June 11, 2020 - 2:51am
OK, how do they do this??
bought a sourdough loaf (sorry) the other day here in the UK from a supermarket.
first impressions were WOW thats light!!!
its a normal sized loaf, but feels like one of those 'Danish' loaves that are soooo light and airy. confusing thing is tho theres no big holes in the crumb, so how can a normal sized loaf (same size as mine with probably double the weight) with a compact-ish closed crumb be so light, soft and 'squishy', what are they doing to it to make it like this?
crumb pics below, whole loaf is labelled as just 400g!
is it higher hydration that will evaporate? knocking it back and rising again so the crumb is more closed and even?
it just amazed me, never felt one this light before so its a new goal :D
thanks
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Those breads are usually mixed long (leads to even crumb with small holes) and some kind of fat is added (in this case cheap rapeseed oil), which leads to softer crumb and crust (fats are tenderizers). Dextrose (sugar) and emulsifier help with the soft quality too.
They added some sourdough powder, just so they can write it on the package. But it's just for show, it barely makes any difference in the quality of the final product, maybe some nice flavor, if anything at all.
In my opinion, this shouldn't be allowed to be called sourdough. If you wanna recreate this, just take any good sourdough bread recipe, mix it very long until you have a smooth windowpane and add a little fat (5-10%). But take a good quality fat like extra virgin olive oil or butter.
An emotionally charged comment I feel, but perhaps not so accurate...
For show? Yes to some degree I'm sure. But why use it at 50% then? The extra processing would add to the cost no doubt. My point being, a fermented culture is a fermented culture and it would certainly contribute natural improving qualities that affect flavour and texture. I mean think about it, you could do this yourself... Ferment a levain, dry it, and then add to your dough. Fermented flour is fermented flour what ever way you look at it.
Factory made breads are not made in the way that we home bakers or artisans would and this isn't really sourdough bread. More a yeasted bread with added dried culture.
It is very unlikely to be made with high hydration as that would be difficult to process. The added fats help to provide extensibility that we bakers would achieve by using higher hydration.
Importantly, there is an emulsifier listed in there and they are often used to create an even crumb and give that squidgy texture.
E471 - Interestingly, it is advised that vegans and vegetarians avoid this.
E472e - not listed in your bread but for reference this page describes what emulsifier can do.
Very light breads can be made with SD but usually it would require prolonged mixing and a low acidity starter. This is something I do...
However, if you were interested in going down the improved route some emulsifiers can be added naturally by using e.g. egg yolks or soy flour.
thanks for the comments, interesting......
even with all the gubbins that can make it softer/more even crumb etc, im still amazed tho at how a loaf that size with no big holes can weigh so little :D
by the way, you mention prolonged mixing (do you mean kneading) to make a light loaf, but would knocking the dough back and then re-rising have the same effect? i know thats what seems to happen when i make yeasted bread, it rises quickly, i knock it back, it rises again then i shape, and i seem to have even, tight crumb. soft bread too, id be happy if i could make sourdough like those loaves :D
thanks
I mean creating a tight-ish gluten network. Whether you achieve that by kneading, folding a lot or knocking back, that's up to you. I'm sure it somewhat makes a difference which way you choose, but for baking bread at home I think that is negligible.
Kneading is a hand applied technique while in the bakery there is only mixing. But yes, "kneading" or developing the dough is what I mean. The more you work the gluten / develop the dough, the more potential volume you can achieve. Although the inherent flour capabilities play a role in determining what is possible.
I firmly believe that to progress as a baker then one should mechanically mix a dough to breaking point to see how long that takes and to witness how things progress. The breaking point being depolymerisation, which results in a very glossy looking dough that has no elasticity and sticks to absolutely everything!
Making breads with a large volume in respect to weight is something I have spent much time on as a baker and kneading to full development makes a huge difference, let me tell you...
Oxidising agents help too. A bit of lemon juice will do the trick.
relevant reading:
Chasing thin, crispy, not thick/tough dough
Improved loaves:
A Big Tin Loaf
Improved Loaf (mine)
A well developed dough (where the gluten is well developed), and proper proofing will produce a light fluffy loaf of bread. All that gluten can capture and hold all the gas produced by the little buggers. And of course, a higher ratio of air to dough will make for a lighter fluffier dough. I personally don't care for huge holes in my bread and shoot for this type of crumb - which I get with a long rest (20 hrs or more) in the fridge (developes gluten), rough handling during shaping (dissipates large air pockets) and proper proofing. Beware additives as although they can give the desired effect, they can also effect other properties of a dough - namely gluten formation.