September 18, 2014 - 9:55am
Can I use a preferment with bread machine on delay start?
I would like to make a preferment to enhance the flavor and texture of my bread. I would like to use the delay cycle on my bread machine so the bread will be ready in the early morning. How do you suggest I do this?
Thanks!
Ginny
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Morning do pre-ferment in the bread pan. Evening add rest of ingredients then set time delay so you have bread by next morning.
No other way of doing it i'm afraid (well not any I can think of). One has to keep pre-ferment separate till rest of ingredients are added. So you can't add in all the ingredients at once and just set the timer.
Can you describe your method and ingredients. i.e. are you pre-fermenting with all the water and what are you adding to the pre-ferment for final dough?
"One has to keep pre-ferment separate till rest of ingredients are added."
I don't remember which one (It might be the bread bible) but one of my bread books has you mix the pre-ferment (with all of the liquid, we are talking a yeasted sponge-style preferment here), then put all the dry ingrediants resting on top of the starter, untill you mix it in. I've never actually done it like this, but I think that it can be done.
I have never used a pre-ferment but it sounded simple.
If you think it will work by making it in the bread pan in the morning, and then adding the other ingredients at bedtime with the delay timer on, I'll certainly try it.
Because I haven't done this before I can't comment on your request to describe method and ingredients.
Thanks for your advice!
Say your recipe is...
400g flour
264g water
1 tbsp sugar
Fresh yeast
8g salt
Just an example off the top of my head!
Take all the water 264g
And mix with 264g of flour
Yeast and sugar.
Mix this into paste as your pre-ferment a few hours before bedtime.
Then just before bedtime sprinkle the remainder 136g of flour on top covering pre ferment then sprinkle salt on top of flour.
Set your bread machine as normal on delay for fresh bread in the morning.
Don't think I'd use quick action yeast though. Not sure about that.
Best of luck.
I followed your recommendation Abe and it worked. I let the pre-ferment actually sit in the bread machine for about 18 hours and just added the rest of the flour and the salt in the am and put it on regular bake. The bread turned out normal, not great taste (maybe I didn't add a full teaspoon of salt,) and the crust was soft but difficult to cut through. The texture was was too soft and light. BUT, your idea worked and for that I say thank you!!
Ginny