Small Bagel Troubleshooting
Hi,
Short time reader, first time poster here.
i have read a lot of bagel troubleshoot regarding overproofing of bagels, this isn't about that.
i own a bagel business that makes about 1000 bagels at a time. We mix batches of dough using high gluten flour and commercial yeast, cut them using a dough divider, and let them "Bull ferment" in the shape they are cut for about 30 minutes before shaping. the dough is at about 72-75 degrees the whole time. after shaping the bagels are the. Put into the fridge to proof overnight.
My problem is that since i have begun bulk fermenting, a good 20% of my bagels are about 10-20% smaller (not good for consistent wholesale). Before I started bulk fermenting, I shaped them and proof them directly after mixing and though they would be shaped with holes, the dough spring so much, the holes would disappear. (I hand roll them to shape, and now many more of them have holes but there are still some without and some that are too small.
i believe my technique is quite accurate and precise, measuring with weight, and keeping time and temperature consistent. Still, I would like to see i higher yield of sellable product. Any advice? i use about 4.5 oz commercial yeast for 20 lbs of flour.
thanks!
Bulk ferment in bulk. Then divide and roll.
I can't guarantee this will fix your problem, but it's too easy not to try.
Thanks for the reply!
the reason we divide before bulk ferment is because we cannot get the same amount of dough in the divider once it has risen a little bit. in trying to punch down, getting it flat enough to be divided is extremely labor intensive and no guarenteesd. so once the bulk ferment is complete, the divider will produce smaller bagels right off the bat if I can't make dough exact same as previous volume, which I cannot figure out how to do.
Do you mix the yeast thoroughly in the water Or flour? My worry is that the yeast is not evenly distributed.
Well, i let the yeast sit in the cold water with the malt syrup for about 3 minutes hen add the flour and mix for 5 minutes once incorporated. would mixing the yeast in the cold water instead of letting it sit make a difference if it is into the flour anyway?
thanks!