– **See my method in the reply to this comment (method is for a two loaf batch but I gave away one loaf)**
I’m about 7 months into my bread journey. I’m getting pretty dang consistent results at this point and am baking mostly by feel. Switching to smaller bread pan/smaller banneton (knock off Le Creuset cloche from Amazon), using bread flour, and using a proofer box has made all the difference for me. My last two loafs have a bit of a weird structure and are possibly not as good/open as my last six before that.
I’m wondering if I’m overproofing a bit? I pushed this loaf about 40 minutes longer than normal in the bulk ferment stage.
I’m also wondering if I’m over-shaping, squeezing some gas out accidentally. My roundness and consistency are better but my crumb structure seems less consistent. Maybe I should drop the pre-shape and bench rest? Or be more consistent with timing on my stretch and folds? Thanks for any crumbs reads in advance!
Edit: One more question – I’ve seen most people use like 100g of starter. I use WAY more but my recipe is adapted from a FWSY recipe which is supposed to be a 12 hour BF in a cold winter kitchen. Should I be using less? I’m getting good results that I like, and I’d think that more starter = more flavor. Is it not similar to using a large amount of poolish? It’s essentially pre-fermented flour and imparts more starter flavor, does it not?
Exotic-Whereas-1360
I can smell this picture.
BreadTherapy
Absolutely gorgeous!!
thackeroid
I think it looks pretty great. You’re a good baker. But as to your comment about more starter providing more flavor, the answer is no. When you use a commercial yeast in your poolish, you’re doing that in advance because otherwise your bread will have very little flavor. Sourdough is different. You have a bacterial colony that is adding all kinds of flavor to it. So the long proofing is what gives it more flavor. If you cut back your starter by half or more improved it longer you would have much better flavor than if you increase your starter amount. But experiment! See what you end up liking. And by the way, I think your current loaf looks better than the prior one.
aaidor
Yup!
boofulourclosefriend
Stunning
InksPenandPaper
*Niiiiiiiiice*.
Fishtoart
Instagram worthy
DeeCohn
I do suspect this was ever so slightly over fermented but it really looks great and I’d gladly eat it. In this hobby it’s all about your goal. If you’re aiming for wide open lacy alveoli like @fullproofbaking or @breadstalker, then sure there’s probably room for improvement in your technique and dough handling. But this is a fantastic result for where you’re at in your SD journey.
In my experience it’s generally the opposite regarding sourness. The smaller your innoculation (the smaller your levain relative to flour), the longer your ferment, the more opportunity lactobacillus has to produce acids.
Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in sourdough starters are classified into two groups based on their acid type and temperature preferences: Homofermentative (homolactic) These LAB only produce lactic acid and prefer temperatures between 86–95°F (30–35°C), but can grow at lower temperatures. They produce flavors with notes of dairy, cream, or yogurt. Heterofermentative These LAB produce lactic acid, acetic acid, ethanol, and carbon dioxide, which can help leaven the dough. They prefer temperatures between 59–72°F (15–22°C), but can grow over a wider range.
So usually colder ferments with lower innoculation allow for more of that acetic, vinegary bite. But I’m not a fan of those flavors personally. Pushing fermentation long fermentation on doughs like this risks the pH getting low enough to cause gluten degradation/breakdown, so of this is what you’re after, make sure you shape before the dough becomes too sticky/unworkable.
Personally, I prefer the flavor of a warmer ferment with 10-25% innoculation
9 Comments
– **See my method in the reply to this comment (method is for a two loaf batch but I gave away one loaf)**
I’m about 7 months into my bread journey. I’m getting pretty dang consistent results at this point and am baking mostly by feel. Switching to smaller bread pan/smaller banneton (knock off Le Creuset cloche from Amazon), using bread flour, and using a proofer box has made all the difference for me. My last two loafs have a bit of a weird structure and are possibly not as good/open as my last six before that.
I’m wondering if I’m overproofing a bit? I pushed this loaf about 40 minutes longer than normal in the bulk ferment stage.
I’m also wondering if I’m over-shaping, squeezing some gas out accidentally. My roundness and consistency are better but my crumb structure seems less consistent. Maybe I should drop the pre-shape and bench rest? Or be more consistent with timing on my stretch and folds? Thanks for any crumbs reads in advance!
Edit: One more question – I’ve seen most people use like 100g of starter. I use WAY more but my recipe is adapted from a FWSY recipe which is supposed to be a 12 hour BF in a cold winter kitchen. Should I be using less? I’m getting good results that I like, and I’d think that more starter = more flavor. Is it not similar to using a large amount of poolish? It’s essentially pre-fermented flour and imparts more starter flavor, does it not?
I can smell this picture.
Absolutely gorgeous!!
I think it looks pretty great. You’re a good baker. But as to your comment about more starter providing more flavor, the answer is no. When you use a commercial yeast in your poolish, you’re doing that in advance because otherwise your bread will have very little flavor. Sourdough is different. You have a bacterial colony that is adding all kinds of flavor to it. So the long proofing is what gives it more flavor. If you cut back your starter by half or more improved it longer you would have much better flavor than if you increase your starter amount. But experiment! See what you end up liking. And by the way, I think your current loaf looks better than the prior one.
Yup!
Stunning
*Niiiiiiiiice*.
Instagram worthy
I do suspect this was ever so slightly over fermented but it really looks great and I’d gladly eat it. In this hobby it’s all about your goal. If you’re aiming for wide open lacy alveoli like @fullproofbaking or @breadstalker, then sure there’s probably room for improvement in your technique and dough handling. But this is a fantastic result for where you’re at in your SD journey.
In my experience it’s generally the opposite regarding sourness. The smaller your innoculation (the smaller your levain relative to flour), the longer your ferment, the more opportunity lactobacillus has to produce acids.
Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in sourdough starters are classified into two groups based on their acid type and temperature preferences:
Homofermentative (homolactic)
These LAB only produce lactic acid and prefer temperatures between 86–95°F (30–35°C), but can grow at lower temperatures. They produce flavors with notes of dairy, cream, or yogurt.
Heterofermentative
These LAB produce lactic acid, acetic acid, ethanol, and carbon dioxide, which can help leaven the dough. They prefer temperatures between 59–72°F (15–22°C), but can grow over a wider range.
So usually colder ferments with lower innoculation allow for more of that acetic, vinegary bite. But I’m not a fan of those flavors personally.
Pushing fermentation long fermentation on doughs like this risks the pH getting low enough to cause gluten degradation/breakdown, so of this is what you’re after, make sure you shape before the dough becomes too sticky/unworkable.
Personally, I prefer the flavor of a warmer ferment with 10-25% innoculation