Howdy and suggestions please!
Hello from Texas! I am so happy to have found y'all! I am a crafter... I am either in the sewing room or the kitchen.... I don't know what I like more, quilting or baking! That is tough!
I have recently started trying to make sourdough... It seems to be the thing to do these days! I'm having some trouble CUTTING into these loaves. The ears never seem to develop either. My crumb seems to be develping better with each loaf I bake. But I am reaching out because the crust is NOT getting any better. It's frustrating to not be able to cut!
Hydration is 80%. I do autolyse for 1 hour. Bulk rise with stretch and folds 4-6 hours depending... Use a float test for when to start shaping, then proof overnight in fridge. Bake at 500 in cast iron dutchoven combo for 20 min that has been preheating for an hour... then cover off and temp decreased to 450 for another 20 minutes.
So.. what do y'all think?
Here's a pic of the crumb...
Welcome!
1. What kind of oven do you have? Electric, gas, convection? If convection, where are the heating elements, top, bottom, back side, and which heating elements did you use?
2. "Bake at 500 in cast iron dutchoven combo for 20 min that has been preheating for an hour... then cover off and temp decreased to 450 for another 20 minutes. "
That might be fine for all or mostly whole wheat, but is a bit hot for white flour bread.
If that is a mostly white flour loaf, I'd also recommend lowering hydration to 78%.
3. Laid-down ears, what your pic shows, is sometimes a sign of too high heat. So either 500 is too hot, or your oven runs hot. Have you used an oven thermometer to check against the built-in thermostat?
4. did you do anything to add steam, like a steaming pan, or add an ice cube to the dutch oven?
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My guess, based on your photo, is too hot an oven. Try this: Pre-heat at 475, but turn thermostat down to 450 as soon as you load the dough into oven. Bake at 450 covered for 20 min, then 425 uncovered until it is browned to your liking.
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Based on your scoring, you've baked a lot of yeasted bread before doing sourdough. So there is probably something you need to unlearn as sourdough is a different animal.
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Also, the float test is for starter/levain, if at all, (most active TFLers don't do it), not on the bulked dough.
Thank you so much for your suggestions. My oven is electric. Heating elements on the top and bottom. I have not been using any water source. Is a steaming pan useful if I bake the bread covered in a dutch oven? I thought the purpose of the dutch oven was to keep the moisture in so therefore moisture can't come in either.... Help me understand!! Yes...there are many things I need to learn! This page is so very helpful!
I will try your suggestions! Thanks!
I asked because some new sourdough bakers use a dutch oven and add extra steam. Doing both is generally not needed.
Throwing a few ice cubes in a dutch oven usually does not help. Sometimes it can help, but most often not. It is sometimes a newbie mistake because they "read it somewhere."
In my brief experience at TFL, newbies tend to leave out information when they first ask for help. Therefore, in order to save time, and have less "back and forth" over days and days, I ask questions about the commonest mistakes up front -- if for no other reason than to get the simple mistakes out of the way soonest.
Thank you for clearing that up! I really was not understanding the steam with a dutch oven comments. Following a scientific approach to my baking :), during my next bake, I will change just one variable at a time! I will start with your suggestion "Try this: Pre-heat at 475, but turn thermostat down to 450 as soon as you load the dough into oven. Bake at 450 covered for 20 min, then 425 uncovered until it is browned to your liking." I will let you know how it bakes!