May 17, 2016 - 4:11pm
How NOT to overproof your dough/ferment!!! HELP!
This is the second time this happens to me, used this recipe http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1018028-sourdough-no-knead-bread
left it for 19 hours in an 75 to 85 degree house, and when I put it on the floured surface the down/ferment was a mess, super runny and sticky all the signs of overproofing, what did I do wrong? How to avoid it? Was it too hot? the range was 10 to 20 hours I thought I was in the window, please help.
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With that much starter, 19 hours at 85 is bonkers, no wonder it turned runny, yes it was too hot and the dough degraded due to excessive fermentation. The recipe is carelessly conceived. Find a new one.
I have successfully used the recipe from Breadtopia: http://breadtopia.com/sourdough-no-knead-bread/
It only uses 1/4 c. of starter. Even then, I wouldn't leave it for 19 hours at 85 degrees. I think I left mine out at 70 degrees for 9 or 10 hours. Options are use even less starter and/or use ice cold water. If you need to leave it out for that many hours, then I would chill it overnight and then take it out in the morning. You could also put it in an cooler with a couple of bottles of frozen water to keep the temperature down.
.. in itself in't too bad. Quantities are not that far removed from my usual loaf, however it does say 10-24 hours. 10 is about the max. I'd ever use without a fridge and I try to keep the dough in a place lower than 20°C (68-70F) overnight then go through the shape/prove/bake stage - proofing being under 2 hours here.
-Gordon
in terms of how it works under various situations - time, temp, proportion, etc. These and other factors can all impact how long a dough takes to proof and to over-proof. Note that the range in the recipe is pretty broad because even within a single recipe, the timing can be quite different. That a range is given does not mean the dough will remain in a well-proofed state for the entire time.
and not the clock comes to mind:-)