Help with Proofing & Scoring
After several years off of free-form bread, my daughter has decided that she LOVES sour-dough. After having a bunch of trouble with Reinheart's Sourdough in BBA, I moved on to Hammelman's Vermont Sourdough. First time around came out much better, though there are still some obvious issues with the final proof/shape.
From what I can see, it looks like the crust formed too soon, and inhibited the full oven-spring I should have gotten... but I'm not quite sure exactly what to try differently next time. I steamed with the towel-in-loaf-pan method for about 10 minutes @ 500F, at which point there was color on the loaves, so I pulled the steam pans and let them finish at about 450. The boule was scored vertically and the batard was (attempted) at the 30-degree angle. And, in the end, the boule had a strong spring-driven expansion along 1 of the 4 scores, and the batard (which should have had a much nicer spring) had none at all.
I can't quite decide if they were just underproved (being sourdough), or if I need a better/sharper angle on the scoring of the boule, or if I didn't steam hard enough / long enough. Any thoughts/advice?
I don't see anything specifically suggesting an over- or under-proofing issue. The crust looks kind of dull although well-colored. This suggests under-steaming. The method you use gives good results for lots of folks, so I wonder if you have a gas oven that is venting the steam.
There may also be a scoring technique problem, but I don't think that's the main issue.
David
Had to change my process a little this week due to timing; couldn't bake in one day, so the bulk ferment was overnight in the refrigerator. Interested to see what that does to the flavor.
Starting to have some much better loaves. Changed a number of things this time around:
Congratulations. And being a couche / not banneton fan myself, I like that you used one. In most instances, well shaped dough with appropriate surface tension placed on a couche will hold its shape during the bake. Yours certainly did, and with great oven spring too. Are you baking on a stone or???
My stone cracked many years ago, but lives at the bottom of my oven for temperature regulation. I bake on a baking steel (the 3/8" version). Given the high thermal mass, I find I often have to move the bread to a tray on a rack about 2/3 through the bake, or I risk having a burnt bottom.
Gas oven with a big vent? That's a definite yes... I'll try a spray bottle with water as well next time.
Thanks
evandy, I don't have a gas oven, but from reading years of comments from those that do, baking in a dutch oven seems the best method, if you have a gas oven. Or change it for an electric oven, I suppose.
Happy baking!
David
Hoping to move within the next year or two; have to live with the oven I've got for now...
PS: Have you tried both Suas's Apple cake (which I've seen you post about) as well as his apple-hazelnut Coffee cake? I have yet to make the former, but really love the coffee cake.
The SFBI coffee cakes are wonderful! I ate them every morning of the two week-long workshops I took there. They are wonderful in part because of how rich they are with good butter. In the constant struggle to keep from ballooning, I have enough trouble just with breads. So I rarely bake rich, sweet stuff. I like it way too much.
David
Here is the crumb-shot...
BTW, if the bread is good to eat, aesthetics are not so important. Of course, we all strive for "perfection," whatever that is.
David
I'm an engineer; of course perfection is the goal. It's nice to hear that I'm probably on the right track, at least.
Unfortunately, that's not a bagel-cooling rack... just a handy spot to put the loaf to take the picture. The sour-dough came out of the oven at 10 this morning; picture taken at about 4pm.
Okay... After a bunch of trial & error, I think I have my steaming problem solved, but I'm pretty sure that I have an issue with my scoring technique. Today's loaves bloomed nicely... but only because I cheated by scoring them a second time after 3 minutes in the oven. You can see the original score at the bottom, which spread and hardened within 3 minutes after going on the stone. I have a straight (un-curved) lame, and am scoring about 30mm deep, at what I hope is a 30-degree (or shallower) angle. Do I need to score more shallowly and/or deeply? Feels like I'm getting close here...
PS: The solution to the steaming problem was tin foil over the oven vent while steaming.