July 10, 2014 - 1:47pm
Time for a rest
Nothing ambitious. Just my last loaves before going on vacation for a week (still just using the 123 recipe with my "discard" when I feed it. I upped the hydration just a smidge). This is the fifth or sixth time I've baked bread (successfully) with my starter and now we will see if it can survive a week of rest in the fridge :).
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They look pretty nice to me. :)
Enjoy your vacation.
Lovely bread, not as much Oven Spring as the others?
Lovely crumb:)
No. I let them rise longer. The crumb was much more open this way. The dough was wetter too. I think that made a difference.
Still trying to figure out how to time everything just right ;).
My steps are , Autolyse without Salt added for 30 Minutes, fold in the Salt, knead or S&F or a combination of both, bulkfermentation usually 12 hours at room temperature * over Night * Shape and make sure that the skin of the Dough get's nice and tight * much easier with Boules, I am hopeless when it comes to Batards * Proof in proofing Basket / Banneton no longer than 2-2 1/2 hours.
Well, that is how I do it and I do get good rise out of it.
I bake in a Dutch Oven though and I believe due to the trapped Steam in the Dutch Oven * Wet dough and hot Dutch Oven=Steam * it gives the dough a great boost for good Oven spring.
It is doubling in height In the oven. The dough was still really slack but it had a nice window pane to it. I mix without salt, autolyze for 30-40 minutes, knead in salt, s&f for 2-3 hours until the dough tightens up, overnight bulk ferment, shape, rise until double and it seems to pass the finger poke test, bake in a HOT oven on a pizza stone with steam. I actually like the texture of this bread much better than the other, so I'm okay with it not being tall. It's definitely not dense. It's almost more like a ciabatta. Mmmmmm...
Oh the bread looks just fine, just compared to the other post it is not as hight.
The taste is what matters:)
I am not a fan of those big holes though, you can not eat holes:)
I've been trying really hard not to degas when I shape and I think that makes it harder for me to get a real tight skin. But the inside is riddled with lovely holes. Again, more like ciabatta bread.
With the Boules I have no problem to get the surface tension, but with the Batards that is a different matter.
I find Batards better for cutting and the size of the slices, but they are a * swear word * to shape. pffft
With shaping I believe one needs a light hand.
I also found the more I hesitate for fear of the shaping the bad the shaping goes.
Just pack the Bull by the horn * so to speak * and do it:)
In my opinion, a shorter bulk ferment (3.5-4 hrs) leads to a better all-purpose bread with great flavor and texture. It also looks and rises better. However, there is really nothing like a very well-fermented bread. It doesn't look great but the inside is wildly open and as soft as a pillow, with good flavor.
Perhaps you will find, as I did, that it is very difficult to overproof sourdough. Due to a lack of refrigerator space, I had my dough bulk ferment at 62 F for 9 hours and then shaped and proofed at 62 F for another 10 or 11 hours. Very well proofed, but definitely not overproofed.
Oh I do beg to differ, I have over proofed quite a few Sourdough loafs when I started on my Sourdough Journey.
I now go by look and feel of the dough to decide when it it ready, I never final proof for longer than 2-2.5 hours , maximum 3 - 3.5 hours depending on how warm or cold my kitchen is.
I do like a long bulk fermentation though, for me, best , 12 hours at room temperature and up 24 hours in the fridge.