March 4, 2015 - 12:03pm
Persistent gooey dough
After 9 successful months of making breads from Ken Forkish's book, I suddenly started getting a solid core of smooth, sticky, and sometimes slightly odorous dough at the center of every loaf. I replaced yeast and flour, and even sterilized my dough containers with a bleach solution. My latest theory is that it started to happen when cold weather struck Minnesota (which it does from time to time). We keep our house at between 64 and 68 in winter, and maybe I'm just not allowing enough time in the mixing and/or proofing stages. Any other suggestions?
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and February was the coldest month on record, ever. I'm getting very long fermentation and rise times, also with interior household temps of 64 and 68, sometimes colder. Below is the most helpful post I've found about temperature and fermentation: http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/5381/sourdough-rise-time-table.
He links to his table which is outstanding. http://www.wraithnj.com/breadpics/rise_time_table/bread_model_bwraith.htm
worth the price of admission.
hester
Thanks for the help, I'll brush off those old skills and work from the table.
We've been watching the NE weather fro here quite closely and sympathizing -- but not too much! Sort of "glad it's someone else's turn, if you'll forgive the thought.
Does this odorous dough form sticky strings and smell like overripe melons or rotting squash? And get progressively worse and starts at about day 3 or 4 after the bake?
I'm smelling it in the baked loaf rather than in the dough itself. The center of the loaf is sticky to the touch and I'd think of it as rotting rather than overripe.
I think Mini is correct - sounds like rope.
Wild-Yeast
with the weather (in your case) and more to do with, by the sounds of it, something brought into the kitchen. Stop baking, Time to Spring clean! Everything!
My heart goes out to you.
Store your root foods away from your baking supplies.