I got my oven spring back, but WHY??!!
I make a typical sandwich type loaf for my family that is 75% freshly milled WW (Montana Wheat Prairie Gold) and 25% KA Sir Lancelot, 68% hydration and 1 oz. oil. Just shy of 2% salt.
I got to the point sometime last year where I came on the forum and asked why my loaves were so lop-sided. Someone suggested my oven was starting out too hot (450) and the loaves were springing TOO much. So I backed down to 410 starting temp, baking at my typical 350. Perfect. Now for the past six months or so I lost my oven spring. Well, there was a little but not enough and the loaves were too dense.
Today I tried something I haven't done in a long time - the typical two rise system. One bulk rise for 45 minutes and then split into loaves and rise until ready to pop in the oven. BAM! Perfect oven spring in ten minutes.
I don't get it. I have done a ton of research on oven spring and I've never come across this as a reason. I mean, the typical artisan bread only has one rise, correct? Successful round artisan loaves have great oven spring from what I've seen. I also want to try some round rye bread loaves on my pizza stone instead of my bread tins. I also want to keep my nice oven spring.
Can someone tell me what's going on here?