Proofing over a long period of time
Does anyone have experience with proofing your loaves for long periods of time? Unless I am using a refrigerator, most of my loaves will be properly proofed in 2-5 hours. However, I am trying to figure out a way to ferment during the daytime, shape right before going to bed, and then bake them in the morning (8-10 hours).
I imagine the way to do this is to use very small amounts of starter, or a not so active starter. The one bread I have been successful at so far has been bagels. I am currently using a 20hr 4:4:5 125% hydrated starter as 5% of my dough, and am getting just about proper proofing in a cool room over night. But I would also like to apply this technique to ciabatta or baguettes.
Any advice?
Thanks,
Danny - Sour Flour
http://www.sourflour.org
i've been partial to the vermont sourdough recipe in hamelman's bread because the timing works out well for weekend baking for me.
this is off the top of my head so don't take this as exact. but it goes something like this:
don't know if that helps, but that's what i do.
How much time do you need outside the refrigeator in the morning before you can bake it off? I have had a couple of bad experiences when I baked the cold shaped loaves right away.
i pull mine out of the fridge and let it sit while i'm waiting for the oven to heat up. so maybe 20-30 min. it seems to only rise about 50% in the fridge, but gets good oven spring. here's the last one i baked off:
I proof (technically retard) shaped loaves overnight in the fridge for up to 15 hours. This is the time that is suggested in Nancy Sileverton's book. In the morning I will take one loaf out for an hour and after the hour I will turn on the oven and take the other one out. After the second hour I will put in the first loaf bake it off and then let the second proof for an additional hour and bake that one off. With this I can bake both loaves seperately and not have on e warm up too much.