My ‘cow-pat’ loaf

so what recipe, what flour, what hydration, method, technique, times, etc.

-Gordon

is the one thing that stands out. That's almost 80% hydration in total (300 water + 75 from the starter / 400 flour + 75 from the starter = 0.79 or 79%) There's also more whole wheat & rye that I'd personally use percentage wise, however.

It's not am impossible mixture to work with, but it's wetter than my ciabatta. Not something I'd personally use for a loaf type bread.

But if you're handling it OK, then the only thing that might stand out is that it could be over proofed at step 8. A lot of the wet dough people here might be doing that in the fridge and not at 26°C.

Perhaps some of the more experienced wed dough folks can add more - I rarely get above 65% hydration in my usual breads so its well outside my usual areas..

-Gordon

I think Gordon is on the right track. Over-proofing is the likeliest problem. I am not concerned about the high hydration, if your gluten development is adequate (It certainly woulds like it was) and you were able to form the loaf with a nice tight gluten sheath. A six hour final proof at 26dC is extremely long and hot.

A photo of the crust and crumb might nail the problem.

David

Based on my experiences so far I would agree with the others, high hydration and over proving, I'd also chuck lack of tension into the mix!

When I have tried very high hydration levels I have found that overnight proving in the fridge helps, also the dough is more viscous when cold and tends not to spread so readily.

Sometimes, just sometimes, I think I might just stick with yeasted breads....... easier and more predictable! ......... but where would the fun be?  :)

I'll second Gordon's remarks about hydration. For me, at 65% hydration the dough was a bit sticky. 64% turned out to be just right.

79% hydration would be about right for this recipe.  But in the UK the flour is notoriously less thirsty and the hydration would be too high.  These kind of multi-grain breads need to go in the oven at 85% proof.  100% is too much.  So too wet and over proofed leads to exactly what you got.  A great tasting bread that was a spreader.  This one would benefit from a  cold retard final proof and bake it straight out of the oven with less hydration or it might work fine at 75% hydration in a tin with or without a cold proof.

Happy baking 

Here in the UK I use Waitrose Canadian strong flour for both white and wholemeal.  I have found these flours to be consistently good quality and as dabrownman says most UK flours do seem to be less thirsty.  For what its worth I tend to go at around 60% with white and up to 70% with wholemeal.  When I prove in the fridge it is after a 2/3 bulk ferment then shape and into the banneton and in the fridge for 8 to 10 hours.  I do usually take it out for a couple of hours before baking but if not I simply give an extra 5 to 10 mins in the oven.

Just looked at your photos.  I had exactly the same the other day with a white Spelt loaf.  When working it I just 'knew' it was too wet!  Came out the same as yours......

Interestingly I have never fermented overnight, I really must try it!  As it happens I made a Spelt loaf yesterday with yeast and it rose beautifully.  I do wonder if the sourdough does not have enough leavening for Spelt?

height and cow-pats I thought you were in the UK.  Here it is inches, bread flour, and cow pies.  I'm in Texas this week and just looked up ALdI and they have stores here too:-)

I'd suggest starting with a simple white yeasted loaf at 60% hydration and going from there. Get comfy with the basics before experimenting with more difficult recipes. Something along these lines:

600g white bread flour

360g tepid water

1 teaspoon (7g) dried yeast

1 1/2 teaspoon (12g) salt

25g lard

Rub lard into flour. If using dried active as opposed to instant yeast, put the yeast into the water and dissolve. Add yeast, water & salt to flour. Mix, then knead for around 10 mins until the dough is soft & silky. Put dough into a bowl and then in a clear plastic bag. Leave to double at ordinary room temperature. Knock back, shape, place in a greased & floured 2lb loaf tin. Put tin in aforementioned plastic bag. This time, leave until it has increased by around 80%. This will happen pretty quickly compared to the bulk ferment. You'll want to preheat your oven when you start the final proof. Bake at 230C for 25 mins (under a cover - stock pot over baking sheet works) followed by 20 mins at 200C uncovered.

There's plenty of variation here with this loaf. You can decrease the amount of yeast and leave to bulk ferment for longer in a cooler place. You can use a poolish (pre-ferment). And you can play around with flour types, hydrations etc and see what effect they have.

I'm a UK bod too (north-east Cambridgeshire) so this should work for you without any probs. Am partial to the waitrose flours, but I like the Duchy Organic and Leckford Estate for white french-style breads. When I'm making darker breads (mainly sourdoughs, but not always), I use their Bacheldre Mills whole rye and / or the Tesco stoneground wholemeal mixed with Allinson's white.

As Dabrownman says, watch the dough, not the clock - it's one of the first (and best) things I learnt. A good way to remove the guesswork is to get yourself a straight-sided shot glass or something of that ilk. Pinch off a piece of your dough before you start off your bulk ferment, put it in the glass and mark where it comes to. Then mark where double that is (e.g. with an elastic band), and use that as a guide. You can use the same for the proof, but place the second mark at around 80%.

Also, look at the lessons on here - well worth it, as they take you through all the basics.

And if your dough is too wet, there's no shame in baking it in a tin. ;-)