It's been some months since I last baked bread and had a starter going. 2 weeks ago I decided to make a new starter from scratch and get back into bread baking. Wanted to share my first solid bake since restarting!
Using the Champlain Sourdough recipe from BreadWerx modified for 50/50 AP/Dark Rye starter. I made two bakes previous to this one, both with tight crumb and large holes near the top of the crust, probably underproofed (10hrs total ~68F). This time I went for 10hr bulk (~68F), 12hr overnight cold, 3hr (~68F) and I finally got some real progress!
Some questions for improving:
1. I noticed that some regions are holey-er(holier?) than others. Is this a function of shaping? How can I get better distribution while keeping the holes big and crumb light.
2. Could I have let it proof longer? In the second photo there are lots of upward bubbling is this due to strong upward expansion, is this due to being slightly underproofed or is it from scoring?
Other pointers on improvements would be super appreciated!! Hoping to pull off tartine at some point!
Really nice work on this bread.
As to point #1, I would think that degassing was the issue. As the bread ferments large bubbles develop. If they aren't broken down into smaller bubbles again, or popped all together, they continue to grow during your proofing period. You may want to be a bit more aggressive with your degassing process.
Point #2, my read is that the larger bubbles are on the top because that is where they were placed when you shaped the loaf.
The handling and shaping of dough is a continuous learning experience. Even the best of the seasoned bakers still struggle. I think the challenge is that while we want to use the same process all the time, the dough and the environment are constantly changing. Every day we are forced to adapt to the changes.
Personally I'd be pretty happy with the loaf.