Flat boule--thoughts please.
Hello all,
I am new here and to sourdough. I know this is a common concern and Ive been reading the numerous posts regarding my topic. However, others thoughts about my issues would be welcomed. Thank you in advance.
I am following James Morton's general sourdough guidelines and in the case of the bread I posted the picture of, I am using his San Francisco Sourdough recipe. I use Central Milling Organic Old World read flour starter--20 hours post feed. The loaf picture accurately represents most of my results, and is made with Central Milling Organic bread flour.
What I can't figure out is the dough keeping its shape during bench and final proofing, despite the dough being nicely aerated. Also, it just doesn't spring in the oven. The recipe does call for the bake to be started from cold. As a home pizza oven person, this is never the way! I am using a 4.5 qt dutch oven w lid.
Overall, the taste is lovely, Not quite as sour as I'd like, but malty with a slight tang. The texture seems a little close, slightly formidable. It's wonderful as toast.
So, should I be happy with my results? I'm not. Would a smaller pot help? Would my posting the recipe here help? Thoughts?
Cheers,
Kris
Without knowing much of the details you need to look at your starter, bulk ferment or both. You say you're new to this. How old is your starter? Have you had a good bake with it yet? When it was bulk fermenting did you wit until the dough was aerated and puffy? When you say nicely aerated that might mean different things to different people. If it was "nicely aerated" then perhaps leave it till it's very aerated - even doubled!
We need a lot more info.
The starter for this bake is 2 months old and has been fed regularly--through the first development of the starter (every 5 days initially) then based on what I'm following in Morton's instruction. It smells great, and when in need of feed, it smells sharply of acetic acid/alcohol. The guidelines I come to understand from Morton is that the age of the starter should not matter. However, I am open to other ideas leading to better results.
No, I have not had great results yet. During bulk, it is puffy, but one person's idea is different than the other--but no, it was not very puffy--bigger but not doubled. What other info can I provide?
Thank you again!
So to help further why not try a bake and then post the recipe with the results including pictures at every stage. For example...
Starter Build: [timing]
Then attach a photo when it's ready to use.
Recipe:
Attach photos of when the dough is made, when the dough is done bulk fermenting, when it's final proofed etc. Plus timings!
This way we can pinpoint to what is going wrong.
For now all I can say is you need to ferment the dough for longer then what you've been doing. If it hasn't doubled then wait till it has. See if that helps.
Thank you, Abe. On my next bake I will detail and provide the information!
cheers
I am unfamiliar with Morton but I am a professional and I’ve sold hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of bread that looks just like that on the inside, and tastes as you describe (delicious). People love it and I get tons of compliments on how it’s the best bread around. This is not to brag but to contrast to the Instagram world of sourdough. I’ve had bread in Paris, Germany, Austria, NY, and San Francisco, and I like bread I’ve had there and some folks do a great job. I like my bread the best (of course I do—I could change it until that was true) and I encourage you to experiment until you find what you like best.
If you are not happy with the results, then change your method. What exactly are you looking for?
As I am unfamiliar with your method, I can only say some general pointers. I have had good success with cold proofing and baking straight from the fridge in a hot oven. If you are concerned with spreading, proof in a smaller basket to support the shape better. Baking cold in a hot oven should mitigate spreading but dough always does spread before rising.
If you are looking for picture perfect product, reach out to Nicky Giusto from Central Milling. He can answer all of your questions specifically. They are very friendly and knowledgeable.