January 24, 2019 - 8:14am
Open Crumb Structure
I have a question in general about open crumb with lots of holes.
Is there any best way to do this.
I have made the Tartin country loaf. I am happy with the crust and the crumb is moist bit not that open.
I was wondering when I do the bulk fermentation I put the dough in an oven with the light on so it is about 80 degrees.
it rises very well. Lots of airy structure
However I really don't get the open crumb structure.
I was wondering if the bulk fermentation at 80 was the issue? All of the dough is well fermented
Share
Take a look:
http://www.breadwerx.com/open-crumb-mastery/
Yes..many of us suffer from that and it is a very noble quest...
Trevor's book is an excellent source to understand what factors contribute to an open crumb and I also find his IG account and his web site and posts highly useful...
If you search Champlain loaf you can find a VERY long community bake with bakers here trying to achieve the open crumb with his famous Champlain loaf...
In addition, there are many other bakers on IG that also inspiring, if you want to experiment with open crumb... e.g. https://www.instagram.com/fullproofbaking/?hl=en and her you tube videos.
You probably know of the Perfect Loaf web site by Maurizio with his excellent advice.
I went through a phase and to be honest rather than 'open crumb' I now aim for 'well fermented airy' bread and aiming for a strong starter combined with good fermentation and judging the end of bulk is a good start. Maurizio is also on IG and his last post was a good example on how to judge the end of bulk which is so important to get a good crumb.....
Happy baking, Kat
I just wondered if my bulk fermentation temp 80 degrees is too high.
Plus maybe for the final rise I should degassing little as possible. Just my dough is 75% hydration and it gets slack near the end of bulk fermentation stage
is on the warmer side and then your bulk would be faster depending also how much leaven you use..I don’t think it is a problem as long as you judge the end of bulk correctly and also as you’ve said don’t degas the dough during shaping. As far as I know this is why some baker recommend to stick to 30% rise as more rise the dough gets proofy and needs a very light touch not to degas ..
If you say the dough is too slack then I wonder whether you create enough structure and need to use more or stronger folds to create more tension and strength. I have found that using coil folds has made a difference rather than stretch and folds only . If you look at Trevor’s IG he has example of those. @fullproofbaking also just posted updated method on open crumb..her loaves are quite amazing to learn from!! Happy baking !
This what I do. The hydration value should be at least 75%. I use a KitchenAid stand mixer to knead the dough and there is very little hand contact if any. With high speed mixing 7-8 and after approximately 6-7 minutes, the wet dough comes together in a smooth ball.
I have 2 cookie sheets. One with cling wrap, heavily floured and one with parchment paper. After the 1st rise, I degas the dough using a curved bread scraper and then pour this onto the cookie sheet with the floured cling wrap. With floured hands, you can lightly shape the dough. I let this rest for 30 minutes covered. After 30 minutes, I put the 2 cookie sheets together. Take hold of the cling wrap at one edge closest to the other cookie sheet, pull the cling wrap with the dough a third of the way onto the parchment papered cookie sheet. AND FLIP IT OVER UPSIDE DOWN onto the parchment paper. The next step will guarantee the results; With your wetted finger tips, indent the entire surface of the dough right through to the bottom all over the surface. Bake
The dough will rise evenly and the different sized holes will be evenly dispersed