I spent a lot of time cultivating a decent starter and now made my first bread with it. It’s not a frisbee or a hockey puck so that’s a big win. However I’m not quite pleased with it yet.
The issues:
Crumb is slightly sticky/gummy I assume it’s slightly underbaked? I didn’t dare to leave it in longer as it is quite dark on the outside. I baked at 245c for an hour. Should I go colder but longer?
Crumb is not very even and quite dense. I think it’s underproofed. Right?
Crust is really hard and pretty thick, I have a good and sharp knife, yet I could barely get through. I’d prefer a slightly thinner crispier crust, is there a way to achieve that?
The top bursted open so I assume I didn’t cut deep enough.
For good measure. I used 100% whole wheat flour (12% protein) with about 80% hydration. I used more starter than called for as my kitchen is very cold. Did 4 stretch and folds, shaped the bread late last night after which I put it in the fridge overnight. Took it out of the fridge about 30 minutes prior to baking. Baked in a Dutch oven for 30 minutes with lid and 25 without.
by suuskip
6 Comments
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Ingredients;
440gr 4-wheat whole wheat flour
342gr water
11gr salt
150gr starter
Beautiful, how did it taste
How long was your bulk fermentation and at what room temperature?
Also, if you want it to hold its shape a bit better, don’t bring it to room temp before baking. Just pull it from the fridge when your DO has preheated, score it and bake it immediately.
I bake mine at 450F (232C) for 25 minutes with the lid on and 20 minutes with the lid off. I think since you baked it at the higher temperature, it caused it to brown too much before it cooked through properly, so maybe drop your oven temperature a bit. On a side note, I put a sheet pan on the rack below my DO to keep the bottom from getting too browned too.
I think it looks a little underproofed, but I’m not as familiar with 100% whole wheat. Of the ones I’ve seen, I think yours looks really good. I bet it tasted amazing!
You need to incorporate more fat to get that type of texture you call for? Try to begin with an autolyse; that will help the spring. And when baking, lower the temperature so that your oven heats everything more evenly ?
It’s just underproofed. Did you bake in a Dutch oven?