About that sponge...
Or was it 2 cups of starter, 1 cup filtered water and 1 cup of unbleached white bread flour? I can't even remember. That's why I've decided to make use of this blog; keep a track of everything I'm doing. I left it to ferment overnight and in the morning it was frothy and spongy, but it didn't seem to have grown at all. Is it supposed to?
Oh well, nothing like wandering around in the dark for some excitement! I decided to go ahead and make bread with it. I added the whole lot of sponge (about 3 1/4 cups) to my mixing bowl and added also two cups of white bread flour and two cups of wholemeal flour. The dough was tacky but not sticky. I kneaded it, rested, kneaded, rested a few times until it was nice and smooth and stretchy. I put it in a nice cosy steam bath to rise (maybe too cosy?) which it did to easily double in three hours.
I tipped it out, divided it into two pieces, had absolutely no idea how to shape into boules, so just kneaded lightly into balls and placed onto a tray. I put these back into the steam bath thinking that seeing as it had done so well the first time, it would be okay the second time. I checked it in only thirty minutes, and it had taken off. The tops had cracked wide open and they looked pretty ugly!
(Oh here's another blunder I made and forgot to mention earlier. I didn't add the salt in to the initial dough mix, but added it while I was kneading. That probably didn't help did it?)
I looked closely. It seemed wet (maybe from the steam bath?), not very stretchy and a bit flacid looking. I decided I couldn't wreck it any more if I tried, so I kneaded it again and added some more flour until the stretch and vigour were back. I mean.... what more could I do wrong? Anyone reading this is probably laughing their heads off right now.
I didn't return the dough to the steam as it seemed warm enough, but I let it rise on it's own. I forgot to time exactly how long that was as a friend and I were in my studio painting. Woops! Anyway, I thought it rose to about double, pre-heated the oven and chucked it in. I put a cake tin with some ice cubes in the bottom of the oven and spritzed every ten minutes until it looked cooked; about 35 minutes. There was no extra rise in the oven, the crumb consistency I describe as dense to heavy-cakey. The taste is nice. The crust is crunchy and shiny. Some pluses, many minuses.
Comments
in a couple of timers. To remind you when you're off doing something else. I set my mobil phone so when I wander outside, I make it back to the kitchen in time.
Adding salt into the dough as you knead it is not a problem. I do it all the time. Usually 30 min to an hour after mixing up the dough, then knead. Dough comes together much nicer after a rest. Sometimes the salt will cause the dough to weep, just keep working it in until smooth. This is also a good time to add nuts and raisins, seeds and stuff.
The second knead after the rise might have been too much for it. A recipe using commercial instant yeast is a little more resilient and will more often than not rise back up. A recipe with sourdough is more delicate (no punching down) kneading a second time might have knocked all the bubbles out and destroyed an already weakened structure from a long fermenting process. In other words... I think you played with the dough too long. (got to get you a lump of clay! or some heavy bagel dough.) It is one thing to just fold and tighten the surface, quite another to knead and stretch the limits of gluten structure until it cracks. The second rise cracked, not a good sign but good to know what "rising too long" or "overworking the dough" looks like.
The loaf is amazing in that it still stood up for the picture! The trick is to get it baked before it gets that far along in the fermenting process. (nature returning to nature)
Looking forward to the next loaf! You seem to have a good feel for reading the dough, just have to learn what it's saying to you. I'd say you're a fast learner.
Mini
You made a great start! My very first one was really sour, and second - 20th were rubbery crumb, and the tastes were eating like rubbery-slippers. They were not edible. LOL In those weeks, our garbage bags were really really heavy!
I am looking forward to seeing your next one, too! Cheer up!!!
Akiko