Sourdough air pocket distribution problem
Dear skilled bakers of TFL,
I have been baking bread for around a year now (mainly flat bread). Recently, I have developed an interest in sourdough bread; and in the past month, I have attempted Tartine country bread a couple of times (4 times actually). My most recent bake was last night, and given it was a weekday bake, it turned out alright and tasted fantastic. However, I yet have a very long way to master my scoring skills.
The bread had beatiful irregular air pockets on the sides of the loaf, however, when I sliced the middle of the boule, there were not too many. I am wondering if anyone could tell me why I am not getting too many air pockets in the middle section of my boule.
Side cuts (abundant irregular gelatenized holes)
Middle cut (some pockets but not too many)
I am using a sanfransisco sourdough starter that I purchased online and activated. The levain was made on Monday night, fed on Tuesday morning. Mixing happened Tuesday night and I let the dough bulk ferment in a steel bowl surrounded by ice water (the dough bowl was put in a bigger bowl which had ice cubes in it) .Stretched and folded 3 times. By Wednesday mirning the ice was melted and dough was still cold. Boul was Shaped Wednesday evening and proofed for about 2 hrs. Baked on a pre-heated stone and covered with a moistened tin foil cap.
Thank you
I'll venture a guess the uneven alveoli distribution is predicated upon uneven fermentation within the dough.
Try mixing the water into the levain to thin it before adding the flour in the recipe - it will be more evenly distributed this way.
The stainless steel mixing bowl in ice water may have had an effect due to the dough next to the bowl being near freezing while the interior was at a warmer more fermentive temperature. Stretch and folds should have distributed the temperature effect but then maybe not[?]...,
Wild-Yeast
Thank you Wild yeast for your response,
I highly doubt that un-even fermentation is the cause since I did mix water into the levain before adding it to the flour. As for the ice water, chances are you might be right, however, I did stretch & fold the dough a good bit in the morning before pitting it in the fridge. Also shaping involved some light turning and mixing of the dough and as you mentioned, it should have distributed the un-fermented dough.
Now that I think, my foil pan is a bit short (in height) and it made contact with the top of my bread. Could it be that the extra weight of foil pan prevented the middle section from developing pockets?
This happens to me all the time too. I haven't figured out why yet, although I've experimented with a couple different factors. It really frustrates me!
How do you form and shape the bread prior to proofing?...,
Wild-Yeast
For shaping, I let the dough (which has gone through bulk fermentation and has been sitting in the fridge for 8-9 hours) come to room temperature, divide it and pre-shape it. I let it rest for 30 minutes, then perform the standard boule shaping technique similar to what is shown in this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CQsBmieDS8
Then I let it proof in a pre-dusted plastic bowl (I dont have bannetons yet) for about 90 minutes before baking.
My plastic bowls have steep walls, can this be a reason why the pockets are not forming in the middle?
Thank you
That's more than enough distribution of the dough in forming.
I now wonder how active your starter is. If it is very active in its leavening ability - 120 minutes might be too long. My hypothesis here is that the center is overproofed, collapsing under its own weight while the thinner ends remain inflated. Reducing the proofing time might prove interesting - pun intended. Try proofing for 90 minutes or so...,
One other point; are you placing the plastic banneton into a plastic bag to prevent it from drying out? I don't think the vertical sides will have much effect on the proofing dough.
Wild-Yeast
I am not very experienced with wild yeast starters but I think my starter is pretty active. I usually let it sit outside and feed it twice before baking (feed, discard, feed). it takes a good 18 hrs for it to reach its peak where it grows to 2.5 times its original size.
Overproofing might very well be a reason. In weekdays, I don't get to practice the standard tartine routine because of time limitations, so I get creative with other methods (like ice container method), which in turn I pay with an overproofed bread.
And yes, I do cover my banettons with plastic to avoid drying. I guess in my case, I'll need lots more of trial end error to make the perfect loaf.
You are very precise in your method. I use a wild yeast white sourdough starter which I "treat" with a wholemeal spelt flour every now and again; with a high protein (strong) white bread flour with added dark rye about 20%. I divide my twice bulk-proved dough in two and fold into a ball before placing in linen lined heavily floured proving baskets. I place each of these in a plastic bag and leave in the fridge for 16 to 18 hours. I turn the resulting loaves onto a peel and throw onto the floor of my Aga stove temperature 200 centigrade for 30 minutes (turned halfway).
If I am rushed and under-prove at room temperature, as I did yesterday, the gas forms quickly and migrates to the crust before the loaf has formed a structure that can contain it. The result is a loaf heavy at the base and with large gas holes at the top- fit only for the jackdaws!