Bread work flow ideas
Hi everyone, hope you can help me with a better work flow for yeasted and levain dough during the week. I get up quite early for work, and don't get home till about 5-6. There is a window for bread making around 6-9 PM. I have most weekends off and often get up early on weekends.
I was wondering what other people are doing to make bread during a busy work week and still have time for dinner, errands, family etc. I give most away, but just enjoy making it and trying new recipes. I would like to make mid-week and weekend loaves. Don't mind using the fridge for haulting the process at various stages, but can't seem to get it right without frequent over fermentation, leading to anemic crust and limitted oven spring. Looking for a simple process that works in the evenings over a few days. Biggest challenge is timing the proofing, going out for errands. My levain is probably not active enough, thus the long fermentation times I am getting. What stage to place on counter, fridge, etc.
looking forward to your thoughts,
SD Baker
Hey SD Baker
I have the perfect bread for you. It is the one stage sourdough sandwich bread posted on this site by the now banned Sourdough Guy. Don't be put off by the sandwich bread title you can change the hydration and shape and make whatever you want out of it. The main thing when doing this bread is the technique.
Take 20-35 grams of active starter and disolve it in 765g of low chlorine or filtered water. Add to the water and starter, 1090 grams of flour and 20g of salt. Mix the salt into the flour first. Stir until all the flour is wet and set aside for an hour. Tip the dough out onto the counter and do a "french fold" or do a "letter fold" 4 or 5 times. Put into a clean oiled container and allow to double. This should take around 16 to 20 hours. After it has doubled turn it out shape and allow to proof 4 hours or so and bake as normal. This recepie makes a 70% dough. I have found that 35 grams of my starter will double after 16 hours on a 70 degree day. I scaled back to 20 grams or so to get the full 20. Cool thing about this is you can throw it together 8 or 9 pm. let it set until 4 or 5 the next day, shape and bake around 9 or 10pm. If you make it with cold water I imagine you could stretch the fermentation time out even longer. I also sometimes give it a second folding the first night if I think it needs it. This bread also has wonderful flavor as well. Hope this helps.
Da Crumb Bum
OK Crumb Bum..making the first run. Using 35g of starter since mine is not that active at the moment. Used warmer water too in order to help the yeasties.
SD Baker
Hi SD Baker and Crumb Bum,
Just thought I'd let you know that I too am in process of using Crumb Bum's/SDG's method outlined above but using both the Columbia and Thom Leonard flour mixtures/ratios. I used 30 g starter in each batch.
I've never tried such a no-knead/folding only approach before with so little starter, and so far I am really impressed with how easy this was. The key is definitley to mix all of the flours and salt THOROUGHLY before adding the liquid and starter so you don't have to stir too much. My KA dough wisk that ehanner likes too worked very well for this. My two doughs are fermenting at home now - I made them after dinner last night, easily did the stretch and folds after an hour, and hopefully when I get home from work today, they'll be doubled and ready to divide, shape, and proof so I can bake tonight, leaving my weekend free to work in the garden.
Crumb bum, thanks for re-iterating the SDG method here so clearly and succintly, it finally dawned on me how simple it would be to adapt any of my favorite hearth bread recipes to this method based on your ratios above. I had not paid too much attention to this before because I thought it was for "sandwich" bread.
I'll keep you posted and SDBaker, I look forward to seeing your results too.
Hey MDog
I was looking back through this post answering a question and notice you were going to give this a try with the Columbia and TL's Country Loaf. How did it work out for you? I have been doing this with a spinnoff of Hammelmans Miche Point A Calier. I use 2% starter added to all the flour and water and salt and have been getting good results. It also seemed to help to lower the hydration to 75% and fold to develope dough almost fully before letting it set. Just curious how it went for you. Take care
Da Crumb Bum
Thanks Crumb Bum! This is the type of info I am seeking. A few Q's:
Approx how much salt (sea and/or kosher) by volume? My scale is good, but goes in 5 gram increments. With such a small volume, my chance for error is pretty high.
I might need a shorter second proofing time. Any reason to think using a warmer place, less time would affect flavor?
Hey SD Baker
I weighed out 20g of salt and it came to approx. 3 and 3/4 teaspoons.
As for proofing in the fridge I have had some issues getting the timing right after I remove it. I find it very hard to tell when its ready. On large loaves I find overproofing to be my problem. I have had better luck fridging the unshaped dough and shaping after it comes up to temp. giving it folds when nessessary to strengthen and bring up to temp. quicker. While these methods work, I find I still spend a fair amount of the ever so valuable commodity "time" waiting for that perfect moment to pop it in the oven. With the one stage method described above I "mix it and forget it" for lack of a better discription for 20 hours. The only time I watch it closly is toward the end of the proof. I bet you could even mix up this dough 2 days ahead fridge it and 20 hours before you want to bake take it out, let it proof shape and bake. Cool thing about this is the dough sits in its container at room temp and gets really tasty without you needing to do anything. It almost feels as though you are cheating it is so easy. Give it a whirl and let us know what you think, and get ready to have great bread and your whole weekend both.
Da Crumb Bum
Crumb Bum.. you're "da" man. Thanks for weighing out the salt. Was that sea salt or kosher or iodized?
Can't wait to try out your recipe.
SD Baker
Hey Bum de la Crumb... making another batch of your recipe. Calculated 20g of Kosher Salt at 4.16 tsp based on the back of the container, so we'll call that 4 tsp, rounding the final tsp.
This batch, did about 150 g of whole wheat, 300 g of KA's Rye Flour blend (just noticed it was a "blend") and the remainded KA regular flour. Very curious how it turns out!
SD Baker
Hey SD Baker
That salt volume is for regular Mortons salt you can get anywhere. Sorry I did not specify the first time. I hope you enjoy this bread.
Da Crumb Bum
No, not me. But I remember reading some bread book where the woman who wrote it told how she worked bread into her day. She didn't let little things like work and errands get in her way. She put the dough in a cooler and hauled it around with her so she could tend to it during the day. Her friends thought she was crazy. I think it's a bit much, myself. But it's an idea.
Rosalie
I loved this recipe, but I was wondering if it could be made less sour some how. Can it be raised a little faster with a little more yeast to become less sour? I am not sure how this works, but I found it more sour than the bread I used to make with 1 cup of starter per loaf over almost 10 hours.
How do these things work exactly?