Young baker in charge, but never had a mentor...
Hello bread people!
I am a twenty something "head" baker at a bakery in Canada, and with only books for resources Im looking for some more help.
My bread is pretty decent I believe, my consistency and level of understanding is lacking for sure. Im very militant about temps and times, but for factors that i cant seem see, i struggle putting the same(within reason) loaves on the shelfs everyday.
Heres my bread/routine-
5:20ish start, get in and pull bulk fridge retarded doughs, and begin to preshape onto boards, no flour, except for baguette. This takes me until 6:30 for anywhere from 72-114 individual loaves. Then in a classic bakers juggle, I shape(chronologically) and do a bakeoff of croissants, danish, etc. Bakeoff finishes at 8am, for open. Last bread to shape is baguette, and by 8:30 Im doing my first load, 12 country loaf, and 11 sourdough( 1 pan for sammies). I do aorund three loads, with baguette being the last and out before 12pm. I have no pressure to put the breads out faster, because out customer base is not really out and wanting bread so early (north america :p) however if i can speed up, cool.
So thats the routine, here are my constraints.
I work from 5:20-4pm, 6 days a week, sunday off, usually, I would prefer if i didn't have to change that so much. I have a 3 tray wide, two deck stone, steam injection temperamental doyon. 1 proofer, can hold 7 boards max, not a lot of temp control (on/off). 1 rackroll that i keep in a warm place by the fridge. 72 baskets, a mix of plastic(boo), banneton (12 round) and 48 linen lined oval and rounds. 1 40qt planetary mixer.
My process-
Fall is here and Im playing with warmer water temps, currently 75 fahrenheit water, and 80 for my starters, which i leave for 3 hours at room and then fridge. I start mixing by 9:30 most days, every bread uses sourdough or levain, except for baguette. My starters are very consistently floating and healthy looking, though some days i wonder about there leavening power. My starter/levain ratios vary from 12%-18%. my Hydration levels range from 65% baguette to 85+% oat porridge white. My general mix is 3 low, 3 med, salt, 3 med ( watching for signs of structure) followed by 2-3 folds over 2-3 hours of bulk room fermentation. Recently my doughs have been coming out of the mixer at 78-80 fahrenheit and stay there until i fridge them from (12pm-3pm) until 5am.
My problems
oven spring is one of my most inconsistent, I steam for 8 sec, oven temp reads 430 fahrenheit ( though i believe my oven runs high) with the decks set on 6-11-3, with an avg 50 min bake time, give or take 5 for venting. I had a phase(summer) of really great rise and beautiful ears on my country, never ears on the sour, but somehow through no change Im aware of, I have lost them.
My dough tears sometimes during final shape, never preshape, and because it can be quite cold, i cant tell if its over fermentation or the cold and rough handling. Most doughs are in the fridge from 2pm to 5am, so 15 hrs.
My judgement of proper proofing is not confident, because of my inconsistencies and no one to ask.
If you have made it this far, thank you, Ill take any advice, happy baking!
-you can check out my instagram makinbakinbread for more photos, though they are only the nice ones!
Tearing dough is a sign of over fermented dough. My suggestion is to do the final proof in the fridge instead of the bulk ferment. Or, depending on your fridge and fridge temp and the size of your bulk bins, adjust the time you leave at room temp. I have ruined some of my dough by leaving out for a few hours and then cooling overnight; I had fabulous results by cooling immediately after mixing (although that was with 50% starter). At 20% starter, I would maybe leave it out for an hour, but maybe not. Depends on your fridge: I have one that runs really cold and another that is more normal.
My bulk bins are 3.5 gallons and I have about 10 kg of dough per bin, for reference.
If close by, I'd come and buy to try some of your bread! :)