April 16, 2018 - 9:47am
Are these signs of overproofing?
I was doing some reading recently and came across a comment that when the scoring in bread turns out smooth, it's a sign of overproofing. I have not been able to achieve the much sought after ears, and was wondering if overproofing is the culprit. Taking a look at these photos, does that appear to be the case?
Same one from a more flush angle:
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I don’t think it was near over proofed. Looks to me like your dough didn’t bloom enough. The scores would do need to open up more.
- disclaimer - I also struggle with ears.
I think ears depend on great gluten structure and large bloom. Hopefully the experts will share their experience and thoughts.
Dan
If they are overproofed, then it's not by a lot...they look like fine breads, with nice profile and crumb. Scores are OK, too, but if you are looking for something more dramatic on that front, then try proofing less and see what happens. You might also try shaping a bit tighter, and think of that process as winding up the dough for whatever bloom you can achieve. You create not just tension, but a structure that when it expands, also opens dramatically (or not). Think on that for a bit...
That is one of a number of reasons I use batards as my default, as I feel like I can wind them up for a nice spring and bloom (quinoa-durum loaf below):
Of course, there are limits here, and getting the feel and the proper tension...ALONG WITH ALL THE MANY OTHER VARIABLES (proofing, oven temp, steam, dough development, etc.) right takes practice. I also watch a lot of shaping videos online...
Didn't mean to focus that much on shaping...just a thought...TESTING AND PRACTICE are the primary suggestions here
Actually, I think you're exactly right. I think shaping might be the biggest culprit, it just hadn't dawned on me till you said that. I have struggled with shaping in the past, but never really thought of it as being a limiting factor, so I never concentrated on improving it. But just thinking about what is actually happening when oven spring is occurring, I could definitely see that a good tight form would make a big difference.
Maybe I'll spend a little time checking out some of those shaping videos. I know the general idea, but I find that the balance between getting the dough to stick to the counter enough to get tension, but not so much that it doesn't release has been a hard point for me. Also, I find that I'm probably using a bit too much bench flour as I can never seem to get the seam to seal up.
Thank you for this, it's definitely something I'll work on.