So this weekend I attempted to create a more open (HOL-E) crumb per Trevor's influence. I made some changes from previous attempts to good effect.
I used 80% bread flour, 20% whole wheat flour, 10% levain (100% hydration) at peak, 2% salt and 70% hydration.
This week on Friday night I mixed the flour, water and levain around 6pm into a shaggy mass and left it out on the counter until about 11pm. Then I put in the fridge. The next morning around 9am I added the salt and over the next two hours gave it gentle folds every 30-45 minutes and a last one about an hour later by noon. Then I left it until about 4pm. By then it just about doubled. I gave it a very delicate pre-shape, left it for ten minutes, and gave it a final shape and left it for final proof for about 90 minutes. Baked in a combo cooker at usual temps (mind you I think my oven is running hot so I burnt the bottom slightly).
I learned a few things this week. But first the pictures:
While I'm getting slightly closer to a much more uniformly open crumb - there is much work to be done.
The first thing I realized this week is that I have not been letting the dough develop/ferment enough in bulk and/or final proof. Next time I'm going to try and take it even further to the edge of fermentation for each stage (but I'm not sure what the maximum expansion is I'm looking for in each stage - do I let the dough double during bulk, and how much more during proof.. not sure - all advice welcomed). And this insight (of not pushing the fermentation far enough) came from a comment Trevor made on an instagram post just his past week, saying that a gummy crumb is the result of a weaker starter and not fully fermented bread. I'm comfortable my starter is strong and active. But I've often felt my crumbs were slightly gummy. So I pushed it further - I would normally only the bulk go to a 50% rise in volume before pre-shaping. Ironically, when I baked through Forkish's book I would oven get to the edge of over-fermented dough with good results - often letting the dough double or more during bulk. But when I started baking with Chad's Tartine method I dialed it back. I would get great Tartine style loaves with very uniform closed crumb - really great breads. But not anything like what Trevor makes. So I'm going to start pushing fermentation again.
The second thing I learned, is that I need to work on my battard shaping skills!
So the HOL-E war continues! But I think I'm winning the odd hill here and there! Generally, this was a great tasting and smelling loaf!
Bake happy - bread1965!
I haven’t read your post yet, I just went straight to the crumb shot. It’s gorgeous!!!!! Just wow!
Okay, going to read your post now. ?
I am going exactly in the opposite direction than you are regarding bulk fermentation. I used to let my dough double and yesterday I divided and shaped after a 30-50% rise. I debated yesterday on doing my old procedure of letting the dough double on two batches and doing the new shorter rise on the last two batches. I changed my mind because I knew what I got with my old procedure and just wanted to test out the shaping. Trying to only change one variable at a time.
Maybe next week, I will do this experiment now that I know the shaping works so well. Planning to make a spiced cranberry raisin sourdough.
Thank you. It's great to see the diversity in approach to bread - both across bakers and for a baker across different breads. Your crumb is beautiful and from what I've had very well fermented. I once made a comment to you about how slicing your loaf it very much felt different than slicing mine - and thought it was because of your using yogurt. I now realize it was because I was under-fermenting my loaves and they were on the edge of gummy at times. Lots to learn and try! Love the spiced cranberry raisin idea. Can't wait until you start spiking your loaves with booze! Rum raisin loaf anyone?!
and the crumb is really really nice. In the past I too bulk fermented until the dough had doubled before pre shaping etc but since reading Trevors book have cut the bulk ferment back. I am aiming for 50% as I don’t feel as if dough is ready enough at 30%. Its scary.. hard to judge... so I am still finding my way slowly, with mixed results. Bread1965 take a bow, its a gorgeous loaf and I look forward to the next one
Leslie
Thank you. I think it's all about taking single steps by working on one element at a time. It's a deceptively difficult task to make the kind of bread he does. We'll get there.. back to the drawing board..