Hi all, brand new bread maker here. I am looking for feedback on how this sourdough boule looks to people, and ways I can improve. I'm including pictures of the bread I baked this weekend. This is my second attempt at a sourdough bread. Where I keep getting stuck is the bulk fermentation. It doesn't ever rise as much as the recipe seems to indicate it should, and its obviously having an impact on later stages. I also find that when I put it in a clothed bowl (I don't have a banneton yet) to proof, it doesn't seem to hold its shape when I move it from the bowl to parchment paper to the dutch oven.
I'd love any feedback on how the rise and crumb look in these pictures (is this close to what it should look like?) and any insight you may have to these issues.
Some other info:
- I got a very healthy starter from a friend. I feed it and put it in the fridge every week, taking it out to be on the counter for a feeding Thursday PM, Fri AM, and Fri PM, then baking with it Saturday AM. It passed the float test before I made (what I think is) the leaven.
- I used the Tartine method/recipe found on homemadefoodjunkie.com. I mixed the starter, flour, and water, then let it autolyse, then added salt and did four stretch and folds over a couple hours. Then let it bulk ferment at room temp for 60 min (my house is usually at 66-67 degrees, but I pumped the heat up to 70 for the bulk ferment. Next time Im gonna try bulk fermenting in the oven with the oven light on instead), then put it in the fridge for 18 or so hours. I let it rest at room temp (this time partly in warmest room in house and part in oven with light on) for 2.5 hours, then shaped it, put it in a flour covered, cloth lined ceramic bowl, and back in fridge for 3-4 hours.
- At no point in this process did it rise a huge amount, it was always pretty sticky and never passed a "poke" test, and it totally lost its shape when I moved it from proof stage to pre-heated dutch oven.
- I am cooking in a roasting dutch oven (5qt Wagner Ware Magnalite 4248-M), pre-heated to 450° for 60 min before baking. I also don't have a lame knife or razor, so just used a wet chefs knife to score it (which clearly didn't work!)
- When eating, texture is great and its delicious to eat. The crust feels good too. The taste is mild, so in the future Id love to play with getting a tangier taste, but right now I want to make sure I have the basics of making a loaf down first.
Thank you so much in advance!!
The first pic is the finished loaf (clearly no scores and lumpy along the sides. Second pic is after shaping after bulk fermentation (room temp for 1hr, then fridge for 18 hrs, then room temp for 2ish hours), but before bench rest and proofing. Last pic is finished loaf, after 1 hr cooling.
I'm a relative newbie as well -- someone with more experience will probably respond to this thread. I also don't have a banneton, and still need to work on getting taller loaves. I think the crumb looks great -- were you aiming for a different size?
How does it taste? You didn't say anything about the flavor.
Ooh let me edit it to talk about the flavor. The texture of the bread was great when eating. The flavor was tasty but mild -- Id like to try more sour/tang as I get better at this, but I imagine that means I have to play with my starter more.
And I dont know what I was looking for in the crumb! I think it looks pretty, but I didnt know if height and crumb went together. I would lpve to get more rise.
How does your dough look after bulk fermentation?
Oh I think that crumb is great. If you want a taller loaf, do a little reading on dough development and creating surface tension when shaping your loaf. I'm still struggling with how to create that surface tension, and maintain that tension up to the point it goes into the oven.
Of course the other way to get a taller loaf -- if that's all you're looking for -- is to use a pan with some sides to push the loaf up. You could use one that fits inside your dutch oven or whatever you're baking it in. But it's definitely a fun challenge to try to get some height without that.
If you're looking specifically for oven spring, focus your research on that. Developing dough, multiple foldings, etc. are aimed at creating oven spring, among other things.
For more flavor, I'd say try to proof it longer without overproofing it. If you overproof it (I did it once last week), the dough loses all structure and your bread is basically ruined (though I'd still bake it -- tastes great anyway!). Experiment with proofing at different temperatures to play with those results. Overproofing happens much faster at warmer temperatures, and you can go much longer in the fridge or cooler places in your home. If you proof a long time in the fridge that tends to increase sour flavor, I think.
For what my dough looks like after bulk fermentation, here's a photo:
This dough was a little different in that I added some butter and sugar to make an Easter loaf. But other than that, the same. I'm using a 1/4 WW flour recipe, btw.
ooh these are awesome suggestions and give me great leads for further research. Thank you!
Just under a year ago I made my starter which is still going strong now. I’ve only baked 2-4 sourdough breads per month since then. I learned a lot from doing a few Community Bakes here on this website. One in particular http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/61572/community-bake-featuring-kristen-fullproofbaking really helped me learn a few new methods and skills that I am using regularly now that help build dough structure for better oven spring. Have a look at that thread and you will learn lots. Try your hand a lamination! I found lamination is really good for helping build dough structure and I’m now using it for most of my sourdough bakes.
Your second sourdough bread bake looks amazing by the way especially for a second bake.
Benny
Thank you, and thank you for this resource!