80% white biga, different shapes

Profile picture for user stu currie
stu currie on 19 Feb 2017 at 09:30

this was my attempt at fwsy white loaf with 80% biga. The taste and crumb are wonderful, I'm just so disappointed with the oven spring. The loaf on the left was proved in an ova, banneton and just flattened out horribly, the baguette in the middle was lovely so I ate most of that before I remembered to take pictures. The loaf on the right, I did in a round banneton. Apart from the rise on it I'm very happy. I will try again but because it's so wet, I may just continue with the white bread with poolish as my go to recipe.

like I said, no complaints about the bake apart from how slack the dough was so it didn't hold its shape, especially the monstrosity on the left.

back on the water! Water is the one thing you can modify easily to help shaping and handling and not affect the recipe's taste. Also one must remember that the recipes are based on the author's flour and that chances are that we aren't using the same flour so what we are using may absorb more or less water. I have started to use less water than planned for in the autolyse and then add until the dough feels right during the addition of salt and levain. 

As to how the dough feels right, I learned a trick in my last baking class. The dough should feel as soft as your earlobe. No softer, no stiffer.  Then you know you have the right hydration for that flour. (Tis a bit hard when you have 3 earrings in a small earlobe but I manage. Ha ha!)

thanks for commenting, I didn't know if reducing the amount of water would drastically change the outcome. would you recommend using less in the pre ferment, or in the final dough mix? Also, will less moisture make it easier to score my loaves? That is my biggest bugbear, it seems impossible to score ken folkish recipes.

that goes in the final dough mix. Start by reducing by 50-100 grams and add 20 g at a time until you get the feel you want. Err on the side of less rather than more. 

And yes, the dough will be way easier to score. Let it dry a bit at the end of proof by leaving it uncovered for 10-15 minutes to form a bit of a skin if you proof in the counter. If you proof in the fridge, no need to warm the dough before scoring and baking. 

That's interesting using an earlobe as reference. I always think of my kids when they were babies every time I do the final fold and put the dough away to retard. When you feel the dough after,a light dusting of flour, especially if you use the back of your hand, if you closed your eyes you wouldn't know the difference !