Diagnose my loaf - SD Milk Bread
Hello,
I've attempted this recipe for Sourdough Milk Bread a few times and I'm not quite sure where it's going wrong. It seems they are always bursting out of the middle and sides, and the crust is way too hard. I couldn't figure out if I was under proofing or over proofing, so I left the right side dough for 3 hours longer in the final rise - doesn't seem that much different though. I have a WW starter at 100% hydration that generally takes longer to double, 6-8hrs, so I figured leaving longer for the final rise made sense since they were not really doubling in the pan... I also used a different shaping method that I saw on a youtube video - is it possible the problem was in the shaping??
Also any tips on how to make the bread taste less sour? I tried taking starter out of fridge a few days early and feeding at 1:2:2 (starter, flour, water) twice a day. That seemed to help the last time I made this bread but this time it was still very sour which I'm guessing is bc the final rise went too long?
The recipe I used is below (https://www.butterforall.com/traditional-cooking-traditional-living/sourdough-milk-bread/ [1]) and I did the following things differently:
- kneaded for the first two rounds bc dough was too stiff/tough to stretch & fold
- after the "several rounds of stretch & fold every 5 min" I waited 30min and did another 2-3 rounds of s&f as dough was still pretty tough
- bulk fermented around 12 hours, final rise for 5hrs & 8hrs (left & right loaf respectively)
- added a pan of water to steam during bake
THANK YOU!
Ingredients- 250 grams (1 cup after being stirred down) active sourdough starter, 100% hydration [2]
- 300 grams (2 1/4 cups) organic all-purpose flour
- 300 grams (2 1/4 cups) organic bread flour
- 40 grams (2 tablespoons) raw honey [3]
- 420 grams (1 2/3 cups) milk (I use raw milk)
- 17 grams (2 1/2 teaspoons) salt [4]
- In a large bowl gently mix all ingredients, just until incorporated. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes.
- Using slightly wet hands do several rounds of stretch and folds in the bowl, letting the dough rest for 5 minutes in between each round.
- Once the dough is soft and smooth with long strand gluten development, gently shape it into a ball in the bowl. Cover and proof overnight at room temp (65℉). I let mine go for 10 to 12 hours.
- Do one round of stretch and fold in the bowl to deflate the dough. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes.
- Butter two loaf pans and set them aside. (I use cast-iron or glass loaf pans)
- Lightly flour your work surface and turn the dough out. Divide in half and gently shape each half into a loaf by first patting the dough into a rectangle. Next, bring the top third toward the center and the bottom third over it. Let the dough rest for a few minutes and then do the same patting out and folding over in the opposite direction. Let the dough rest seam side down for 5 minutes before transferring it into the loaf pan for the final rise.
- Let the dough rise at room temperature until doubled.
- Preheat your oven to 400℉.
- Score the loaves straight down the middle with a lame or razor blade. Spray each loaf lightly with filtered water.
- Bake both loaves side by side in the center of the oven for 30 minutes. Rotate the loaves once at the 15-minute mark.
- Remove the loaves from the oven and let them cool for 5 minutes before turning the loaves out of the pans and cooling them completely on wire racks.