New baker, hello!
Hi, I just got discovered this great site and this hobby! My experience consists of a few weeks of dipping around with with Bread in 5, whatever flour is available (it's been about 10 pounds of flour in three weeks now), and whatever cookware is available. I just took the big step of purchasing a cast iron 5 quart dutch oven, because I've found it gives me the most consistent results in my gas oven.
That said, I wanted to ask whether this bread is good. It felt solid, and the crust "sings" when it came out. My wife loves the crunchiness (it's seriously crunchy). The crumb felt light and airy, and it tastes "okay" but not as flavorful as some of my previous ones. Also, when I opened it up, I saw this crumb, which is what I wanted to ask about. Is this a good crumb?
The above was my first loaf, one in a two batch of this:
ye olde tap water 340g
yeast 1/2 tablespoon (I don't have a scale yet that is sensitive enough for yeast and salt. Do I need one, and if so, any suggestions?)
3/4 tablespoon coarse sea salt
445g Trader Joe's AP flour
The batch was mixed and immediately refrigerated (it was made at about 9:00 at night). It rose overnight, and I gave it another three days before I pulled from it.
Total wet weight was 16oz.
Technique was to create the gluten cloak (still working on that, this one felt like it had been kneaded too much during the first step, but it obviously turned out good in the crust, so that may not be accurate), rest on parchment paper for 40 minutes, concurrent 20 minute prebake of a 5 quart cast iron dutch oven. Baked at 450 for 42 minutes (checked at 35, added 7). Top removed after 20 minutes..
The taste was very light, mostly crust, but it was...soggier for lack of a better word than what I was used to. I'm no expert. Any advice or where to go from here would be much appreciated!
I look forward to posting with you all.
Welcome to the best bread baking forum on the internet. It's just phenomenal. People are nice, advice is great and many folks here are experts. NOT i.
For a newbie, that's a very nice loaf. Very nice.
Flavor develops with sourdough b/c of long long fermentation times.
I have a few observations. I am no expert and hopefully other more expert than I will comment:
Answers to your questions in random order:
1. I always use a scale for all my measurements. Always.
2. The bottom looks more dense than the top.
3. Tap water, if not left out for 24 hours might kill yeast (chlorine). However, you had a huge amount of yeast there.
4. That you got a loaf to survive 3 days in your fridge is (to me) amazing.
5. Why I say to use a scale: Different salts differ in weights. 1 tsp of Maldon weighs less than half of a tsp of table salt (fine). Salt is used at 1.5 - 2.0 % of weight of flour. So I have no idea how much salt you used.
Also, I am wondering if that 3 day bulk fermentation exhausted some of your yeasties and that's why the bottom is more dense.
Here's a great recipe for no-knead bread. https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/11376-no-knead-bread.
For kitchen scales, make sure it'll register single grams down to 1 gram.
hester
Thank you for the response! Maybe i'm using the wrong term. Bread in 5 talks about storing the dough once combined for up to two weeks. That's what I meant by the bulk fermentation. If I'm not using the word correctly I apologize. It sounds like I need to look for a scale that can do those small weights (mine doesn't register when I dump anything less than a tablespoon of yeast or salt in there.)
You say I am using too much yeast. I'll go back and reread Halmeman on that, but that's basically the master recipe from bread is 5 halved. I did notice a very solid rise in the fridge, so I think yeah, I may be using too much yeast. It's using active dry yeast, if that means anything here.
Your bread definitely looks good! I think that your oven might be running at a slightly low temperature or you need to let your dough bake just a little bit longer.
It is best to check the temperature of the dough the moment to comes out of the oven, it should be between 200º F and 210º F (if it hits 212º F or higher then its burned).
There are some modestly priced scales and thermometers that can really help make your baking more successful. I use two scales (one for everything except salt and yeast and one for only salt and yeast) but I found that my stainless measuring spoon is accurate enough to eliminate the small scale, as long as I leveled the salt or yeast as i measured it,
Baking requires precision and repeatability so it really helps of you weigh things accurately and take accurate temperatures of your oven and your loaf. I leave the oven thermometer in the oven, in the position that I put my dutch oven and check to make sure that the oven is at the temperature I want it to be at (most ovens have inaccurate readouts). Doing tis I discover that my oven was off by 25 degrees at certain temperatures and 50 degrees off at other temperatures.
Here are the most commonly used, modestly priced, tools that can really help you out (there are more expensive tools out there but these work for us rather well):
Escali Primo Digital Kitchen Scale (11 lb/ 5 kg Capacity) https://amzn.to/2FCJVvb
Cooper-Atkins Stainless Steel Bi-Metal Oven Thermometer, https://amzn.to/2OuIuCL
CDN ProAccurate Quick Read Thermometer https://amzn.to/2Fxnw2k
The Master recipe says to let it sit at Room Temp till rise levels off rather than rounding. Then refrigerate.
I have the newest AinB book ( I give this book, a bucket, a dough whisk, 10lbs of flour and a jar of yeast to all newlyweds I know)...and there are changes.
I personally do not like the large amounts of yeast...and they do address this IF you read the little hints or notes aside from the main recipe. I have successfully decreased to 1/2 tsp, full recipe, then left to BF at room temp overnight, then refrigerated.
I do this so I can teach newlyweds or new couples...a way to try bread baking...so I have to test things out.
Based on that...I learned to not stress that I might overproof if I sleep late...so I mix a bucket...low yeast...let it sit thru out the day...and when it levels off...I put in frig.
In your case it looks like you didn't let it start to round off. You can cheat a bit...but I'd sure let it sit at least an hour before putting in frig.
All in all...you had a good 1st time experience. It looks good and is edible. WIN WIN!
I just tried the deli rye with sourdough added (there is a little hint about doing that and adjusting the ingredients) and 1/2 tsp yeast...BF till it started to level. At least close to double before cooling. Clearly...the warming up of the dough after shaping is different with the new book...but I was just testing the basic rules before I gave the "new" book as a gift.
They also say you can take the cold dough...shape then frig it...then continue on...but that is a bit unclear on the timing.
Try the basic recipe a few times till you like what your getting before going to another recipe. You'll learn a lot.
Thank you for your comment. I realized after reading your comment and going back to page 42 (2013 October edition, ISBN 978-1-250-01828-1) that, yes, it was about shaping, not fermenting. Whoops. That was definitely a mistake and I strongly suspect the culprit behind my taste issues.
That said, I've made this batch twice before, once using my gas oven and once with another dutch oven. The two major changes were the refrigerator rise and the newer (and smaller) dutch oven. I'll try another batch with the dutch oven after letting it rise the normal way. Again, the advice on here is fantastic. You folks weren't kidding about this being a good forum. I'll probably be back with more in a few weeks!
BobBoule, thank you as well. Your recommendations are greatly appreciated. I have a friend with an oven thermometer who probably isn't using it (she bought it for use with the book but didn't understand it). I'll try to bum that, and if that doesn't work I'll buy it. The scale in particular looks very helpful. Once I get this refrigerator issue isolated, I'll be working with this post more!