Breads (Sourdough) - Open Crumb
Easy Open Crumb Sourdough Bread
April 23, 2022
| Recipe by Bake with Paws
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Lately, I have been trying to simplify and make life easy. This had led me to experiment with simplified bread baking. I mixed all of ingredients together a with stand mixer and made few coil folds. I still managed to achieve quite a good result. For the time saved and ease I think it is a very acceptable outcome. No one in the family even noticed anything different LOL! I just love the loaf in this size.
If you have any questions regarding this recipe or any other post, please leave me a comment in the “LEAVE A COMMENT” link and I will reply you as soon as possible. Do tag me on Instagram @Bakewithpaws if you attempt on this recipe.
How To Make Easy Open Crumb Sourdough Bread
Yields: 2 Loaves
INGREDIENTS:
300g bread flour (I used Japan high gluten flour - About 12% protein) - 60%
150g '00' flour (Granoro Farina '00' Flour), can be replaced with bread flour - 30%
50 whole wheat flour - 10%
100g active sourdough starter or levain (100% hydration) -20%
400g water - 82% final hydration
10g salt - 2%
- Please refresh your starter several times before baking day in order to get a better result if you do not feed your starter daily or regularly.
- Please reserve some liquid and not add it all in one go as each flour absorbs water and hydrates differently.
- Please use 90% of bread flour if '00' Flour is not available.
Ambient temperature after adding in levain - 26C - 27C
Total Bulk Fermentation - 4 hours and 50 minutes
METHOD:
- Feed starter
- Feed ratio of 1:1:1, keep at room temperature (28C – 30C) and wait until tripled, around 4 – 5 hours.
- Please feed your starter at the ratio that fit your schedule as long as the starter is at its peak when use. Please click here for here "Sourdough Starter Recipe"
- Mix the dough :-
- Dissolve levain and water in a bowl of stand mixer. Add in flours and salt. Mix with paddle attachment for about 3 - 4 minutes at speed 2 (KA mixer) and slowly turn to speed 4 or until the dough turns smooth, comes together and away from the sides of the bowl.
- Transfer the dough into a greased square pyrex dish. Cover and rest for 30 minutes at room temperature around 26C - 27C.
- Coil Folds
- Coil Fold 1 - At this stage, the dough is weak and extensible. Fold the dough in the dish. Cover and rest for about 30 - 45 minutes or until dough spreads.
- Coil Fold 2 - At this stage the dough still extensible but stronger compare with the dough before the 1st coil fold. Fold the dough in the dish. Cover and rest for about 45 - 60 minutes or until dough spreads.
- Coil Fold 3 - At this stage, the dough is stronger then before and but still extensible. Fold the dough in the dish. Cover and rest for 60 - 90 minutes or until dough spreads.
- Coil Fold 4 - The dough did not spread as much as before and not so extensible if compare with previous fold. So, I decided it will be the last coil fold. I did half coil fold instead of full. However, if the dough is still quite extensible and spread a lot, then you will need one or two more coil folds. Fold the dough in the dish. Cover and rest for 60 - 90 minutes or until dough rise 50 - 60% in size since you added the levain.
- Divide and Shaping
- About 90 minutes later, the dough had risen about 50% - 60% in size since adding the levain. The dough should look puffy. It should jiggling when you slightly shake it. This is the end of bulk fermentation. The total fermentation time was 4 hours and 50 minutes for this bread.
- Flour the counter top. Divide into 2 equal portions.
- Shape each dough and transfer to a flour banneton.
- Proof On The Counter
- Let it proof in the banneton room temperature for 15 minutes (27C - 28C ambient temperature)
- Cold Retard
- Then retard overnight in the fridge (4C) for 12 - 16 hours. This bread was about 15 hours.
- Baking -
- Preheat oven with the dutch oven (cast iron) at 250C (top & bottom heat) fo 30 - 60 minutes before baking.
- Take one of the bread dough out from the fridge, invert onto a parchment paper. Using a razor blade attached to a lame slash the dough approximately 0.5 inches deep at 45-degree angle. Immediately transfer the dough with the parchment paper to your preheated dutch oven.
- Bake with cover on for 25 minutes. Remove the cover and lower the temperature to 220C (top & bottom heat), continue bake for another 10 - 15 minutes.
- Remove bread from oven and dutch oven. Let it cool on rack completely before slicing.
- Repeat the same for another bread.
GENERAL NOTES
SOURDOUGH STARTER
Please click this link for "How To Make Sourdough Starter" and "Sourdough Maintenance"
A healthy starter is very crucial as advised by Baking with Gina. It is advisable to feed your starter regularly if you want your bread to rise nicely and to use the starter (levain) at its peak. A starter that is fed regularly will be more active in general. If the mother starter is not strong, the bread dough will not rise a lot even though the starter is used at its peak.
