This was a 90% hydration sourdough country loaf. l've been noticing that high-speed mixing tends to build quite a bit of tension in my usual 80-85% hydration doughs, so I decided to push the hydration up to 90% to make the dough more extensible and cooperative. I followed my usual process with an autolyse, then mixed in the spiral until full gluten development. At this hydration, the dough felt really nice after mixing-supple, extensible, and working with me instead of against me. I gave it one strong fold 15 minutes after mixing, followed by three gentle coil folds whenever the dough relaxed. Something l've been observing recently is that when the dough feels light at the end of bulk, l almost always get a more open crumb. It seems like the gas is better retained in these cases, as opposed to denser doughs where gas either escapes or gets compressed by the dough's own weight, even if the volume rise looks similar. I preshaped very gently, then shaped lightly with a simple fold, and cold retarded the dough for 12 hours at 6°C. I baked this one a bit hot, starting at 230°C and dropping it to 225°C
toward the end of the bake.
by AnStar24
17 Comments
Looks wonderful!!
Woooowww my dream crumb, thanks for sharing your method. How long did it spend in the mixer?
I never thought I’d describe a crumb as mesmerizing but I’ve been zooming in and out for a good 10 mins. Damn. I feel like, each and every hole is perfect and the gluten structure is so strong, its almost translucent that I can see deep inside the bread.
Anyway, Congrats.
This is a beautiful crumb. You should be really proud.
What flour/% protein are you using?
Really great crumb, congrats.
exceptional
What’s the trick?
Beautiful. This is a perfect loaf.
Looks pretty so I get why ppl strive for it, but I’d be so mad if I bought a loaf and this was the crumb
This is the perfect type of bread for sopping up the sugo after a delicious pasta. 😋
300g flour
60g levain
270g water
6g salt
Do you mix with the paddle?
I wan this now!!! Will make one tomorrow.
Can I ask what you mean by “mixed in the spiral”? Also, I take it you’re using a mixer for your initial steps, then coil folds by hand?
Very nice
Nice work, but this is an overknead dough.
You can have this sort of result without overknead. Just do a longer autolysis.
Wait longer before folding and do less fold.