Hi there, maybe my fellow bakers can help me out with this one...
I am fairly new to bread baking, but have experimented with different approaches and "schools of thought" bread baking.
I have followed Peter Reinhart's recipe for "Pain au Levain" in his book "Artisan Breads Every Day" to the tee and am getting a very dense crumb. The taste was OK, in my mind, however, it could have been a bit more developed.
I have made the same recipe before but then, for time reasons (I was at a different location and had run out of time), had left out the stretch and fold cycles before bulk fermentation and just stuck the dough in the fridge right after mixing & kneading for a little bit. The result was a much airier and a very flavorful crumb. So, deviating from the recipe was beneficial in that case. I had the same problem with the baguettes in his book, where the crumb seemed a bit dull
My question now is, why did sticking to the recipe not give me as a flavorful, airy crumb and a bread of lesser quality? Does anyone have any experience with Peter Reinhart's recipes and maybe a take on how to handle his recipes?
I like the way Peter Reinhart approaches and explains bread baking, but I don't seem to have success with the crumb which mostly turns out denser and less flavorful than I like.
Thanks for any input!
When you follow the recipe, does it rise well in the bulk fermentation, and again between shaping and baking?
Yes, it rises really well in bulk fermentation, but then not much after shaping before baking. However, it says in the recipe that doesn't necessary rise much in that stage. I am careful to not degass it too much after bulk fermentation....
I’m baffled! You might repost on the sourdough forum, where folks have better experience with natural leavening.
I faced the same issue. Am now waiting for my 2nd loaf to bake because I want to see whether the same thing will happen.
Logic would tell me that putting it into the fridge slowed down fermentation so the reason why it's not doing so well out of the fridge because it's over fermenting.
However...
From the photo it's looks like the opposite and that it hasn't fermented enough. Sonoma doing an about turn and venture that you left it in the fridge for a long while and therefore giving it enough extra time but when doing the ferment at room temperature you aren't.
Question... Do you watch the dough or the clock?