well damn… i may have finally solved my big issue… tough crust after the first couple of hours and next day it really needs a toast… was doing lots of youtubing and butter enriching might have been the move… going to try again today to reproduce test as family ate 1 yesterday and 2nd got taken by dad and sis.
same SD, 76%H, overnight cold ferment as before
Ugh, so jealous of how your crust bursts open so well at the scoring!
How much butter are you putting in?
The ear? Ya that’s still not as good as it should be. It’s all about catching the sweet spot of bulk ferment and proper shaping. I think about 3 tablespoons melted for 2 large boules
What do you mean by lighten? Thinner? Crispier?
yes… it’s less tough… comes out a lot crunchier …at least for me so far.
Tough crust has been the main issue w/ my bread. I also use around a 75% hyrdration, so I might add some butter and see how that goes.
thanks for the investigation and reporting!
I’m at 76%
Did you add the butter (melted. I assume) with the rest of your liquid during the auolyze? Or did you mix it in during the bulk ferment stretch n fold phase?
i added it during the main mix… i’ve stopped autolyzing altogether… such extended bulk and cold ferments give plenty of time to hydrate.
so i’ve stopped throwing discard away… i collect it in the fridge until it gets to about 8 oz and make a couple of focaccia which are a lot more forgiving than baking bread. good idea yall.
Is the final loaf super sour? And do you just add it to whatever recipe you’re using, or does it replace some portion of the flour?
Loaf looks delicious, BTW.
it’s more sour than usual sure but in a good way… 8 oz starter, 17 oz flour, 12 oz water has been my way. Definitely a lot of starter but that’s why it’s for focaccia since it just forgives all sorts of weird decisions
inconsistency with measurements lol… total weight looks too much. really good though
A cup of grains soaked in water adds a lot of healthy and crunchy
My latest attempt at baguettes:
675g bread flour
450g water
15g salt
150g starter
stand mixer w/ dough hook about 5-8 minutes, 'til windowpane. Bulk proof in oven w/ light on 'til almost double in volume (~2 hours). Shaped and proofed 24 hours in fridge.
Baked at 450F, 8 min w/ steam (pan of boiling water in oven), 20 min w/o.
Taste: A+
Crumb: A-
texture: B-/C+
I’ve been using King Arthur Bread flour and things seem to be coming out INCREDIBLY chewy, ESPECIALLY the crusts. The flavor is there. A nice bit of tang, deep caramel notes, nice crunch and blisters on the crust, but tearing through loaf is enough to leave my jaw sore.
I still need to try adding a little fat to my loaf as per @Nemroz. I’m wondering if maybe going half AP, half bread flour might result in a softer, fluffier loaf, rather than one that eats liked the most delicious bungee cords you’ve ever tried… less gluten, maybe?
I’ve noticed this in both my baguettes (where I use a stand mixer) AND my higher-hydration open-crumb batards, where I use the no-knead stretch-and-fold method. Clearly, my gluten development is more than adequate.
Any folks out there run into this particular issue before?
Looks great. I’m going to try your metrics next week.
I’m also pretty sure mine would come out too touch and I don’t know how the french lighten it up. Plenty of chewy baguettes over there too though.
Not had the issue, but your suggestion makes sense. Maybe even all AP? I haven’t reviewed recipes extensively, but stuff the vast majority that I’ve seen that have long proof times do not use bread flour.
Lower protein flours concern me. There are strength issues no? Maybe some prefer that though for lightness
Yesterday was good. I ground up some grain into the mix
Baked 3 and don’t have a slice left
That could explain why my loaves don’t get a ton of oven spring. But, as you say, I do like a lighter crumb.
I assume the folding and then relatively long proof should lead to good gluten formation, even w/ AP? King Arthur AP also has slightly higher protein content than Gold’s, I think. The recipe I follow also uses a small amt of whole wheat and rye (but vast majority of the recipe is AP).
For a shorter proof, I would use bread flour.
@lectroid, try it w/ half AP/half bread and let us know what happens!
