October 2, 2019 - 8:09pm
Pre-ferment
As a newbie here, I really have to ask this..............what does a pre-ferment accomplish? I have a recipe for a Harvest Seeded loaf and it calls for a pre-ferment. Is it beneficial to do this even if the recipe doesn't call for it?
I have tried the Tang Zhong (don't know if I have spelled right) and was not impressed. I couldn't tell the difference in the loaf.
Right now I'm just wondering about pre-ferment.
Thanks.
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They:
- improve the overall gluten structure because a part of the dough has developed its gluten strands very well
- add more complex flavors
- make the bread easier to digest because a bigger part of the dough's sugars and starches have been broken down already.
If you have the time, I would recommend using pre-ferments, but imo you can do very well without it if you give it a decent autolyse or mixing or bulk-fermentation or final proof :)