The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

how much height to expext?

July 14, 2020 - 7:29am
pjstock's picture
pjstock

how much height to expext?

How much height (vs width) should i reasonably expext in a sourdough mostly white flour boule?

I have learned that overproofes dough will run away like lava and result in a very low flat loaf.

But a well proofed loaf? 

Yesterday my liaf was about 20cm wide and 8cm high. So a 2.5:1 width to height ratio.

What do others get?

 

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ciabatta's picture
ciabatta
Jul 14 2020 - 8:07am

Height is a function of many things: flour type(s), dough size, hydration, scoring, shaping, how it's baked and really what you're going for with the crumb.

In my 70% hydration sourdough loaf using 12% protein bread flour with 18% whole wheat. a 500g boule proofed in a 18cm round banneton and scored with a single slash along one side and baked in a cast iron dutch oven gets to about 11cm tall. counting the tall ear.

Your numbers sound about right without knowing all the details. Better to show a cross section cut photo of your bread from the center and get feedback on how well proofed/shaped/baked the loaf is.

albacore's picture
albacore
Jul 14 2020 - 2:34pm

You may find it difficult to get many answers, as It's not a measurement many people do routinely. And loaf photographs can be very deceptive, to say the least!

It is a measurement that interests me too, as I like a loaf with plenty of loft. I tend to bake freeform batards, dough weight 800--850g and normally achieve a height of 90-100mm as long as there's not too much wholegrain in the mix.

Lance

Benito's picture
Benito
Jul 14 2020 - 3:39pm

The weight of the dough has such a huge effect on the loaf height.  I was starting to feel that my bread wasn’t getting much oven spring lately, but I’ve been baking 900 g dough breads for some time and have come to realize that I don’t think I’ll get a better ratio of height to width without going to a lower weight like I used to of around 750 g which used to give me much loftier breads with the same recipes.

ciabatta's picture
ciabatta
Jul 14 2020 - 3:50pm

Yeah, I learned that bigger loaves do fall short on the height to size ratio. But, people who's dough fills the entire base of their Dutch Oven benefit from the fact that the dough doesn't have room to spread so it expands up!  I also read about people using parchment rings to band around the base of the dough to help them get taller.  As my preshape and shape and scoring skill improved I've also noticed more vertical gain.

albacore's picture
albacore
Jul 15 2020 - 1:16am

I think we are talking about two parameters here.

  • One is loaf height. As the loaf weight increases, then loaf height will increase up to a maximum of, say, 12cm at best. Supported loaves may improve on this. I am thinking that this figure will be achieved at a dough weight of around 850g. Above that weight, height won't get any better - or any worse. So a 1.5kg miche is likely to have a similar height, but it won't look as tall, because of the area it occupies. Another point, a good ear on any loaf will help to give the impression of more height.
  • The other is height to diameter ratio, or to also encompass other loaf shapes, it should be height to plan view area. I think this figure might start off high, stay high as weight increases and then at some point (500g?) go into decline. I guess it's the good height to diameter ratio of smaller loaves that make them look better.

 

Lance