San Francisco Sourdough Again
I have been working on perfecting my technique in recreating David Snyder's formula for SF Sourdough he has posted on this site. I love the taste of San Francisco sourdough bread and this formula is very much like the bread I know and love.
Problems I've had in the past included not tightly shaping the dough, loaf not browning due to overproofing (my starter must be super active or something).
While mixing the dough, this time, I added a bit more flour (about 1/4 cup or so) and it seemed to help a great deal later on when shaping the loaf (I know, it probably messed with the hydration somewhat, but we'll see in about 2 hours when I cut into the loaf). Also in an attempt to not overproof, about half way thru the night, I took the loaf out of the fridge and let it sit at room temp (here about 60-65F) for the rest of the proof time, eliminated the 85F proof for 3 hrs and got up early(for me) 6 AM to bake.
I also baked in a cold Dutch oven, because I didn't want to risk steaming and perhaps causing problems with my newly repaired gas oven. Preheated oven to 500F with baking tiles in place. I baked for 20 minutes in the Dutch oven with cover (aka tight fitting cast iron skillet) on, and 20 minutes off at 450F. Left the bread in the oven with door ajar for 15 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool.
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Tighter crumb as I expected - but still not too shabby -
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