The Fresh Loaf

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if dough is very spongy does that mean I've added to much yeast

mutantspace's picture
mutantspace

if dough is very spongy does that mean I've added to much yeast

just wondering if anyone has any ideas...i was experimenting with a recipe this afternoon using instant yeast. I did a 4 hour sponge with 7g of instant yeast, half flour (wholemeal), mostly milk and water.

Then I added all extra ingredients, mixed, kneaded for 10 seconds every 10 minutes for 30 minutes. Let rise for 30 minutes or so. Shaped into a roll and put in sandwich tin. Then final proof for 50 minutes or so. It was very spongy though (90% wholemeal loaf) and even though i shaped it neatly the top of the loaf looked like a lunar surface.

I based the recipe on a recipe that doesnt use a sponge (i just like sponges) so im wondering if i should have dropped amount of yeast and of so by how much? Here are the ingredients i used:

Soaker:

80g rolled oats

90g water

20g whey

tablespoon plain yoghurt

 

sponge 

160 wholemeal

7g instant yeast

145g milk

35g water

 

final dough

120g wholemeal

40g white bread flour

30g honey

28g olive oil

1/2 egg

9g salt

all soaker

all sponge

 

any advice or pointers would be much appreciated.

I used a similar process for a wholemeal with walnuts (without oats, oil, egg, yoghurt and used 350g flour) with same amount of yeast earlier this week and it wasnt as spongy...Anyway its the spongy texture im wondering about?

any thoughts?

Lazy Loafer's picture
Lazy Loafer

I make a couple of different breads using a sponge pre-ferment. Generally I only put about 1/8 tsp ADY in the sponge for one loaf, then will add between 1/8 tsp to 1/2 tsp more yeast to the final dough (depending on how enriched the dough is and how many additional ingredients besides flour, water and salt there are). Given this, you might be adding too much yeast to the sponge. Hard to tell, as you don't add any more yeast to the final dough, but it might be worth a try to cut down the amount of yeast in the sponge. 7 grams is quite a lot, especially for IDY.

mutantspace's picture
mutantspace

Thanks for that lazy loafer I'll do that - I just double checked and realised by screw up. Recipe I adapted called for 7g but method I used from previous loaf called for 1 tsp in a sponge - I just converted that to grams and it coMrs to 3.15g. There's my problem.

mutantspace's picture
mutantspace

It'll probably taste very yeasty now? Just put on another soaker and will do again - stupid mistake........

Lazy Loafer's picture
Lazy Loafer

I'm not sure that it will taste 'yeasty' (once the little beasties are long dead), but it will probably be fluffy and will dry out quickly I expect.

mutantspace's picture
mutantspace

Well going to do it again and compare...thanks for your help

kendalm's picture
kendalm

Not like it hasn't already been said. Please remember lab grown yeast is unbelievably powerful - its not a levain, its pure yeast and it is ferocious especially at the right temperature - I use fresh which is less concentrated and that amount O'Brien,fresh would be overkill - dry doesn't even have water so it cannot be over stated that using ady in small amounts is really important !

mutantspace's picture
mutantspace

thanks kendaim ill keep that in mind on my next attempt. I used 3 grams in the last attempt but it was still a little spongy but i think that was more due to time spent fermenting. On my next attempt ill half the amount again and ferment it longer on my next one. thanks for the input  - im used to levains so switching is always hard...