The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Frequent Feedings and Flavor

October 23, 2024 - 12:47pm
louiscohen's picture
louiscohen

Frequent Feedings and Flavor

I was away for a few weeks (in Scandinavia and the Baltics, where rye bread is standard) and came back home and refreshed my rye starter.  It was alive but lethargic (needing 12+ hrs at 72 F to double rather than the usual 8 hrs at 70 F), so I did another feeding.  

It was right back to normal after the 2nd feeding, and I made Hamelman's 100% Workday whole wheat  photos:  Workday 100% Whole Wheat  formula and notes in here: Bread Formulas

The loaves weren't the most attractive, but they were the best tasting ones for this formula that I remember.  I made them at 85% hydration and added 3 rounds of folds during bulk fermentations (stretch and fold, coil fold, and a lamination fold for strength and to incorporate the walnuts for my wife, per the notes for the formula).

Each step was 12 hrs apart (mix levain, mix final dough, shape & proof, bake).  

The only differences between this one and the usual batches were:

  • Two refreshes of the starter before mixing the levain instead of the usual one weekly feeding
  • 12 hrs for the levain to develop before mixing the final dough instead of the usual 16 hrs
  • Baked about 5 minutes longer than usual to an internal temp of 210 F rather than the usual ~198 F

Would any of these changes (or some combination) have improved the flavor enough to notice?

Thanks

 

 

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tpassin's picture
tpassin
Oct 23 2024 - 1:51pm

I don't have a definitive answer here, but a few thoughts. Of course, you haven't said in what way the flavor seems better.

1. Baking to a higher internal temperature probably cooked the crust more than usual.  Crust flavor adds to the overall flavor sensation, sometimes quite a bit.

2. At the lower temperature, the interior would have been moister and that could have subdued the flavor enhancement of the crust.

3. The change in refresh and levain schedules probably changed the balance between yeast and bacteria, and might have changed the composition of the flavor components created by the bacteria.

4. The starter might not have gotten back to normal even though it rose in the usual time.

Somewhat speculative, I know, especially the last two items.

TomP

louiscohen's picture
louiscohen
Oct 23 2024 - 2:54pm
  1. I think the crumb was definitely tastier than usual
  2. For a while I had been routinely baking to about 210 F, typically at the shortest time in the formula.  I had been wondering if I was baking too long and started checking internal temp 5-10 minutes before the shortest time in the formula.
  3. More tasty bacteria could be a plausible explanation.  BTW, I was recently treated for a mild Candida infection; I asked the gastroenterologist who found it if it could have been caused by handling sourdough starter (which typically includes various benign Candida  yeasts).  No, he said.
  4. I can believe that the proportions of various yeasts and bacteria might have changed, but the leavening seemed to work pretty much as it did before.