Dough comparison: need help to understand
I just baked 2 loaves in a row with a few differences in the process and as you can see the results are very different:
Bread #1 is plump with what seems to be a nice oven rise to my neophyte eyes: actually it’s the first time in a long while that I have had such a decent oven rise (compared to the loooong series of rather-on-the-flat-side loaves I’ve had recently), certainly due to the fact that I lowered the hydration a tad (73% instead of in the 75-80% range) and that I was also able to build a bit more strength during the bulk fermentation : the flour I use is very extensible and building enough strength has been a real struggle..Lowering the hydration helped a lot though, coupled with a long series of slap and folds / stretch and folds and strong coil folds early in the bulk.
On the other hand the crumb is pretty dense, which I wasn’t expecting...
Shaping issues?? Fermentation issues? Under/over-proofed??? Anything else???
Bread #2 is flatter but, on the other hand, the crumb is a bit more open and fluffy.
The hydration is a tad higher (75%) which made the dough really hard to handle (the shaping was a real struggle to say the least) and I had a really hard time creating enough strength in spite of the numerous series of stretch and folds and coil folds...The dough was definitely too hydrated, which led to a floppy sticky mess during shaping!!!
The flour I use is a sifted flour type T110, so pretty close to a whole wheat type of flour.
I have been told that this flour might be quite high in the protein Gliadin, responsible for extensibility, which can be the reason why it was so hard to create strength at that hydration level.
The frustrating part is that I do not understand why one loaf is plump but the crumb is so tight and dense, and why the other one is flatter but with a more airy crumb...
Fermentation? Shaping? Strength building issues?? Something else?? All of the above???
Not sure if this is obvious in the chart below, but I spent more time trying to create strength in Bread #1: the lower hydration helped a lot, but I spent lots of time slapping and folding and stretching and folding and coiling...Even the shaping was pretty taut compared to Bread #2: is this the reason why the crumb is so tight??
Maybe this is going to be obvious for your more experimented eyes, so please PLEASE do not hesitate to share your 2 cents with me as I am so thirsty for understanding what the dough is desperately trying to tell me and improving my baking skills, my ultimate goal being ideally to combine a plump loaf with an airy crumb.
What can I do??
Thanks so much in advance!
Gaelle
BREAD #1
Picture of the underneath of the dough at the end of the bulk fermentation:
BREAD #2
I’ll be totally honest and say that both loaves look absolutely delicious and I would be pleased to have produced either of them.
From your description the answer seems to lie in the handling of your dough, the folding and the final shaping. And a firmer dough will pretty much always end up more plump than a wetter one (unless it is too dry). This is probably anathema to a lot of bakers but I add a little extra gluten when I have problematic flour (at a ratio of 1:100). And yes, sometimes you get a variety of wheat that is just harder to work with - looking at you Red Fife.
One final thing to check is that your flour is still fresh as the enzymes from the germ can wreak havoc after a while.
Thanks so much for your insight Slipstream
So do you think tat the fermentation is on point?
One thing a baker learns to do is to taste the starter. It should have a fresh, bright flavour and a tingly sensation. The amount of desired acidity is very subjective but it should never be unpleasant. The aroma should be inviting.
The fermentation in your loaves appears to be fine, the grin has opened up nicely. I would wager it is all down to the handling and that is something that improves with each batch! Have fun with your baking and let your hands learn to feel the differences in the dough, this is an ever evolving skill.
Thank you for your wise words :-)
Gaelle I have to say that both loaves look really great. We’re not professionals who shape dough hundreds of times per day or week so it is hard to say that we shaped them exactly the same each time. That alone could be enough to explain the difference in shape. Of course the added extensibility of the higher hydration loaf does help open up the crumb but as you saw it is a bit less lofty. I certainly wouldn’t criticize the second loaf’s oven spring though at all. The fermentation on both look good, again I don’t see overt signs of over or under fermentation. All in all, well done, great bakes.
Benny
Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Benito; it's very useful to me to know that the fermentation seems to be on point..I know I seem to be a bit fussy, and I totally recognise that my loaves are totally presentable, but I just need an expert eye's to help me improve and move in the right direction
So thank you again :-)