Hi - I do not often bake yeasted bread but last night made a small white loaf with unbleached white flour. Ingredients 500gms U/B White Strong flour / 330gms water / 8 gms fresh teast / 8 gms salt.
Mixed and kneaded for approx 12 minutes then into bowl to rest. Rested for 1hr 20 mins (double in size plus a bit) and then into small loaf tin. Allowed to prove for 1 hr and 10 mins until double.
Then cut top with razor just before going into the oven. The loaf sank slightly and never produced any oven spring !
Any thoughts on problem would be appreciated.
Thanks and regards
- namadeus's Blog
- Log in or register to post comments
For a 500g loaf I would only ever use 4-5g yeast. Possibly you have too much there and it's creating large holes in the dough which when you score are then collapsing. You may also be over-proofing but to be honest an hour or so after mixing and another after shaping isn't off the mark for a simple yeasted loaf imo. What temp are you proving at ? How are you shaping the loaf? These might also be contributors.
Thanks for reply. Am proving in a warm kitchen at around 22c. The dough is turned out of the resting bowl onto a floured surface, deflated and flattened with finger tips and formed by folding both long edges into centre, turning it over and sealing the seam in the form of a "batard" loaf shape.
1.6% fresh yeast is not too much yeast! Problem lies in dough rheology.
This issue comes up time and time again from UK home bakers looking to create a loaf as light as a commercial one. Commercial bread is made with improvers.
Please answer ElPanadero's questions...
Sounds like your dough is not retaining the gases of fermentation very well. I have found that it is best to let white dough triple in size on the first rise. I then knock it back and let it rise to the same level as the first rise (it helps to have a dough rising bucket). After the second punch, the dough is given time to recover, and then moulded into the desired shape. The multiple risings help to develop the gluten structure, which improves gas retention.
I agree with mwilson; 1.6% fresh yeast is not too much. In fact, it may be a bit low. Most bread formulas that call for fresh yeast specify 2%.
Did you test whether it had proofed sufficiently with the finger poke test, or just by eyeballing? If it doubles in volume and then deflates upon scoring, I would think it was overproofed.
Karin