sandwich loaf. If you want it more open and rustic, then up the hydration, lower the yeast and try bulk fermenting for longer (say, overnight in the fridge) before shaping, proofing and baking. That should make the wet dough easier to handle. Do you proof it in a basket or free standing?
I proof free standing and don't have a tin :( I like the more rustic look :)
Just started my first starter, so wil no doubt have worse issues soon :P
About on the money hydration-wise. If you've not got a tin or a proving basket, then you don't want to go too wet, else you'll end up with a sloppy mess.
If your bread is tearing in the oven, the likeliest cause is that the crust is setting before the bread has finished expanding. The best way to remedy this is to bake under a cloche for the first half of the cooking time. The bread will generate its own steam and in that moist environment, will be able to spring to its full potential.
You can make a makeshift cloche out of standard things knocking around in your kitchen - namely a baking sheet and a stock pot. It's a bit Heath Robinson, but it does work :-)
First off, your loaf looks good to me. Especially if you're using it for sandwiches. I wouldn't worry about the cracking at the base, that's just cosmetic and adds to the rustic look. That said . . .
You're asking what needs altering, but you haven't specified exactly what you're looking for. You mention that the loaf was dense, so I assume you're looking for a more open crumb?
Of course you can add more water in order to open up the crumb, but that assumes the added hydration doesn't cause more problems than it solves. You say you're already having difficulty handling the dough at it's current hydration. If so, extra water might not be the answer.
My suggestion . . .
Don't knock back your dough.
Any time you deflate your dough you're going to tighten the crumb. Instead, turn out your dough while it's still slightly young. Meaning that it has noticeable air inside (it's definitely rising), but doesn't easily deflate when you handle it. Gently pre-round your loaf after it's risen maybe 30-50% in volume (far from doubled), let it rest 15-30 minutes (or longer, if it's moving slowly) then shape it (gently).
Most times, a tight crumb is simply a matter of improper handling. You can still achieve an open crumb even when using stiff dough so long as you handle it correctly. As it happens, I made a 50% whole wheat loaf a few days ago. It was only 75% hydration (which is fairly stiff considering half the flour was whole wheat), but the crumb was still nice and open . . .
Next time I make this bread I'll be making it at 78% hydration (as suggested by DBM) but only because a slightly softer dough will be more enjoyable to work with. Plus, this was a sourdough loaf, not a yeasted bread, so the results aren't exactly apples to apples. But I think if you focus on developing your handling skills you're going to find the crumb of all your breads opening up nicely.
Cheers!
Trevor