November 1, 2020 - 7:28am
Baking Time based on dough hydration
I'm attempting to make some ciabatta and am mostly following a recipe I've used before but I decided to increase the hydration of the dough from 75% to 80%. (don't ask me why, it was a completely random decision) My question is, how do I adjust my cooking time to account for the higher hydration of the dough. Usually, at 75% I bake it for 10 min at 500F and then an additional 20 min at 450F.
Twice, I've endeavored to make a pan gallego recipe that was 100% hydration and both times it was doughy in the middle with a really hard dark crust. With those loaves I baked for 15 min at 500F and then an additional 30 at 450F.
Is there a reliable way to calculate baking times and temperatures based on dough hydration?
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I'm not aware of a calculator. It's a balancing act. Experienced bakers either know through experience, or have written notes over time and have a "calculator" or lookup table of sorts.
Water evaporates with time and temperature. Loaf shape, to wit: surface area to volume ratio, affects evaporation rate strongly. A very large, very thin loaf evaporates water much faster than a boule shape. Compare thin crust pizza to a boule.
Ciabatta has high surface area to volume ratio. A boule has a low ratio. For the same hydration, a boule requires more time to require the same post-baking weight, if both doughs are mixed with the same flour weight and hydration and both are baked at the same temperature.
(Too) dark crust and doughy center means temperature is too high for the baking time chosen, or hydration was too high for the chosen oven temperature. In the example you gave with the 100% hydration dough, you can:
- reduce dough hydration
- reduce oven temperature and increase time
- increase the surface area to volume ratio by either using a larger baking sheet or baking in two batches, with no change to hydration, temperature or time.
With the 80% example in the your first paragraph, you can use the same suggestions as with the 100% hydration example, to avoid overbrown crust and gummy center.
For a 900g flour weight loaf in an elongated boule shape, 50 minutes at 475deg F is not too long, in fact I could cook the loaf for 60 minutes at 475deg F and it would be quite good.
Thank you, that is helpful. I think it was a combination of too high heat, not long enough bake and the shape of the bread. pan gallego is a round loaf so it makes sense it would take longer than a similar ciabatta.
in process right now that may well unlock whichever secrets you seek. I wouldn't necessarily raise the baking temperature except as a last resort. However, a "tried and true" way to test for doneness is to knock the botton of the loaves with your knuckles listening for a hollow sound. Breads that still need to shed more moisture will not create the same sound, instead more of a flat thud.