The ever elusive oven spring
Hey ya'll,
I finally made an account because I'm frustrated and would love some insight to my country recipe. I have been struggling like crazy with oven spring. I have a hunch its over proofing, but another set of eyes on my recipe and method would be helpful incase I am missing something. I do get some lift, my scores open but definitely not the height that I'm looking for.
Here's the recipe and method
100% hydration starter, fed about 4 hours before I mix in which it doubles or more.
Bread:
300 g organic beehive all purpose malted flour
50 g spelt
50 g fine ground wholewheat
120 g levain
8 grams salt
Mix on 1st speed for 2 minutes, autolyse for 45 minutes
Add salt and levin, mix 1 minute
Bulk ferment for 2 hours, 3 stretch and folds
30 minutes after the last fold, preshape
30 minutes more, final shape.
I always do an overnight ferment in the fridge, about 12-14 hrs.
It seems like no matter how long I leave it out after the final proofing, it doesn't work. I've tried final proofing for 3 hours (my kitchen is always around 68-70 F), I've tried 1.5 hours (though my fridge was at 53 and the dough was definitely a bit over proofed).
Anyway, if there's anything I'm missing besides just figuring out my proofing, I would absolutely love feedback.
Thanks!
I should add that I bake between 450-500 in a dutch oven, 15 min with lid, then no lid.
Photos of the crumb would help with helping you. Most of us here who do a cold retard in the fridge go from cold fridge, score and into the oven right away. The cold dough holds it’s shape a bit better than room temperature. Also it may become overproofed when you leave it out for as long as you’re doing after taking it out of the fridge.
Benny
Shoot, I forgot to take pictures of the crumb!
I actually don't leave it out after cold ferment. It was going straight from the fridge to the oven. The final proof times were before they fridge.
You've got 30% levain, 120/400. Or in terms of % prefermented flour, 60/460 = 13%.
Spelt, like whole wheat, ferments fast, even if it is white spelt. If you used whole spelt, even more so.
Suggestion #1: reduce levain to 90 gr and compensate by adding 15 g flour, 15 g water to initial mix.
Another possible problem is leaving it out (at room temp) after taking it out of fridge. There is no need for that.
Suggestion #2: Just bake it immediately after taking it out of fridge. My bread heros DanAyo and Danni3ll3 bake cold dough.
(Update) Saw your next comment. Proofing at room temp before going into fridge may also be over-proof.
Do you do the window-pane test before pre-shape/shape? If it makes a good windowpane, then pre-shape/rest/shape, and immediately put in fridge. If it does not make a window-pane, then it is not ready to pre-shape/shape.
Also do you do some kind of fold/degas as part of the pre-shape and/or as part of the shape procedures?
Thanks for the info about the spelt, that's great insight.
As I mentioned above, I don't leave it out after the fridge time. I think I just wrote my method in a confusing way. I do all the final proofing before the overnight retard in the fridge.
"I do all the final proofing before the overnight retard in the fridge."
Aha. That's part of the problem (in addition to too much levain). The cold retard in the fridge is the final proof. Just go from final shape to fridge.
And don't expect an increase in volume (rise) in the fridge. But don't worry, it's still developing gas. This was a difficult thing for me to learn going from a yeasted pan loaf baker to a sourdough baker. We're not looking for a pre-bake rise during the proof stage like we did with the 2nd rise in the pan.
I do the windowpane test, it looks quite developed. I can pull a good Inch of 'window' before it tears.
I don't really degas at any point, though handling the dough (for me) just naturally knocks some of the gas out of it. I try to be gentle, but shape with good tension.
I think the main thrust of this is that I'm over proofing, or I have too much leaven. I can knock the leaven down to 25% instead of 30% and see where that takes me.
Also,
I did my method above for a few loaves yesterday. I'm baking them right now. I set them out after final proof for about 45 minutes before fridge time as an experiment and I'm getting loaves that are under proofed. I think this leads me to believe that I am just not nailing the proofing time.
I think photos of the whole loaf, and the crumb will be enlightening.
a few more questions:
To answer,
I don’t do any sort of fold immediately before the preshape. I just do my normal folds on schedule, so the last one happens about 30 minutes before (I’ve done longer bulks too, so sometimes 45 minutes before).
I’ve been doing sourdough baking on and off for 4 years. Mostly professionally, with some bread at home. First loves I did were tartine country, which came out pretty great.
Last place I worked with sourdough bread also incorporated some commercial yeast as a safeguard, so I’m a little rusty at a pure sourdough.
I am familiar with the sourdough process and I’m going to be mixing loaf 13+14 today, started up again seriously since I’ve been quarantined (so about 2 weeks ago?).
To all the suggestions above, mix for 10 minutes on speed 2 after you add the salt and levain. And carry on with your method.