April 18, 2023 - 10:40am
Struggle with tight crumb
I have been baking a seeded sourdough rye loaf for a number of years and only once did I ever get a nice crumb like the pictures on the Fresh Loaf site. The recipe is 300g white flour, 400g starter (50/50 white and rye flour and 100% hydration), 500g dark rye, 500g water, 20g salt, and 1/3 cup each of toasted sunflower and pumpkin seeds. It's tasty, just not the crumb I am looking for. Problem could be starter, could be my stretch and fold method, could be in my timing.
I'm at a loss as to where to start. Suggestions appreciated.
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Sounds delicious.
But that's a 60% rye bread you're making.
Perhaps you can give an indication of the kind of crumb you're seeking -- because 60% rye is generally not going to be super open.
Rob
Rob, I'm proofing 2 loaves right now. Let me send a pic of my crumb once I have baked. Thanks for the reply.
Oh! I forgot. I also add 30g of molasses for flavor and color. That no doubt affects my rise time, etc., but I did not notice any change in the crumb before I added molasses. It just shortened to proof time.
Here's my latest loaf. Always looks more or less like this:
what do you want it to look like? Because that crumb looks respectable for a 60% rye.
There may be ways to make the loaf taller -- for instance, a tighter proofing vessel or mb doing a wheat-only autolyze to start gluten development before the final mix or adjusting how you bake (at what temps? with steam or without? slash or no slash?)
For comparison, though, here's the crumb of a 40% rye I baked last week. As you can see, it spread more than rose, but I think that was down to not proofing it tight enough.
5154E258-C9B8-4577-B15C-65F261EAB796.jpeg
And here's a 30% rye I baked the week before. Less rye, more loft.
AFEC45D2-8634-4127-AD81-F95312880C58.jpeg
Rob
two more comparisons show that your crumb is quite good for a 60% whole rye bread:
here's a 60% rye posted on TFL a while back, with a crumb quite reminiscent of yours: https://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/50221/rye-bread-60
and here's a 60% rye I baked last night (from this recipe: http://theryebaker.com/pinzgau-country-loafpinzgauer-bauernbrot/). I used whole rye and a mix of first clear and all purpose. The crumb is tighter than it looks in the photo -- much like yours.
60% rye.jpeg
Again, I have to ask what kind of crumb are you shooting for?
Rob
Rob, you have convinced me that the crumb I am getting is reasonable for the mix of rye I am using. It's not that I so much mind the crumb I am getting, it's that my expectations are apparently out of line for 60% rye bread. So, I'll let the subject rest and be happy with the crumb that I have. Btw, in the past, I have gotten a more "bubbly" crumb with a different starter. My current starter just never came to life as it should, even after several days of feeding. So, I'll let the topic rest.