How to bake a too hydrated dough?

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SunnyGail on 27 Sep 2024 at 13:22

Hi! I accidentally used 60% AP low-protein flour instead of bread flour in my 40% semolina sourdough bread with 80% hydration. Despite doing multiple series of stretch and folds, the dough is still very loose (4 hours into the bulk fermentation as I write this post). What would be the best way to bake it? I usually bake my sourdough bread in a Dutch oven, but this time I'm pretty sure it's going to flatten right away. Any ideas? Thanks in advance!

If your pan will fit in your dutch oven put it in there. 

I have also constructed a parchment "girdle" in the past. Just make a circle of parchment paper to hold it at about the right diameter inside your Dutch oven. I stapled mine into a loop but you'll want to be careful to count the staples so you don't eat one.

You can also put one pan on top of another if you want an easy lid.

Or for yet another possibility you can make a "lid" out of some foil.

 

I forgot to ask: shall I put the dough right away in the pan for the overnight cold fermentation? What about shaping: still relevant in that case? Thanks again for your help!

I forgot to ask: shall I put the dough right away in the pan for the overnight cold fermentation? What about shaping: still relevant in that case? Thanks again for your help!

I would bake it in a loaf pan, or two if the dough is too much for one. If the dough is too loose and stretchy to even roll up into a log, just scrape it into the pan. For best results, butter the insides of the pan with soft butter. That tends to give a tasty, slightly crunchy crust all around. Bake in the pan for most of the bake time, then decant it for 5 or 10 minutes to finish. I've been doing this routinely lately and being willing to use a loaf pan even if I originally planned for something else gives me freedom to try things that might not work out otherwise. My Pullman pan has been getting a lot of service! TomP

…focaccia.

Dump into oiled sheet pan. Gently spread in pan. Cover and rest for 1 hour +/-. Olive oil on top then dimple stretch to completely fill. Oregano, olives, tomato on top. 30 minute rest. Sprinkle with flakey salt. Bake at 450+.

Bonne chance,

Phil

Lovely bricks!! And delicious! I wasn't sure what to expect, but considering everything, I’m calling this bake a real success! I'm not quite sure how to interpret the crumb, but I'm just happy it didn't end in disaster. Thanks again, everyone, for your help!

I wouldn't call those bricks, no way! I've made brickier loaves that still tasted excellent. The crumb is on the tight side because the gluten wasn't quite up to the task, and the various cavities probably are a byproduct of the shaping. I'm sure shaping was a bit of a pain, what with the dough being gloppy (and, I'm guessing) somewhat sticky. It must have been hard to get the nice, evenly formed shapes you are used to, and the layers probably didn't quite stick together here and there. See how easy that was? TomP

Thanks Tom!! Actually there was no shaping whatsoever involved in that process: I just did a last coil fold to place the dough in the cake pan and that's it, there was no way I could do anything more with that gloppy and, oh yesss, so sticky, mess! Thanks for the feedback!!