June 12, 2020 - 2:30pm
Need Advice for failed sourdough
I have attempted to make sourdough a couple times. My starter is around a 90% hydration level, and I am using https://amyinthekitchen.com/beginners-sourdough-bread/ as my recipe. All of my loaves seem to have the same problem: blonde crust, little rising and dense crumb. I bake in a Dutch oven, as the recipe suggests, and I proof for about 5 hours total before proofing in the fridge overnight. My starter is pretty strong and doubles in size consistently. Any help would be appreciated! The pictures are from two different days. The photo that is more risen and more puffed up was baked in a Dutch oven without the lid as an experiment. All of the loaves look like the crumb photo.
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They are underproofed. How much starter are you using?
Can you please give us your recipe and process so we can assess better?
I am following the recipe in the link in my first post to the T.
I’m not a expert at reading crumb and proofing from photos, but this is my opinion.
BaniJP is much more experienced than I am so is probably right.
So it seems that the recipe calls for about 9% prefermented flour. Bulk fermentation for 5 hours and depending on the makeup of the levain about 20% whole grain, at a warm 78-80ºF and active mature levain it should be pretty fermented and ready for cold retard after 5 hours, What was your dough temperature during bulk fermentation?
The problem with the pale crust suggests that the dough was over proofed and the yeast and LAB used up all the sugars leaving none for browning of the crust. I don’t think it was lack of heat because the bottom crust looks pretty dark in that cut photo. The crumb looks dense but the larger holes have that collapsing appearance that suggests to me that the gluten had been broken down by proteolysis when it became over proofed.
Benny
The recipe (proportions and amounts) and process seem about right. In fact, they are quite exactly what I'm using and following currently (except I do the final proof at room temp because I'm impatient). So I assume the dough was in a colder spot or your starter just had a moody day.
One thing I noticed in the recipe was that the dough is supposed to grow 1.5 times. If you do that, it's guaranteed to overproof. Maybe I just misunderstand, but when baking with sourdough it's enough for your dough to grow by about 50% (I'm not exactly sure about the science). So some noticeable growth and bubbles, but no doubling!
When baking with yeast, doubling is fine.
My assumption why it is underproofed comes from the crust. When a dough is underproofed, starches that haven't been processed and broken down by yeasts and bacteria bind water and gelatinize during the baking process, hence the glossy look. In a properly proofed dough you would mostly have simple sugars left, which caramelize and give you the crispy, brown crust.
Another sign for underproofed is large holes next to small ones in the crumb. During shaping, you trap large air bubbles in your dough, but that is the major part of the gas your dough contains at that point.
If your dough was overproofed, you would see a lot of fairly equally sized bubbles that are more oval than round, with a very soft crumb. The overprocessed gluten network isn't strong enough anymore to support all the gas and collapses.
So I do follow the timing in the recipe; I bulk ferment for about 5 hours at 72-78 degrees. How long do you suggest proofing for instead? Should I be proofing in an oven that is Not on to maintain a warmer temp?
It's difficult to determine since so many factors affect fermentation. Look for signs like noticeable growth (around 50%), bubbles, softer/lighter feeling dough.
Proofing in a draft-free environment (closed oven) is preferable, yes.