April 1, 2020 - 2:01am
Poke test high hydration dough
The recipe I always use is 80% hydration and 20% whole wheat.
I struggle the most with the timings for bulk and final proofing, and fI ind that the poke test has never worked for me. The dough is springy when I shape it, but as soon as it's allowed to rest in the banneton, I give it a poke and it seems to go in and then spring back slowly, and not all the way. This is like half an hour into proofing in the fridge. I find it's nothing to do with how much it rises.
I'm wondering if this is anything to do with the dough itself - are some doughs always like this? Any tips to know where my dough is at, and how to troubleshoot my process?
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With in the final loaf? Cold proofed dough rise very little in the fridge and the poke test generally doesn’t work with cold dough.
If you are happy with your bread, keep doing what you are doing.
If you want to know what I look for in bulk, it is a ~30-40 % rise as well as irregular bubbles through the wall of the container. And final proofing is done for minimum 8 hours to maximum 14 hours in a 38 F fridge.
Hope this helps!
There are several issues with my loaf that I'm trying to troubleshoot, and I believe it's all down to timings, and I haven't nailed them down yet
Firstly, I always get a slightly gummy crumb. Never managed to get a dry one.
Secondly, the rise is inconsistent - always between flat to medium.
Lastly, for some reason after proofing the loaf doesn't hold its shape too well, despite having very good surface tension when I shaped it. It just goes soft in the banneton. So I was suspecting overproofing
According to the seasons and the ingredients you are using. It would be well worth your while to learn what the dough should look like at different stages.
And for that to happen, you might want to cut back on your hydration as 75% hydration dough is a lot easier to handle than 80%. And depending what country you are in, England for example, 80% hydration would net you soup. I am in Canada and our flour is highly absorbant so it can handle more water. Even so, I stick around 74% without add ins as that’s what I prefer to work with.
Gummy crumb: When are you cutting your loaf? It needs to cool down completely before cutting and waiting a day will often make a difference. I happen to like the custardy crumb so each to their own on that. One more thing, are you baking to at least 205F internally? I aim for minimum 205F, usually a bit higher.
And your rise being inconsistent probably indicates overproofing. Try baking significantly earlier than you are now. The problem is that’s in a round basket, it is difficult to tell when the dough has doubled. By the time one thinks it has doubled, it really has tripled or more. This is applicable if you proof on the counter.
If you proof in the fridge, don’t worry about the lack of rise. You will be pleasantly surprised at the oven spring if you bake right out of the fridge. You might want to try proofing in the fridge as the cold will stiffen your dough and make it easier to handle. Another bonus is that you don’t have to babysit it and guess if it’s ready to bake as well as much improved flavour.
I am leaving the loaf to rest on the bench for at least 4 hours. Also it gets to over 205 internally. I think it's to do with the hydration or overproofing. TBH I like to too, but it would be nice if it was a factor that I can control.
You're right about the rise being hard to tell. I will find a point between 8-14 hour mark for cold proofing, and stick to it. Now the issue is the bulk fermentation time. My loaves go through a few shapings during bulk fermentation to increase the dough's strength. So it's in ball form, not in a container where I can see bubbles,so again, hard to judge how much 30% rise is.
Thanks for the tips! I'll try to keep everything constant until I dial in my process, and hopefully I'll pick up some signs of when things are done.