July 17, 2016 - 1:22pm
Lumps in shaggy mass?
Hi!
Should there be lumps in a "shaggy mass?"
I'm working on a few runs of dmsnyder's SD from SFBI Artisan II class. That, and many other recipes, call for an initial mix of ingredients to a shaggy mass. I use a bowl and wooden spoon. In order to get all the lumps of dry dough out, I'd have to knead and it wouldn't be shaggy any more.
I imagine lumps are ok at this point but I find it difficult to get them all out later with just stretches and folds. Where am I going wrong?
Murph
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David's write-up is exceptionally well done as is everything he posts. What I especially like is he includes both baker's percentages and gram weights. It's very, very tight but for the mixing instructions. This is because he is reporting on his experience at a high-level seminar and is so very much appreciated. I was able to attend that event vicariously through him.
The thoughtful comments brought out that SFBI used a spiral mixer for 3-5 minutes and that a home baker would have to use a stand mixer such as a Kitchen Aid for 10-15 minutes but would introduce too much oxidation with a perceptible loss of flavor.
That's a single variable to play with and learn from which I very much like. I expect to really be able to ramp up my mixing/kneading/folding technique with this one formula.
How would you approach not having a spiral mixer like the pros but not being able to use your stand mixer to get the same results?
Murph
just make sure that all the flour is wet then let it sit for the required amount of time.
Look up references of pinch and fold in the search box or on videos to begin. I'm not familiar with David's formula here, but the standard sequence is Water & Flour, then pinch and fold to create your "shaggy mass". Should be lump-less at this point but still fairly rough. Then autolyse, then add leavening agent and salt. At that point the real mixing begins in order to incorporate all of the ingredients. Look up French Folds or refer back to pinch and fold for a less intensive hand mixing. These two are done by hand, and of course the electric mixer is the alternative. It is only after the dough begins the fermentation stage that the stretch and folds begin.
Sometimes the leavening agent is included into the autolyse. That depends on the instructions and intent of the author. If so, then based on Raymond Calvel's original definition of autolyse, it isn't a true autolyse. Baking has almost infinite permutations so anything that works for you goes, although there are accepted guidelines to create workable doughs. We each put our own footprint on our own creations, however little a change it is from the original work.
Find the methodology that fits you and makes good bread, and then go from there.
To do the initial mix for autolyse, I suggest you get in there with your hands (at least one of them; keep the other one clean so you can use it to scrape the mess off of the dough-hand). That way you can feel any lumps and squish them. You can also scrape flour up off the bottom of the bowl more effectively. Pinching and folding, as alfanso says.
Thanks, guys!
That's a solid Beginner II formula. I'm going bake that several more times and really nail it down. It's a great foundational loaf.
I got in there with my hands and that really did the trick. I saw a pinch and fold video but decided against it as too dainty with pinky finger pointed out and all that. :)
I dampened my hands for the stretch and folds and dug right in. Some in the bowl, some out. First hour four at 15 minutes, second hour two at 30 minutes, one last one at 45 minutes. And then I realized I forgot the salt.
I sprinkled on top and did a couple more stretches. Waited 20 minutes, did another stretch, and maybe one more shortly thereafter. I probably have veins of salt running through the bread but that's fine.
I'll post pictures and do a write-up encouraging other Beginner II's to graduate to this one for practice. It came out pretty well. No lumps, dough looked right. Got ears that look like wings! :)
Thanks again!
Murph
The pinch method works very well to assure good incorporation of salt, water and levain. I use it with FWSY and Tartine breads all the time.
Mixing has the purpose of distributing ingredients evenly and of developing gluten strength and dough structure. Both of these functions can be accomplished by alternative methods. In fact, you can use mechanical mixing to accomplish the ingredient distribution and develop gluten some other way. That is what I did today.
Not coincidentally, I have just taken a couple loaves of that bread out of my oven.
FYI, I mixed the liquid levain and water with a KA paddle at Speed 1. Then I added the flour and mixed with the paddle at Speed 1 for maybe 45 seconds until all the flour was wetted (shaggy mass). I scraped the bowl and paddle down, covered the bowl and let it sit for 30 minutes. As Alfanso said, you can't really call it an autoyse, because the levain is in there. You add the liquid levain at this stage because it has a lot of the total water in the dough.
I then added the salt (Note: No instant yeast) and mixed with the dough hook at Speed 1 for 1 minute and Speed 2 for 5 minutes. At this point, there was an early window pane. I transferred to an oiled bowl, did a few "stretch and folds in the bowl," and covered.
I bulk fermented at room temperature (73-76dF) for 2 hours and 40 minutes with stretch and folds on a floured board at 50 and 100 minutes.
I divided into two equal pieces, pre-shaped tightly into rectangles, covered the pieces and let them rest for 10-15 minutes while I washed the bowl and did some stuff with another dough I was fermenting.
I then shaped as bâtards, placed in floured brotformen and refrigerated for 3 hours. ( I would not have cold retarded this bread, but I had a class to co-teach at a downtown hospital during the lunch hour.)
I then proofed at 80dF for 2 hours and baked at 460 with steam for 12 minutes and at 435 convection bake for another 16 minutes.
David