DAYS

Delayed Activation of Yeast (DAYS) - Introduction

Setting a goal of using straight-dough-method (SDM) for making lean yeasted bread that has at the same time good appearence and crumb structure plus flavor is hard if not possible.

To rescue the situation, additives are usually employed like sweeteners, seasonings, raw or fermented milk, eggs, nuts, sourdough -type III, yeast water, flavor enhancers and various chemicals. But in most of these cases bread cannot be considered as lean anymore.

Another way is using techniques where a variable portion of flour in the recipe is prefermented using either baker's yeast and/or spontaneous cultures. Examples are poolish, biga, sponge, old dough, desem, and sourdough-type I starters to name only a few.

But what if none of the above 'remedies' were to be used. Is there another way of achieving this initial goal?

So far, best SDM results I get from combining a good fair amount of instant dry yeast (0.8-1.6% on flour weight) and warm fermentation temperatures near the 80F level. This combination produces healthy, lively, strong dough that oven-springs nicely. However flavor is lacking. In an effort to improve this by lowering yeast and/or temp produces inferior loaf results. Improved flavor from the prolonged fermentation but languish loaf (ok for pizza but not bread). Yeast apart from its role as a leaven, it also acts as a dough conditioner as well.

This is where the 'Delayed Activation of Yeast' (DAY) technique described here comes to help by keeping yeast and temp parameters  at optimal high level and at the same time prolonging fermentation to introduce flavor. Best of both worlds.

Usually recipes of this kind call for diluting yeast into water or dispersing it evenly within the dry ingredients (mainly flour) first before preoceed with mixing. But this technique calls for exactly the opposite. After initial autolyse (with salt) the dough is stretched out flat (laminated) and yeast sprinkled on top. Since this is done by hand yeast clusters (patches) of slightly varying size and density will form (stick) on the surface of the wet dough. Although this might sound counter intuitive at first, finally it works to our advantage.

At the beginning of bulk, yeast is at a half-asleep state and will be activated gradually and non-uniformly at different rates and sites inside the dough thus prolonging fermentation. The full power of billions of yeast cells inside the dough will be gradually (even at 80F) unleashed, giving flavor a chance to develop.

This technique in conjunction with sourwort (another flavor and dough improver, see below) approaches the initial goal set pretty near.

Bread Ingredients

Strong bread flour with high protein 14%; tap water with pH~7.2; baker's instant dry yeast; salt. Also, cracked rye malt berries (by Wayermann) from home brewer's supply shop and biological apple cider vinegar with 5% acidity. The last two items I use to make sourwort, a grain-based sour liquor produced by natural fermentation of lactic acid bacteria resident on rye malt.

Sourwort

500g water; 100g malt; 1tsp vinegar

The above mash is kept at a relatively constant target temperature of 111F (easy number to remember) under strictly anaerobic conditions and left to ferment and sour for 24 hours. Then it is strained and the resulting liquor is either used straight in the recipe and/or kept in the fridge for subsequent use. In either case its temperature must be accomodated in the recipe at hand. This is an one-off process (no propagation). When consumed, a fresh one can be made ready within 24 hours.

The pH of this liquor comes out in the range of 3.4-3.7, is very slightly viscous and has a smell of sour green apples. I use it to substitute 3/8ths of the water in my recipes. This particular rate is not carved in stone but rather derived experimentally by trial and error and can be altered to suit personal aims.

It contributes to the taste of the final bread giving off gentle sweet and sour notes, softens crumb and also acts as an excellent dough improver conditioning dough gluten wright from start (mixing) and not gradually during dough development. In addition, due to its low pH and intrinsic nutrients (amino acids, sugars etc) it creates a favorable enviroment for the yeast, accelerating and boosting fermentation.

Bread Recipe

200g   flour

95g     water

57g     sour

2g       yeast

4g       salt

Timeline

  00'   Mix all sans yeast

+60'   Laminate & Sprinkle yeast

+30'   Roll & Fold

+30'   Roll & Fold

+30'   Roll & Fold

+30'   Shape & Pan

+90'   Bake

Timeline Steps/Actions Expanded

In the first step I mix all ingredients together ecxept yeast with minimal gluten development and let rest (autolyse with salt). Pure autolyse and its various forms like fermentolyse or saltolyse is a well established technique (no need to expand). DDT 82F.

60' later I laminate the dough. While dough is stretched out thinly I sprinkle from high above the dry yeast as uniformly as possible. Then follows the usual procedure of enveloping the dough, coil-folding it to a rolled up cylinder shape and let bulk begin. DDT 82F.

30' later I roll & fold the dough inside its resting basin. First I flip it over, degas it thoroughly using the wet opposite side of one palm and folding it around in a clocking motion until it firms and shines and stops sticking. With a continuous motion I flip it over again to its resting position in the basin sitting like a hemisphere (dome on top). DDT 82F.

30' later I roll & fold as above. DDT 82F.

30' later I roll & fold as above. DDT 82F.

30' later I place the dough on a table top, degas it less aggresively this time, shape it and place it in an 1-litre tin pan, where it will undergo untouched its final warm proofing as well as baking. DDT 90F.

90' later I bake the dough in a preheated oven (480F) for 3' uncovered and an additional 57' lowering oven temp to 400F and covering it with some aluminum foil to avoid burning the top.

Photographs

Results using the DAYS technique (Delayed Activation of Yeast + Sourwort) can be seen in some snapshots of bread slices below. Prolonged shelf life, crumb extremely soft and airy (lacy type) and taste comperable to that of using preferments. Best of 3-worlds!

Thank you all, Savvas.