The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Did too many experimental things on one load of dough.

DavidEF's picture
DavidEF

Did too many experimental things on one load of dough.

I wanted to make my bread a little better. I had about one loaf worth of dough in the fridge for several days, waiting to be baked. It was a soft sandwich bread recipe, so it had honey and butter in it, in addition to the usual ingredients. I decided to take it out, effectively double it, by adding more of everything, then bake two loaves. Well, I had been using AP for a while, so I picked up some KA whole wheat flour. Therefore, since I was in the mood, I threw some in as part of the flour I was adding to the dough. I also substituted milk for part of the water, because the recipe actually called for some milk powder, and I didn't have any in it. Well, I let it ferment for a couple hours, then decided it was too late at night for baking, and put it back in the fridge, already divided in loaf pans. I figured I could just pull it out again, let it come up to room temperature and finish rising, then bake it. So, this afternoon, I pulled the pans out of the fridge and put them in my oven with the light on to warm them up and finish the final proof. In a little while, I had to leave the house, and ended up being gone for a couple hours. When I came back, the loaves had overproofed, I guess, and fallen a little. So, I dumped them out on some flour, did some stretch and folds, and put it all back in the loaf pans. Now, they are sitting out again, for the second final proof. Hopefully, they turn out edible. Any thoughts? Am I wasting my time? Is there a chance the yeasties may have run out of food and they may be too hungry to do their job?

cranbo's picture
cranbo

just bake it and see what happens. if it's collapsing it's probably overproofed. Worst case you might use it for croutons or breadcrumbs

lazybaker's picture
lazybaker

I wonder if you can add more flour and liquid to it and make more loaves. Whenever my dough ends up fermenting too much, especially during the warmer weather, they always end up not baking too well. Imagine dense loaves that don't rise well. 

If it was rising in a really warm environment, I'd play it safe and add more flour and liquid, just in case if the yeast did run out of food.

DavidEF's picture
DavidEF

I went ahead and baked it. The loaves didn't rise alot, so they are a little bit dense, not too bad. The crumb is still soft and the crust is crispy. But, there is a vinegar taste and smell to the bread that isn't lovely at all. I'm calling this a failure. I could have lived with it being just a little dense. I'm having a hard time trying to figure out what vinegar flavored bread can be used for. Anybody have any ideas?

lazybaker's picture
lazybaker

With the bad over-fermented bread, like cranbo's suggestions, I made them into croutons and breadcrumbs. The dense crumbs became fillers for things like meatballs. 

I can't throw away bread away even if it is bad. Only time I throw bread away is when they have mold on them.

DavidEF's picture
DavidEF

Upon further reflection (and tasting) I've decided that the bread is not a complete and utter failure. It is okay for sandwiches with lots of stuff like lettuce, tomato, meat and cheese. Dousing it with mayonaisse and mustard probably helped too. I'm still not happy with it, but at least it is edible within a narrow context, so I'm not throwing it away. What it definitely is, is a learning experience.