The Fresh Loaf

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Score keeps sealing, help!

Cmykphotog's picture
Cmykphotog

Score keeps sealing, help!

my score keeps sealing and I don’t get a good ear. I use my levain young around 3h at 80f, but always passes the float test. The dough is fermented 4h at  80f. Why does this keep happening. I don’t think it’s lack of steam there are a lot of blisters. What could be wrong

pmccool's picture
pmccool

The bread apparently had a very good, and early, oven spring.  I say that because the grigne is very wide but nearly as dark as the rest of the crust.

It may be that the blade of your knife or lame is held to close to this "-", when it should be closer to this "/".  A bit less horizontal and a bit more angled may make the difference.  Also, a little less expansion in the final proof would leave the door open for even more oven spring, which might also help get the ear you want to see.

Those are really pretty loaves.  I'd happily claim them as mine.

Paul

suave's picture
suave

It's overproofed for this cut and your slashing technique needs work.

fechetm's picture
fechetm

Tell more about the cut? when you slash on the long side it should be less proofed? how about slashing technique?

should the lame be kept at a slight angle? how deep should i score? I usually make 920 g batards and get the same problem.

dabrownman's picture
dabrownman

scored.  Search this site for it  = Scoring tutorial

He did an updated version in 2015

Cmykphotog's picture
Cmykphotog

I don’t think it’s my slashing technique. I am very similar with slashing, and do it at a nice angle. / like that 

Edo Bread's picture
Edo Bread

Seems more like a lack of oven spring

Mini Oven's picture
Mini Oven

oven temps?

 Perhaps the upper is too high compared to the lower temp.  Try turning the upper temp down a little if you can.  Or was the oven still preheating?

fechetm's picture
fechetm

I can only blame over-proofing. Yesterday I made 3 batches, same dough. I retarded all of them, and removed all from the fridge at 11:30 AM, because the oven is in another location.

The first batch vas ok, good ears for all the breads (except one). The second (at 13:00) vas half half.

The third (at 14:00) was a disaster (only 2 loaves out of 8 had an ear). I blame the time passed between leaving the fridge and baking (almost 3 hours at RT).

But I am still not sure!

 

Mini Oven's picture
Mini Oven

Looks like you may have to come up with a solution to keeping the dough cold. Or get the later bakes into the fridge sooner before retarding.  Much sooner.

Cmykphotog's picture
Cmykphotog

I keep the fridge pretty cold at 45 degrees, and retard for 8h. I don’t think it’s overproofed. But I could be wrong.  Here’s a picture of the crumb. 

https://ibb.co/bMan4H

 

Danni3ll3's picture
Danni3ll3

45F is too warm. Recommended fridge temp to keep food at a safe temp is 40 F or below. I keep my proofing fridge at 37 F. 

Cmykphotog's picture
Cmykphotog

You are right. I just took the actual temp and it was at 40f I don’t know why I thought 45

Cmykphotog's picture
Cmykphotog

Just checked the thermometer again and now its 38. I guess I read higher temps when I opened the fridge door

Danni3ll3's picture
Danni3ll3

is tricky. The second you open the door the warmth rushes in and throws the thermometer off. Leave it for a couple of hours and then check but you gotta make it fast. 

Danni3ll3's picture
Danni3ll3

You might want to try dropping it to 37F. I don’t have issues with loaves overproofing since I have done that.

Cmykphotog's picture
Cmykphotog

So I took everyone’s advice on today’s bake, and bulk fermented for 3.5h instead of 4h and it’s very underproofed. It was dense. Could it be my last batch was underproofed, and not overproofed?