HYDRATION
The liquid measurement given is also a guide. It is advisable to always reserve some liquid and not add it all in one go. This would give you the opportunity to adjust if necessary. If dough is too dry, add the reserve liquid one tablespoon at a time until the right consistency. This is because each flour absorbs water and hydrates differently.
BULK FERMENTATION
Bulk fermentation starts when you add in levain to the dough and ends when the dough is ready for shaping.
TEMPERATURE DURING BULK FERMENTATION
Ambient temperature plays a very important part in sourdough baking. It will affect the dough temperature and eventually affect your fermentation time. The cooler ambient temperature will extend the fermentation time. The greater degree of proof, the stronger the dough will be as explained by Trevor J. Wilson.
The ambient temperature that worked for me is between 25C - 26C and bulk fermentation time is between 4.5 hours to 5.5 hours. At the end of bulk fermentation, my dough would have increased 50% in volume. The dough should look puffy. It should jiggling when you slightly shake it. This is the end of bulk fermentation.
But, my kitchen ambient temperature (without air-conditioner) was 29C - 30C. So, I have to bring down the temperature.
How to bring down ambient temperature?
- Air-conditioner room - Rest the dough in air-conditioner room during bulk fermentation. I used this option sometimes. I turned on my air-conditioner when I added in levain and try to maintain temperature between 25C - 26C.
- Home oven (that's turned off) - Place ice cooler packs inside along with an ambient temperature thermometer. Then place your dough during bulk fermentation in the oven. Keep an eye on that thermometer and try to keep between 25C - 26C.
DOUGH STRENGTH AND EXTENSIBILITY
Too strong (tension or elastic) dough will take a longer time to increase (proof) in volume. So too strong dough may not have good oven spring and open crumb. While too weak dough (extensibility) dough may not hold it shape and rise with good oven spring too.
So over-working the dough (too strong dough) or under-working (weak dough) may affect the crumb structure and oven spring.
The number of coil folds is not fixed and very much depends on the strength and extensibility of the dough.
As demonstrated in an experiment by Kristen (Full Proof Baking) the over-worked dough rose super tall but was smaller in overall size and had a more dense crumb while the control dough rose tall during the oven spring and had a better overall result.
How do we know when it is enough and no more coil folds are needed?
We usually do 3 coil folds for this method. However, if by the second coil fold the dough is strong with less extensibility as you lift up a part of the dough then it should be the last coil fold, or just do a half coil folds instead of full. The resistance of the dough to being folded should be an indication to refrain from folding further.
How do we know when to do the next coil fold or stretch & fold?
When the dough spreads. Please do not rely on the time given in the recipe as it is just a guideline. Please watch your dough and not the clock.
SALT
You may wonder why most of the recipes asked to add salt after autolyze and adding levain. Salt will tighten the gluten and make it harder to stretch.
Labels:
Breads (Sourdough) - Open Crumb,
Hi. I tried this recipe but didnt get the rise as yours. i did about 5 CF but it still spreads quote easily during ferme tatikn. should more CFs be done in such cases?
ReplyDeleteHi, thanks for trying. It could be your starter. Please read the general notes on the above post:
DeleteIt is advisable to feed your starter regularly if you want your bread to rise nicely and to use the starter (levain) at its peak. A starter that is fed regularly will be more active in general. If the mother starter is not strong, the bread dough will not rise a lot even though the starter is used at its peak.
Cheers :)
Hi! Just wondering what is the reason for baking the loaves one at a time? Is it advisable to bake both loaves together to save electricity?
ReplyDeleteHi, thanks for your question. My cast iron pot (dutch oven) is too small for 2 loaves. If you have bigger dutch oven that can fit 2 loaves then please bake bake 2 loaves at one time.
DeleteCheers :)
Hi, can I use T65 bread flour?
ReplyDeleteHi, may I know any replacement for "00" flour?
ReplyDeleteHi, thanks for your interest in this recipe. Can be replaced with all bread flour. I usually used Japan High Gluten Flour.
DeleteCheers :)
Hi , my dough doesnt move away from the sides of the bowl and come together when I mix with the paddle. can u advise ?
ReplyDeleteHi, thank you for trying. Please turn to high speed if the dough take very long time to come out from the sides of the bowl. If you really can't get it. No worry. You just need to do more coil folds to build the gluten.
DeleteI hope it helps.
Cheers and happy baking :)
Hi, can I just use Jap High Flour for this recipe? Is it possible to bake on the same day? If I do not have a starter, can I replace it with poolish? thank you
ReplyDeleteHi, You can just use Japan High Gluten Flour and yes it can be bake on the same day. I have not tried poolish for this bread. I guess you can try.
DeleteCheers :)
Should I take the retard dough out of the refrigerator before heating the oven? How long I should proof the retard dough after I remove from refrigerator?
ReplyDeleteHi, thank you for your interest in this recipe.
DeletePreheat the oven first. Once the oven is ready, take out the bread dough from fridge, score and bake. You are not require to retard the dough after removing from the fridge.
Cheers :)