Hello – I'm new!
Hello all,
I just wanted to introduce myself: my name's Tom and I'm a beginner baker. I've only been baking bread for a few weeks but I'm already hooked.
I'm currently working on producing the perfect sandwich loaf based upon this recipe: http://youtu.be/O4Ejevw9QIA. At the moment I'm working on kneading the correct amount, fermenting and proofing for long enough / not too long, and shaping the loaf properly for the tin. Basically, all the things that can't easily be self-taught!
At the moment I'm producing tasty bread, if perhaps a little on the dry side, but my loafs tend to 'explode' out to one side when baking. I understand that this is probably down to under-proofing, so I'm going to try to get a better rise out of my loaf today before I pop it in the oven.
Cheers,
Tom
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Ford
Welcome. Great forum here.
Could be a problem with shaping.
... is actually quite nice. So don't proof them too much longer, but try slashing the top of the loaf instead in order to achieve a nice, controlled, "explosion". If you find slashing with a knife too hard (especially with "wet" dough), try using scissors. It may sound naff but it works for me.
Thanks for the welcomes and advice guys!
I'm still struggling with an 'exploding top,' two loaves later. I've tried proofing far more and putting plenty of slashes in, but no joy so far.
My next idea is to make up some dough and let it go all the way through the proofing process (through to failure), to see if I can get a better understanding of what under proofed and over proofed looks like.
Even if you overproof you can knock it back down and allow it to proof again. Although it will be quicker!
So no need for failure or waste and you still get to see the process.
Yep! That's what I plan to do; I understand that so long as the yeast still has sugars to feed on, it'll given you another rise. Thanks :-)
And if doing sourdough the yeasts can actually destroy all the gluten, if left too long, and you'll be left with just a splodge.
I've experienced the horror of leaving sourdough too long and seeing the puddle of practically useless sludge. Even trying to use it as the "levain" for a new batch of dough is difficult to achieve because the gluten is so far gone. Gluten development in the new dough is hindered. However, it took me days to get mine to that point in the fridge, and I'd expect it to take at least a couple dozen hours at room temp to do the same. Since sourdough takes ver-rr-rry long to ferment, it also takes a lot longer to over-ferment.
If it does get to that point, the best use I've found for it is to bread chicken for frying. I mix in some milk with (some of) the puddle that used to be dough, until it is like a very wet batter. Then, I dip the chicken pieces in it to coat them. In another bowl, I have some dry mix of flour, salt, table pepper, and garlic that I roll the chicken pieces in next. Then , I toss them into the deep fryer. Seriously, the best fried chicken I've ever had!
There's a lot of science in breadmaking, but a lot of art too. Give it time and you'll get a feel for a lot of these things which seem like a puzzle now, like how long to proof, how to shape etc.
I used to struggle with proofing times (times is a misnomer really, as it's so dependent on kitchen temperature etc.) and I spent a long time underproofing bread without realising it - it was largely reading this site that made me realise that was my problem. I've got to the stage now that I can just tell by poking it if it's time to start heating the oven. It'll come.
Just to add, that's why YouTube is such an amazing resource. A lot of stuff which takes a paragraph of science to describe can be learned just by watching a five minute video of someone actually doing it. Definitely the case with shaping.
I figured out the problem and have now produced a couple of loafs without 'explosions'. The issue was underproving. I fermented and proved for a combined four hours to produce a shapely loaf, when the recipe I use calls for more like 1 1/2 - 2 hours. It's cold in my kitchen!
I'm glad I went through this in a way, as I feel like I have a much better understanding of the various stages of under/over proving.