Hello all! It’s been over a month since I posted on TFL… but I’ve been busy!
I’ll bake my 21st batch tomorrow. I’ve been getting better (in fits and starts) and played with oven temps, hydrations, fermentation times, mixing times/speeds, and flours. I record the details of each batch with the hope of controlling the myriad variables.
Several of the batches were “not bad” as described by several French friends of mine, but one item I haven’t improved upon is the silkiness of the dough’s “skin”. The professional bakers I watch in videos always have a silky smooth dough that I would love to imitate. I figure if the professionals do it, I should do it to. My dough has a “rougher” texture and I don’t know why.
I have used KA AP, KA Bread, and French T65 Moulin Bourgeois flours, all with the same result. My normal hydration is 73% and always use a poolish.
Any advice?
Use their ingredients and methods - see what happens. Enjoy!
I don't know your methods for mixing and kneading. But my first inclination is to suggest 2 to 4 stretch and folds to further develop and strengthen the dough.
Ive been experimenting with different speeds/times during mixing. In general I mix at 177rpm (spd 3 on my KA standup mixer) for 10 min. Then perform two folds, one at 30 min and the other at 60 min.