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Bulk times - No knead v stretch and fold

Bread Bug's picture
Bread Bug

Bulk times - No knead v stretch and fold

Hi

ive been trying a couple of different recipes lately, one being Chad Robertson's country loaf and the other a no-knead one here - http://breadtopia.com/sourdough-no-knead-bread/

What confuses me is that chads method requires a bulk ferment with stretch and fold over about 4-5 hours and a lot of people suggest, if you have to do overnight, then to refrigerate it otherwise it can overproof.

And yet the no-knead recipe is left out bulk fermenting for 14-18 hours unrefrigerated before another proof of 1-2 hours and whenever I've done this it's been fine, not over proofed at all.

So why can chads bulk stage not be left at room temp for as long. Is it somehow down to the stretch and fold? Is this speeding up the whole process in a way that no-knead doesn't?

thanks 

 

gary.turner's picture
gary.turner

Have you compared the initial yeast amounts? For myself, if yeast levels are robust, I give time to get started, then refrigerate. When I want a long ferment at room temps,  I barely add yeast; a scant pinch of IDY (measured in hundredths of a gram), or less than a teaspoon of SD mother.

gary

Bread Bug's picture
Bread Bug

Hi Gary

there is less in the no knead but not much. I half chad's amounts so 100g for his and around 60g for the no-knead. 

gary.turner's picture
gary.turner

Yeast grow at a exponential rate; more technically a geometric rate since there are discrete numbers of little beasties. In this case, the difference is so small as to not matter. ;-)

As a rough estimate, the 100g inoculation will grow at about 2.8 times the rate of the 60g inoculation. This assumes all else remains the same. Of course, it never does.

gary

drogon's picture
drogon

I don't know these recipes, but 5 days a week, I make and sell sourdough breads where all I do in a simple (mostly machine) mix and knead, then an overnight ferment at room temperature then scale/shape/proof (1.5 hours) and bake.

They come out fine - while it's a relatively open crumb, I don't get big glossy holes that some people desire (I don't). Right now, I can not make enough and am having to turn down orders.

You just need to watch the temperatures and the quantity of starter (or yeast, as I make some with fresh or dried yeast too) Right now as it's a bit warm in the UK, I'm having to use very cold water and let them overnight (9pm to 5am) in the coldest part of the bakery.

-Gordon