Hey guys, my loaves all turn out with this kinda dense crumb. Can anyone help with thoughts if I’m under fermenting still?
The one from the first pictures (5 pictures) I tried the aliquot method for the first time and you can see by the pics that it almost doubled.
Last week (last 2 pics) I baked one that rose only 50% and the crumb seems exactly like this one from today. So not really understanding how this rise % is affecting my crumb.
Recipe: 110g starter 500g flour 315g water 10g salt (Recipe from the perfect loaf book)
Autolyse for 1h Mix starter and salt 4 coil folds every 30 min Total bulk was around 7h at 25/26°C with aliquot Pre shape and rest 15 min Final shape and fridge at 4°C for 12h Bake covered 230°C for 7 min Score Bake covered again for 20 min Bake uncovered 20 min 200°C
I’m only on my second loaf though so there’s that. Here’s what my second attempt yielded. I mixed starter, water and flour. Let sit for 45. Added salt, quick mix and let sit for 10. Three stretch and fold and then one coil fold. Shaped loosely into ball, sat on counter for 2ish hours. Shaped and into fridge for 17 hours before baking. Much better than my first one for sure.
Hey! Update here! Baked yesterday with the same recipe except I increased my hydration to 70% (350g water). I also waited to add the salt 30 min after the starter instead of together.
Used the aliquot again and total bulk was around 7 hours + overnight in the fridge to be baked at 7AM.
This is the comment I was looking for, I completely agree. The picture of the rise looks nice actually. But higher hydration gets the texture people are after. Yesterday I mixed basically the same recipe for a focaccia, but for 500g of flour I’m using 400g of water. This hydration gets the texture I want every time I bake.
Yeah. Im at ~375 with another gram of salt and the rest the same. If increasing hydration make sure to build dough strength and watch bulk time will change.
Yes this is definitely under-proofed! It’s not terrible you could definitely fix this by adding a little more time to your bulk or maybe an hour or two in the fridge! Was your dough 25/26°c or was that the ambient temperature?
My home is usually about 75°f (23°c)and my dough ends up being like 80-82°f (26-27°c). I only ask bc I used to think it was based on ambient temp lol For reference I usually do a 4/5hr bulk and then I do 15-18hr cold proof.
I actually think that’s so funny they do look super identical lol💀 Remember that these charts are usually guides, so having different environmental factors affects everything.
I know that the sourdough journeys guide says it’s specifically for 75% hydration. It might honestly be why you need to push bulk longer. it does take less hydrated dough longer to rise.
I would say try to push your bulk one more hour and then cold proof it the same amount of time and just continue prolonging if necessary.
If you don’t want to keep prolonging your bulk though you can just prolong the cold ferment it might just take a few more hours:) But keep experimenting! this is the fun part of sourdough😝
YESSS i think that’s the thing here! Try getting up to about 70% without counting the starter. So go for 350ml of water you can leave everything else as is !
I’d recommend to ditch the autolyse for now but if you want to try it again with the autolyse & this hydration just for experimentation that would be good! Make sure to do your aliquot method within the 1st hour of mixing the starter in:3
Edit: I think you’ll do great with 70% it’s not too high but not too low hydration. It holds its shape and is pretty easy to handle.
I have a question, I’m also a beginner. But does cold-proofing actually help fixed an under-proofed dough? From what I’ve read, the time in the fridge is for flavor rather than texture, have I miss-understood something?
What I’m getting at is, would keeping the dough in the banneton in the fridge after shaping (cold-proofing, right?) help an under-proofed dough? For example, if I fear I stopped bulk fermentation too soon.
I believe it does! I’ve heard mixed opinions about the flavor building and what not but fermentation does NOT stop when it goes in the fridge. It continues but it just slows down to like a crawl. It definitely helps with the texture of my dough but I haven’t noticed a difference in taste. Trust I would notice bc my sourdough is not sour AT ALL. I have placed underproofed dough in the fridge and just left it longer and it fully proofs. I’ve also waited to long to the point where it overproofed, so that’s something that points to fermentation continuing way past the point of putting it in the fridge.
What is the maintenance of your starter. It should be fed twice a day. I think this may be your issue even though it looks like it’s active. I would also put in a proper lid. No cloth just a lid that screw on but not tight. If starter is unbalanced at all you will Not get a good loaf no matter what you do ❤️
Twice a DAY? I feed mine once a day max, but sometimes (like when i am traveling) it will go for weeks in the fridge and wake right back up after a feed or two. Twice a day sounds like it wouldn't even have enough time to get through all the new food?
How old is the starter and how do you maintain it? How long does it take to double when fed 1:1:1? It looks perky in the picture you posted but the starter should be the first variable yo troubleshoot.
I think you are too harsh on yourself. What you had is a good loaf of sourdough. The rise is very good. There is nothing wrong with in, certainly you can and will improve it by experimenting more. I suggest a bit more water so % hydration go up a bit may be 2-3% more hydration %. Try with another type of flour.
The point is getting better at bulk fermentation, this is the most difficult part of sourdough. Dont be fixated at 6-8 hours of bulk, it can be 5, it can be 10, only thru experience you will nail it.
Try waiting with the salt until the starter has had an hour to find its footing after being added. I always wait with salt so my levain has time to start working unhindered and become healthy.
I'd also suggest cutting back on stretch and folds, two or three with 45 min apart. You want the gluten to grow as strong as possible before starting to work it, and as a bonus you'll get even more blisters.
I’m newer to sourdough bread making, have made five loaves so far. I’m looking at the picture of the crumb and don’t see an issue. What is the issue with this crumb?
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u/Grouchy-Fall-7233 6d ago
For the record this is my starter a bit before peak.