Hi 🙂
This is my first time making sourdough, and my dough wont hold any shape. As you can see in the video (Ik I need to clean xp), it is quite stretchy and a bit sticky, but it puddles out almost immediately after trying to shape it. Any feedback is much appreciated.
The Starter:
- 11 days old, made with whole rye, 1:1:1.
- Very active and rises quickly.
- Smells like sweet vinegar.
Ingredients used:
- Total Flour: 550g
- 375g White bread flour
- Ingredients: Wheat flour, durum wheat semolina, wheat gluten, wheat malt flour, malt extract (barley malt, water), vitamin C, enzymes, spices.
- Nutrition (per 100g): Energy 549 kcal / 2300 kJ, Fats 1.19g, Saturated Fats 0.29g, Carbohydrates 68g, Sugars 0.67g, Protein 13.8g, Sodium 1.63mg.
- 175g Sunflower mix Flour
- Ingredients: Wheat flour (malt flour, enzymes, antioxidant: vitamin C), sunflower seeds, crushed wheat.
- Nutrition (per 100g): Energy 370 Kcal, Fats 7.92g, Saturated Fats 0.89g, Carbohydrates 61.55g, Sugars 0.47g, Protein 13.58g, Sodium (Na) 8.5mg.
- 375g White bread flour
- Water: 330g (60% hydration)
- Starter: 20g (~3.5%)
- Salt: 10g (~2%)
process followed:
- 30-minute autolyse.
- 5 sessions of stretch and fold with 30 minutes in between.
- Attempted to build tension by rotating, but it lost shape rapidly.
- Bulk fermented for ~12 hours at ~20°C (68°F).
- Where i'm currently at: Nice and bubbly, but completely slack and won't hold form.
Any ideas went wrong here? I assume this one is doomed to be a flatbread by now, but I don't want to repeat my mistakes.
In similar posts I saw that not being able to hold shape could be due to high hydration or low protein, but this seems fine in my case.
The only thing I can think of is that the sourness destroyed the gluten network, but it was already like this before the bulk fermentation.
Edit:
Thanks for all the feedback, I will read the rest after work 😄
I will turn this one into focaccia, and try again with a lot less water and more starter, and cut the sunflour mix. If its to dry i can adjust next time and find a good %. Will also try to stick less to the measurements and see how the flour reacts.
I do think my starter is ready since it rises very well withing 2-3 hours. But I might be wrong, if my next one does not work out, i will let it mature for another 10-15 days
Seems my assumption that hydration was not the issue is wrong. And that my flour is not 100% flour so its actually more then 60%.
Will update with results
by __swamp__
17 Comments
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Over hydrated.
I use 100g starter / 300g water / 500g bread flour.
Try increasing starter and decreasing water.
That looks a lot higher than 60% hydration but im not sure. Doesnt look like it has much surface tension on it. Could be overproofed or over hydrated. Be wary of sticking to precise measurement for flour/water as certain floors will hold different amounts of water. Make your dough a bit dryer next time, as the gluten develops the dough will get ‘wetter’ as it absorbs more flour.
I like to just use 2 cups of water and then added enough flour to make a shaggy dough with a mixing spoon without kneading. After this I dont add any more flour. Usually makes decent high hydration dough suitable for focaccia and baguettes
I wonder if your starter isn’t quite ready. 11 days old is fairly young for a starter so it may just need more time to mature. Once it’s ready, I would also up the amount of starter quite a bit. I use 125g of starter to 500g of flour and 350g water, for reference!
Put in fridge. Then try to shape sheet several hrs fridge or overnight
Looks over hydrated as the other comments say. Make some focaccia instead maybe?
Looks like Focaccia time!
Add 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, pop it into a heavily oiled pan, let it bulk until super jiggly. More oil on top, dimple, spritz with some water and bake that at 250C for 18 to 20 minutes on the bottom rack. Should be delicious!
Also, go watch this guy. Super detailed series on Tartine Country Loaf. Massive help when starting. Guy spells it out over a bunch of videos. 100% recommend for beginning. I used it for my first ever loaf and they turned out pretty good, not amazing, not instagram beautiful, but tasty and looked like sourdough.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YBCogA32k0&list=PLMNnFRtsaxxyCiC0IQjqb-pH3zRpU4LEm](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YBCogA32k0&list=PLMNnFRtsaxxyCiC0IQjqb-pH3zRpU4LEm)
Is 20g enough starter?
Wet your hands before you handle the dough, and touch it quickly. Then it doesn’t stick so much to your hands.
Add flour
Not enough starter!!!
Thanks for all the feedback 😄
I will turn this one into focaccia, and try again with a lot less water and more starter, and cut the sunflour mix. If its to dry i can adjust next time and find a good %. Will also try to stick less to the measurements and see how the flour reacts.
I do think my starter is ready since it rises very well withing 2-3 hours.
Seems my assumption that hydration was not the issue is wrong. And that my flour is not 100% flour so its actually more then 60%.
Will update with results
Sunflower seeds might not absorb water but do carry weight making the flour hydration even higher.
I would use 100% bread flour for at least your first few loaves until you’ve got a good sense of the technique in a high gluten flour. That sunflower flour blend adds significant challenges; it’s going to absorb water and develop gluten really differently than wheat. Some flours won’t ever develop the gluten/tension needed for the loaf to be shaped.
You might want to let your starter mature a bit more… 11 days is pretty early.
For that amount of water and flour I definitely think you need more starter. Good luck.
More specifically, “dust flour into this little by little…” you can let it rest between adding flour so this new dry flour has a chance to hydrate. Your boule will eventually start to have strength.
Idk why so many people give advice on starting from scratch. Feels like it kinda misses the point of learning how to “fix” your dough so it comes out correct.