SFSD using extended warm and cool BF
Table of Contents for my BLOG [1]
Typically I follow Teresa Greenway’s (Northwest Sourdough) formula and process [2] for my Sanfrancisco Sourdough. It produces the flavor profile that I like best. Her process entails an extended warm ferment coupled with a normal warm proof. The warm fermentation develops a bread that favors lactic acid and is very smooth, intensely flavored, and non-vinegary. For over a year I have experimented with changes to the formula/process in an attempt to either improve the flavor or alter the timeline. Almost all attempts have failed. I simply can’t beat her formula and process for the most part.
My latest tweak -
I bulk fermented the dough for 14 hours @ 78F and then transferred to the retarder. The retarder was set to 51F. The idea behind this experiment is to shorten the warm BF by fermenting overnight @ 50-51F. So I can mix at 7AM and retard @ 9PM. I ran a digital thermal log in the retarder. I had previously learned that the dough takes a very long time to cool from 79F to 50F. And even longer if the target dough temp is 38-39F!
Because the warm BF was shorten and an extented (overnight) retard with a target temp of 50-51F was utilized, the flavor profile of the bread shifted noticeably. The bread now has a slight vinegar note that comes from the acetic acid. This was to be expected, but is now confirmed.
Why I don’t divulge the formula or process in detail.
In the process of taking Teresa’s course we became friends. I asked permission to post her formula and process on TFL. She preferred that I not, because her course is a source of income for her and her family. I plan to honor that as I would if anyone else asked me to do the same. I have no baking secrets, but then again I don’t feed my family from my bakng endeavors. If anyone is interested to try her method of SFSD [2] (I highly recommend it) the course is only $12.99 and it is worth a whole lot more...
Danny