December 8, 2021 - 3:29pm
Sourdough not rising enough - please help
I am using the same steps & timing as I was late last year (all fermentation at 72F), but the bread isn't rising as much.
Starter - overnight and had risen to 2x
Bulk fermentation - 5 1/2 hrs at 72F. Pre-shape & rest for 30min. Shape & refrigerated for ~18 hrs. Baked covered with a dutch oven at 460F for 15 minutes, then uncovered at 400F for 25 minutes.
I can't tell if I'm ending bulk too soon or too late or if I am over or under proofing or if my starter is just too weak.
Can you tell from this picture? Thanks much.
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From the photos it looks under fermented. If you are bulk fermenting for 5.5 hours at 72°F and it's still under fermented you're either using very little starter or your starter is not performing well.
A recipe will help to diagnose if it's just a timing issue or a starter issue.
Your crumb shows typical signs of under fermentation.
Proofing
To assess the proofing/fermentation ignore the big holes first. What is the crumb like, are the alveoli in the crumb tiny and tight then more likely to be underfermented. Is the crumb overall actually pretty nice and not tight then not underfermented. Then the large hole characteristics next. Are there large tunnels through the bread and not necessarily immediately under the crust? This along with the tight crumb equals underfermented. Are the large holes immediately under the crust? Do these large holes show in them signs of gluten breakdown with thin broken gluten strands? Then this points towards overfermented. Then look at the profile of the loaf, decent oven spring or excessive oven spring is more associated with under proofing whereas flat profile is more associated with overproofing.
I would say, make sure your levain is up to the task. Use it at or near peak just as the dome is starting to fall. Don’t look for some fixed degree of rise, let it fully peak and then use. A two times rise isn’t necessarily peak, my levains usually rise to 3.5x. You will want to allow bulk to go longer, get it warmer or some of both.
Benny
Thank you. I think it is the starter. I haven't baked using it for a while, so its just been fed & put back in the refrigerator for a few months. Even the feeding hasn't been very regular. I'll feed it daily and let it sit at room temp for a few days and try again.
Thanks for the tips on evaluating if the dough is underfermented or over. I really appreciate this information.
The recipe (72% hydration, 20% starter, 2% salt)
- 80g starter (40g flour / 40g water)
- 360 g flour
- 248 g water
- 8g salt
I'll be back with the results.
With that info - I would suggest taking a very small amount of starter and feed something like 25 to 1, keep warm and stir a couple 3 times a day till it comes back to normal consistency - probably 3 to 5 days. Enjoy!
Thank you all for the advice. I fed the starter daily for a week or so and it definitely looked more lively.
Happy Holidays!
Today's bake.(waiting for it to cool)
That looks amazing!
The crumb. It is tasty too!
I'd appreciate any analysis based on the look of the loaf & crumb.
Definitely in the right direction. The fermentation is better. I could tell from the outside of the loaf that it would still be a bit underfermented, that really tall peak in the center gives it away. Consider going further with fermentation, either warmer or longer or a bit of both. If you’re doing a cold retard then get the extra fermentation either in bulk or with a bit of warm post shaping proofing. The crust in particular looks very inviting, I love the blisters you attained.
Benny
Thank you. I'll try a warmer bulk next time.
For this bake:
Starter for 5 hours at 80F till it doubled.
Bulk for 6.5 hrs at 75F (after about an hour, the dough temp was a steady 75F)
Cold retard at ~38F for 15 hours.
Your bread is beautiful, Cedy! Beautiful inside and outside.👍👍👍
The other question is whether or not your starter was at peak. You say it doubled, but had it actually peaked? So dome starting to flatten?
I consulted this page because my last loaf didn't rise much, and thanks to you all, next time I'll use warmer water and use the levain at its peak. But meanwhile, I'm admiring the crust on CedyBakes' loaf and wondering if anyone can advise me on how to make lovely crisp crust like that. Mine is too thick and tough, even on an otherwise nice loaf.
Thanks for any advice.