getting the bread into the oven without deflation / surface tension
Hi--Two, two, two questions in one!
1. My breads tend to deflate when I put them into the oven. That is, the transfer itself deflates them. I've tried proofing the loaves on a peel dusted with flour or cornmeal, but by the time I'm done proofing the dough has gotten so much more sticky that it still sticks to the peel. And if I just carefully and quickly lift the loaf with my hands onto the preheated stone, it also deflates. On the other hand, If I use, like, an inch of cornmeal on the peel, the loaves slide easily into the oven but all that extra loose grain scorches during the bake time. Is this all possibly just due to overproofing? Solution, apart from loaf pans?
2. How can I increase surface tension/stretch the loaves harder when shaping them? The dough seems so... flaccid it's hard to stretch. Also, I'm concerned that if I really roll the seam hard I'll end up with a loaf interior that looks like cinnamon swirl bread.
I mean, baking life could be worse--this is my first attempt at sourdough (Hamelman's VT), and it did spring back in the oven, but both are persistent issues for me, season after season.