Uneven Crumb
I've been baking sourdough bread for about the past 3 months now, and overall, I'm pleased with the results of each loaf - decent rise, good taste, good crust, etc. However, in almost all of the loaves I've baked, I've noticed that the crumb is very uneven - usually a few large air pockets near the top, and a dense crumb otherwise. Any advice for how to fix this issue? The recipe I'm using is based on the 'Beginner's Sourdough' recipe from theperfectloaf.com, but I've adjusted it a bit so that the total flour = 1000g:
80% bread flour
20% whole grain flour
78% water
2% salt
20% levain
Levain build:
40g starter
40g bread flour
40g whole grain flour
80g water
I feed my starter twice daily on a 1:2:2 ratio, 15g starter to 30g AP flour to 30g water. When making the levain, I let it rise for 6-8 hours until doubled. I autolyse the bulk of the dough for 1 hour, then add the levain, salt, and 50g of water. 4 hour bulk fermentation with 3 stretch and folds, then preshape with 30 minute rest, then shape and overnight proof in fridge for 16 hours. Baked in stone bread cloche at 475F for 25 minutes, then uncovered for 25-30 minutes.
Any advice is greatly appreciated!
Crumb that is very uneven usually indicates underproofing. Try letting your bulk run a bit longer, and keep in mind that the times for these things are very temperature-dependent.
Thank you for the advice! I'll extend the bulk and see if that improves it.
imo it might be that your starter is not strong/mature enough and/or you pressed, in some places more than others, the co2 out between the fridge and the oven.
Deflate by patting the dough prior to shaping. A bit more proofing may also help.