Not rising, bad texture (beginner)
My apologies if this is a FAQ. I promise that I did search for "rising" &
found nothing relevant. I have read Lesson 1. Method: I emphasise that
this is **not** what to do, but what I did:
1.5 kg flour (Waitrose strong white)
20 gm yeast (I am proud of having invented a way to measure
this, we only have cheap kitchen scales). (sell-by is next Dec).
1 flat tsp salt
1 oz margarine (one of these vegetable types that "tastes just like butter").
Water
Sieve the dries, rub fat into flour, add water. I think I made it too wet,
it was horribly sticky. You add a little water to "too dry" & suddenly
it goes "too wet". Knead 10 mins. I did not see the change in texture
as stated in Lesson 1.
In airing cupboard with damp cloth, rose beautifully. Re-kneaded, put into
tins, rose very grudgingly. One tin was wrinkled, which I believe means it
rose & flopped. Next AM my wife baked it.
Result: Crust distinctly rubbery, crumb marginally OK but on the flat side.
Please any advice? thank you.
1. How much water did you use in the dough? For 1500g of strong white flour, I would have estimated 950-1050g of water.
2. What was the ambient temperature during the first rise, and how long was it allowed to rise?
3. What was the ambient temperature for the second rise after the loaves were shaped? And how long between shaping and going into the oven?
A couple of observations, for good measure. First, salt quantity is very low. Most breads have 1.8-2.0% salt, compared to flour weight. That would be 27-30g of salt, or 4-ish teaspoons. Second, there's no reason to rub the margarine into the flour before adding the water. You're making bread, not scones.
Let us know some of the details requested above and you'll get a better diagnosis.
Paul