Dense chewy crumb and critique
Here is the result of my latest bake. I found the crumb to be rather chewy and dense (instead of being pillowy and soft).
It was even worse on day 2, having sat on the counter overnight. But ambient humidity is in the 80's!
Also, crumbs seemed tight to me.
Which parts can i improve on?
Recipe:
KAF AP 250g
Water 181g (was aiming for 175 but i poured too much)
Salt 5g
Yeast 4g (Wanted 3g, but had a little left in the packet so i just added it all)
1. Mixed flour and water for 20 min autolyse (held back ~10g water to dissolve salt and yeast)
2. Added salt/yeast solution and hand kneaded for ~30 min.
3. Bulk ferment over night in fridge.
4. 7 hours later, did 2 stretch and folds, 30 min interval while dough comes up to temp.
5. Shaped and let proof in banneton.
6. Finger poke test after ~1 hour and seemed ready.
7. Scored and baked in an oven preheated to 210C in a dutch oven
8. Removed DO lid after 30 min, reduced temp to 200C and baked for another 15 min.
9. Rested for ~ 1 hour and sliced.
Also, my first singing loaf!!
Perhaps underproofed?
an enriched dough and proof it in a tin using intensive mixing like txfarmer does - A close to Wonder bread as you can get.
You bread looks near perfect for the recipe you are using if you ask me. Donlt add too much yeast. Just save the extra gram and use it for next week's 10% poolish bake which will come out better than this one just by using a poolish! The flavor should be better but you will have to have a better taste buds than mine - the crumb might be better too!
Happy baking
Hmm... agreed that it is an awfully pretty loaf as is.
Do you use a thermometer to check when it is done? It might be a bit better baked for 5 or 10 minutes longer, though that is definitely a matter of taste. I like darker bakes. :)
Also, I have a hard time imagining an overnight proof and two stretch and folds wouldn't result in an uneven crumb. Maybe you are degassing a bit much in the final shaping?
Yeah, I agree with the above comments, the formula looks like a lean crusty bread formula, that'll give you big holes and a chewy crumb. I think it looks pretty good. I think you might have degassed a bit too much when shaping because the crumb is more closed in the center.
Is the crust also on the chewy/leathery side?
Well, i didn't punch it down if that's what you're asking. But i suppose i could try using an even softer touch with the dough next time.
Would my problem be result of underbaking? I didn't temp it, i went by sight, smell and time.
Crust was crunchy after cooling, and could hear the crackling as the bread cooled. But after a day, it because really leathery. Also, this feature is typical of all my loaves thus far. Nice on Day 1, but becomes a struggle on Day 2.
seems to be that you're expecting a soft, pillowy loaf while using a recipe / method that is intended to give you a crustier, chewier result.
As others have said, if you want a softer crumb, use a recipe that includes something to condition the dough; e.g. oil, butter, milk, milk powder, water roux, etc. And for less crusty, use an open pan instead of your DO which captures the steam produced as the loaf bakes, leading to the crustiness.
I believe the leatheriness after a day is pretty natural. You can renew the crispness by putting the loaf into a hot oven for a few minutes. This will take some out of the crust, but the loaf will go stale sooner.
but i also used to get really leathery crusts on day two, but i found that using a bit less steam really helped. Not sure how you would/could achieve that with a DO though.
... great toasting bread to me.
On day 2, anyway.
But it looks fine. A bit much salt for a small loaf would be the only thing that sticks out in those ingredients to me.
I make an "overnight white" that's similar to that, but I don't put it in the fridge and use 0.8g yeast to 330g flour, 205g water and 4g salt. It sits covered in a bowl overnight in the kitchen (a cooler part - about 18°C) then I shape it into a tin and bake after about 1.5 hours. I've not tried it in a banneton - I intended it to be a tin loaf for the folks who like tin loaves... (I sell it) My bake time is about 35 minutes.
-Gordon
of dough conditioners will go stale in a day or two anyway. Not as fast as a thin thing like a baguette but it isn't SD and won't last long when it comes to freshness. After day 1 the crumb is iffy and best as toast ;like Gordon says.
I guess i've taken this recipe as far as i can. I had no idea bread stales that quickly.
As for why that amount of salt, i'm following TFL handbook that says salt is ~2% by baker's percentage.
And ambient temp here is typically in the low 30's. So it's either that or the fridge.
So am i right to say if i used the same method on a higher hydration dough, i should get a better crumb?