Figuring out bigger crumb holes
Sort of straight dough, but with 4% over-fermented sponge which I make up ahead of time and keep in the freezer, so I guess it's really sponge and dough.
This post has been edited, dabrownman in the comments below made me realize something was wrong in the formula presentation. My apologies for any confusion that the flawed formula may have caused. As a result of this edit, some comments may now be out of context.
| total | final | sponge | ||||||
| formula | dough | |||||||
| % | g | % | g | % | g | |||
| Baker's Flour, 11.8% protein | 4% | 30 | 100% | 30 | ||||
| Pastry Flour, 9% protein | 96% | 720 | 100% | 720 | ||||
| malt, low diastatic | 2% | 15 | 2.08% | 15 | ||||
| Instant dry yeast | 0.775% | 5.81 | 0.775% | 5.58 | 0.775% | 0.232 | ||
| cool water | 55% | 412.5 | 49.79% | 358.5 | 180% | 54 | ||
| ~~~hydration rest~~~ | ||||||||
| cool water | 15% | 112.5 | 15.63% | 112.5 | ||||
| salt | 2% | 15 | 2.08% | 15 |
Sponge instructions are located in a comment of mine below dabrownmans.
Final dough: Mix pastry flour, AB mauri low-diastatic malt, instant dry yeast. Add water, mix briefly until just combined and let rest for 20 minutes. After the time has elapsed, mix again.
Add salt, sponge, and water, and mix well until gluten is well developed. Warning: Increasing the hydration after autolyze makes for difficult mixing.
Let it bulk ferment to double. I then refrigerated it overnight (not planned, but unexpected circumstances demanded it), punched it down once. In the morning, weighed, divided into 3 equal weight portions, let it warm a little, shaped, and let it proof to 1.5 gas:dough ratio, scored, and baked in a dry oven at 450°F for 20 minutes.
Not real happy with the crust, not as crispy as I'd like, but this flour seemed the secret of a bread I'd been trying to duplicate for years. It has a nice soft, melt in your mouth crumb, like a restaurant from the 1980s in Bird Rock (San Diego) used to have in their baguettes, The French Pastry Shop.
Update: reheated the batards this evening in a 350°F oven for 10 minutes, and the crust was divine, nice and crispy without being tough.
Comments
1. Since an autolyze does not utilize yeast or salt, work the yeast in after the autolyze, not before.
2. Put 60%, rather than 50%, water in the autolyze. This will give you a softer dough, making easier to incorporate the salt and yeast. Then use half of the reserved 5% to slurry the yeast so that it is easier to work into the autolyzed dough and the other half of the reserved water for dissolving the salt, which will make it easier to incorporate, too.
I don't know that either will have a material effect on the finished bread but they should combine to give you easier dough handling.
Paul
I appreciate you taking the time to critique Paul. I almost edited to remove the word "autolyze" in favor of "hydration rest", since it does not meet Calvel's strict definition! I add the yeast initially with the flour to speed things along, that's also why I use so very much instant yeast. I believe it's about at the maximum percent level, with any more the result would likely be a discernible yeast flavor.
I also agree with your water suggestions. This was actually the final test of 3 separate batches, all using different flours, and one batch of which used different gas:dough proofing ratios and staggered baking, and I learned some very valuable lessons about the crumb results and oven spring.
First I started with bread flour (tough and chewy), then all purpose (less tough), finally pastry (tender). Because the protein levels decrease, the latter tests used less water, and is why I have the two water percents separated. I use how it sticks to the mixing bowl while mixing after hydration rest to judge and determine a roughly similar hydration level, since I do not have a farinograph. It's likely I will do something similar to your suggestion, as this recipe isn't really dialed in to an optimum process just yet, but the result is so good tasting, maybe it is there with a few minor tweaks like you suggested.
Happy holidays to you,
Ken
either but I'm guessing it was a stiff preferment made with the yeast? But I would cut the yeast way back to 1%
To get better holes I would up the overall hydration 3% and make the autolyse 65% water and i would just sprinkle the salt on top of the autolyse ball. Then when I would work the salt into the autolyse with the extra 3% water by squishing the dough, salt and water through my fingers. before adding the SD levain, and molasses and starting the low speed, mixing. The higher hydration should help the crumb.
Baguettes have been made with with low protein white flour for about forever in France so you gong to low protein flour is a plus but you might try half AP and half cake flour next . I would also steam the bread for 8 minutes before baking until done dry or dry with fan. This should help the crust crisp up and get more brown. Do Paul and i are coming from the same direction.
Happy baking
Its purpose is dead yeast, for dough extensibility, hence, overfermented. I make it up ahead of time, and keep it frozen, so all I need to do is warm the jar of it up in warm water, and weigh it. There is no sourdough in this formula, it's all based on instant yeast.
100.00% Bread flour (I use baker's flour without any ascorbic acid, 11.8% protein)
180.00% Water
0.7750% Instant dry yeast (SAF Red)
It ferments at 80°F for a minimum of 16 hours in an appropriately sized glass jar with a metal lid (only loosely affixed), I use a thermostatic electric stove and a water bath for temperature control. Normally, the yeast amount at that temperature would be a 2-hour fermentation period, so it's overfermented, when it's done it has a strong alcohol odor. Then it goes into the refrigerator for a few hours, just enough to chill it, then the freezer, where it remains to be used whenever I need some until it's gone. When I want to make something and I need dead yeast, I simply thaw it out by putting in the refrigerator overnight, or a more quick defrost in a pan of warm water for 1/2 hour or so. Its purpose is primarily dough extensibility due to the proteolytic agents released from the yeast when they die.
The total hydration of this dough calculates to 70%, I did not include some decimals in the above instructions (rounded).
I tried one batch with steam, and may try it again.
I also used to use bleached cake flour for low-protein flour blends, but when I started making crackers, the bleach really skewed the flavor in an undesirable way. I found with crackers, that using bromelain on a portion of the flour mixed with water "fermented" for 4 hours destroyed the protein, and made a much better tasting cracker. Thus, I haven't been too keen on using bleached cake flour when the objective is good flavor. I understand that King Arthur makes an unbleached cake flour, and I haven't yet had a chance to try that flour.
Happy holidays to you, and everyone!