Me vs. The Bread, part 3
So I am now on my third attempt to get some good loaves. Things I have done differently this time:
Used a smaller weight of levain, using a 1:2:2 ratio with 10g starter and 20g each water and flour. Let it set overnight.
Oven temp set to 475F (mistake number 2, did not lower the temp after removing the steam pan).
Removed the steam pan at 20 minutes and took temp of each loaf, which was about 160F.
Checked again after another ten minutes without steam. Temp over 205F and pulled the bread to cool.
Mistake number 1, used yeast that was over a year old. Thought about using a newer packet but figured what the heck. I think I should have gone with a new packet. Also next time I'm going to bloom the yeast in the lukewarm water and maybe add a teaspoon of sugar.
So, took the 50g of levain and added to the 5 cups of flour, and the salt, sugar, and baking soda. Baked for 30 minutes at 475F (should have lowered the temp to 425F at the 20 minute mark) turning my bread in the oven at the 20 minute mark.
Things I will do next time. Start the levain the morning of the day I want to bake and let it ripen for only four hours instead of over 12 (second feedings of my starter come in around 6pm or so, so I don't get to the levain till we hours or more later). Use fresher yeast and bloom it. Make only one loaf because the two loaves this recipe is giving me are very small and I think I might have a better loaf if I don't split it up even though the recipe calls for that. I might up the amount of levain a bit, going with 20g starter and 40g each water and flour. This is still less than the 227g total the recipe calls for. Will also lower the temp of the oven after the first 20 minutes. The bottom got a bit too brown at a total bake temp of 475.
But, here's a look at the outside of the bread. I think it looks good. It has a nice brown to it and feels a bit crunchy. I'll post a picture of the inside when the loaves cool down some more. Comments as always are welcome.
I forgot to mention that this time I used my oven's proofing setting. I hadn't done that in the previous ones, letting it proof on the counter. When I pulled it out after 90 minutes I thought the bowl felt a bit too warm, so I may not do that next time. But, it's getting cooler here but not so much that I've turned on the heat in the house. Mid to high 60s.
Cut into one loaf just now. The crumb is very tight and overall it's chewy. This isn't necessarily bad, but it's not what I want to achieve. The crust has some crunch to it, but the chewiness takes away from the crunch. Of course I ate the heel, so lots more crust per bite than not. The taste is good, though again not as sour as I'd like. Time to look into making my levain more sour. Perhaps it's the length of time I let the levain sit? Anyway, pics or it didn't happen.
This is a dutch oven bake? If not, what's the dough sitting on?
I'll check your other posts for the formula, but this sounds odd to me:
A few things - measure everything by weight. A cup of flour will vary in weight due to moisture and what kind of flour it is. Also, why the baking soda?
Proofing temp - anything up to about 85F is fine. You can proof in the 60s but it will take a lot longer. That's neither good nor bad, but you need to allow for it in your plan.
PS: Looked at the formula - that's a lot of extra yeast. It's probably the reason you don't get much sour.
How are you judging the end of bulk? I look for it to have visible bubbles and be pretty jiggly. Next, how are you shaping?
PS: Trevor Wilson's book Open Crumb Mastery is a good overview what affects the crumb and worth the price : https://trevorjaywilson.sellfy.store/p/open-crumb-mastery/
This is not a DO bake. My two loaves are sitting on parchment paper on two of my smallest baking sheets. I have no idea where my old pizza stone has gotten too. I'm moved too many times in the last few years.
I'm using a recipe I got from King Arthur Flour's site. And I just double checked that recipe which I had on my fridge while making it, and I was confusing it the crumpet recipe which calls for salt, sugar, and baking soda. So that's another mistake on my part that I didn't catch. Also the recipe calls for 1 to 2 Tsp yeast. A packet is about 2.5 Tsp.
I don't know what the temp in the oven is when I set it on Proof. It's an automatic setting. But I don't mind taking the extra time to proof it on the counter at a cooler temp.
I'm not really judging the end bulk. I don't even know what that means. I'm just following the recipe. And maybe at this point I need another recipe. As for shaping I used round rattan bannetons that were floured to prevent the dough sticking.
That recipe should work but looking at their pics, it's not a super open crumb and yours doesn't seem far off, honestly.
They say to let the dough rise until doubled - is that happening in your case? Also, if can be hard to judge if you have a bowl with sloping edges. It might be worth it to find a cambro container (something like this in the 4 quart size https://www.cambro.com/Products/food-storage/round-storage-containers/camwear-rounds/) which will make it way easier to judge when the dough has doubled.
Proofing - warmer is better to a degree. A lot of recipes tell you times but time to rise will depend on ambient temp. Most recipes seem to assume a room temp in the mid-70s. If you proof in the 60s, just allow for a lot more time.
Crust - they point to a blog post about how to get a crispier crust in the Tips section.
I don not think it doubled in size after over 90 minutes. I believe that was due mostly to the old yeast (over a year old by the use by date). I have some newer yeast that hasn't expired, so I should have better luck next time around. I need to get an oven thermometer to see what the temp is in my oven when set to the proof setting.
So if it's 90 minutes and the dough isn't roughly doubled, let it go longer. If your proofing oven is warm and it's doubled in 75 mins, pull it.
This is all practice - the good news is you can eat the evidence.
I stuck the probe of one of my digital thermometers in the oven set to Proof and it came in around 80F/27C.
Just about optimal. If your starter is healthy and easily doubles in 6-12 hours you might want to just use it or use it plus a minimal amount of yeast. In general, the time guidelines should be close, maybe a bit long since most seem to use mid-70s as the assumed ambient temp.