I can't take it any more!!! Boules will not behave!

Hi Miamaria,

Your process has 2 areas I would investigate further.

Firstly the hydration is low.   Whilst I scarcely profess to be part of the wetter is better school, I am sure you could find ways and means to try and incorporate more than 60%.   Increase in small measures if you like; adopt autolyse if possible.   Target hydration has to be 63 minimum, preferably into the higher 60s.

Second, and paricularly pertinent for the low hydration is your mix time.   Forty-five seconds is scarcely long enough to hydrate the flour, let alone develop any gluten.   Try a minimum of 6 minutes on first speed!

These loaves look under proved; they are.   Even after 3 hours.   Under-hydration, and insufficient mixing mean minimal dough rheology [change in structure] to give the extensibility you need.

2 simple principles to look at here.   Addressing these should iron out the explosions in the dough.

Hope this helps

Best wishes

Andy

I agree with Andy...  I recently made some pain au levain boules that turned out relatively well, except I had the same blow-outs.  Mine were at about 66% hydration.  I proofed mine for about 2 hours, but could have pushed 2 1/2 to 3 hours...  When you do the poke test, it should spring back slowly, but the impression should remain slightly...

Also, regarding slashing, there are a few different ways to slash.  You can do the # pattern, or you can do the square where the corners do not connect.  Either will work, provided you have proofed the boules long enough...  

Hope this all helps...  Also, check out this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4RiJs1a92U

This is a video about Max Poilane.  You will notice that they are not particulary careful when they slash, and they are very quick...  When they are baked, none of the loaves are absolutely perfect either...

Tim

Hi Tim,

Thanks for your comments.   Don't you also think that under-mixing is of equal importance, given the relatively low hydration?

BW

Andy

Hmmm...  Well you have some amazing oven spring, so I don't think your gluten strength is all that weak...  I still think it's more underproofing than anything...

How do they taste?  What does the crumb structure look like?

I don't think underproofing alone would explain this.  These sure look like loaves that have also been scored too early, and/or too deeply.   It may be underproofing too, since that will have a similar effect, but since you're already proofing for up to 2 hours, that can't be the whole story.  Maybe it goes without saying, but here's my 2 cents: only score the loaves immediately before loading them into the oven, and make sure to keep the scoring quick and shallow. 

These sure look like loaves that have also been scored too early, and/or too deeply

I'm curious how you can tell when they were scored. 

Hi miamaria

Thanks Tim, for doing the calculations. So 100 flour, 67 water and 1.67 salt in the overall formula.   That seems good to me.

It's a good point about when to choose to score your loaves, but they would most likely erupt to some extent whether or not.

Additionally, your formula does indeed afford generous proof times, for both the bulk and final stages.

However, the loaves erupt because there is still 1] excess unused yeast activity and 2] insufficient dough extensibility brought about by essential change to dough structure over time.   So, the loaves are underproved.

You can look at the following:

1] Is your leaven sufficiently ripened?   Is there a sufficient amount of pre-fermented flour in the formula?

2] Your dough is under-mixed.   I'm pretty sure that is the major cause of your problems.   Tim you are right that the gluten in the dough is strong.   But if it is not properly developed, then it will still rupture if the dough is under-fermented.   This is still, effectively under-proof, as you say.   Better mixing will engender quicker ripening in the dough.   However, I have never used food processors to mix dough.   If the frictional heat rise is as rapid as you suggest, then I would recommend you find an alternative means to mix the dough.   Tim's idea for an autolyse [hold back the salt at this stage] is a good one.   But I would be looking for some more hand mixing once the salt has been added and the dough more fully formed.   S&F might help, but you may need to increase the hydration a little if you want to make full use of this technique.   Out of interest, how strong is the flour that you are using?   This is probably a critical factor.   You could consider adding a touchof diastatic malt flour @ say 1/2% on total flour to encourage more amylase activity.

BW

Andy

Is it possible that the starter is not getting evenly distributed in the final dough? If all the ingredients are mixed at the same time, and for only 45 seconds, I think it's possible that some parts of the dough don't get much yeast, and others get a lot. A crumb shot might help to diagnose this. You don't say how the starter is incorporated, but I would advocate mixing the starter and the water first, then add the flour and salt once the starter is dissolved in the water. And is a 45 quart food processor really a big brother to our little home kitchen processors, with a sharp double blade? Or is it a big mixer?

Agreed with leucadian on incorporating the leaven.   This is a part of the "under-mixing" issue, although maybe I should have been more specific about that.

BW

Andy

A problem I have is too much proofing time after shaping. One of the loaves I am working on tends to develop unevenly, I think because I am proofing the shaped loaf so long. The inside is underproofed when the outside is fully developed, so I get a sort of explosion from the inside. This seems to turn up with a characteristic muffin-like shape, and sometimes a blowout on the side somewhere.

This is a work in progress for me, but my plan is to extend the bulk rise with a couple stretch and folds, and shape later.

My problem is made worse by the fact that I have, on occasion, made up my dough too soon, so my levain doesn't have enough push. Which leads to longer proofing times, which leads to.. etc.

Nice!  I'd like to see a crumbshot...  How do they taste?

When you are using a liquid starter, you should add it in the beginning of the mixing process...  What I do, is measure out the water, put it in the mixing bowl, then add the levain (liquid or stiff), then the flour, and lastly the salt.  This way you are mixing the liquid up from the bottom so there is less chance of dry clumps on the bottom...

Also when I am preparing my starter for the dough the night before, I mix all the ingredients, leave it on the counter for 1 hr and refrigerate it for up to 24 hrs until I am ready to use.  I just take it out when I am ready while I am measuring out all the ingredients...

Tim