Grilled Cheese Party

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NicholasAnthony on 7 Mar 2018 at 10:21

   I'm hosting a gourmet grilled cheese party next week and I have a few questions.

 

 

So, I'm a sourdough baker and very familiarized with baking but my loaves have too open of a crumb. I'm only considering this because keeping the cheeses from coming thrugh the bread while melting. Is there a way to have a more closed crumb or maybe some method or other way to go about a great loaf without making it ultra-dense but still have a tighter crumb???

 

 

Help

and degas it when you are shaping it. That should give you a tighter crumb. 

ETA: I wish most of us had that problem. We seek that elusive super open crumb. 

I love cheese but I think that would make me sick!

Toast

Lechem on 7 Mar 2018 at 14:01

He's a competitive eater as I'm sure you've figured. Came across his stuff and I'm horrified but fascinated at the same time.

shot of the bread you would like finer?    It's mostly a degassing issue but large holes can be the result of under or over fermenting too.  Here are a few tips:

  • Reduce hydration in the recipe for a stiffer dough and dryer crumb, it will toast faster later on.
  • add all dry ingredients slowly whipping in air into a thin dough as the flour is eventually added.
  • knead well to develop gluten, use a mixer first with blades or wire, then shift to hooks when more than half the flour is incorporated 
  • degas often during the bulk rising, folding and preshaping more or less depending on dough hydration within that time frame. Look for evenly puffed up dough and don't "double" any sourdough  rise volumes 
  • The idea is to break up gas cells into smaller ones with folding so try not to trap air between folds
  • degas thoroughly before final shaping, rolling out dough and roll up into a log.