Foodlovers Foodtalk Forum
Baking bread in Romertopf
Posted by DK
|
Re: Baking bread in Romertopf November 08, 2017 03:48AM |
Hi Chris,
I don't actually make yeast-based bread anymore unless it's a speciality thing (I will be returning to yeast-based hot cross buns after my sourdough ones this year
). I spray the oven sides with water three times five minutes apart once the oven has come up to temperature - this isn't for oven spring though but to make the crust crispier. According to my sourdough book (http://www.sourdo.com/book/), oven spring with this method comes once it reaches temperature and you can sometimes see the dough leap up to triple its size. However, I haven't seen that - I rarely get oven spring at all (whether with the cold start method or with a preheated oven) although I do get a good rise out of the dough beforehand. I'm working on refining my technique in case it's something I'm doing wrong, but what I suspect it is in my case is that I'm using a very sour starter. I bought it from Sourdoughs International (the people who also do the book) and picked the Bahrain one as it was their most sour, for the flavour. At the time I didn't realise that the more sour the dough, the less the rise, so I suspect I have a tradeoff situation, but the flavour is so good that even if I can't improve the oven spring I'm willing to live with it. (The dough still has sourdoughy holes in it.) As you know, sourdough is super complex!
Edited to add that Ed Wood the book guy has another trick you don't see anywhere else. He says you get a much better rise if you give it an extra proof (which he calls the culture proof). He says that when you get a culture out od the fridge and feed it, although it looks active at the end of its proofing time, it greatly benefits from an extra proof which hugely multiplies the yeasty beasties. This is the method I've followed since starting sourdoughing and does seem to work well. So I get the dough out in the morning, feed it and proof it until it's doubled in size, then throw out half (or put it in my backup jar), then feed it again and proof it again for eight hours. Then before going to bed I make the dough and proof it overnight, then shape it and proof it in the morning. Sourdough, I could chat about it for hours.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/08/2017 03:57AM by CarolynC.
I don't actually make yeast-based bread anymore unless it's a speciality thing (I will be returning to yeast-based hot cross buns after my sourdough ones this year
). I spray the oven sides with water three times five minutes apart once the oven has come up to temperature - this isn't for oven spring though but to make the crust crispier. According to my sourdough book (http://www.sourdo.com/book/), oven spring with this method comes once it reaches temperature and you can sometimes see the dough leap up to triple its size. However, I haven't seen that - I rarely get oven spring at all (whether with the cold start method or with a preheated oven) although I do get a good rise out of the dough beforehand. I'm working on refining my technique in case it's something I'm doing wrong, but what I suspect it is in my case is that I'm using a very sour starter. I bought it from Sourdoughs International (the people who also do the book) and picked the Bahrain one as it was their most sour, for the flavour. At the time I didn't realise that the more sour the dough, the less the rise, so I suspect I have a tradeoff situation, but the flavour is so good that even if I can't improve the oven spring I'm willing to live with it. (The dough still has sourdoughy holes in it.) As you know, sourdough is super complex!
Edited to add that Ed Wood the book guy has another trick you don't see anywhere else. He says you get a much better rise if you give it an extra proof (which he calls the culture proof). He says that when you get a culture out od the fridge and feed it, although it looks active at the end of its proofing time, it greatly benefits from an extra proof which hugely multiplies the yeasty beasties. This is the method I've followed since starting sourdoughing and does seem to work well. So I get the dough out in the morning, feed it and proof it until it's doubled in size, then throw out half (or put it in my backup jar), then feed it again and proof it again for eight hours. Then before going to bed I make the dough and proof it overnight, then shape it and proof it in the morning. Sourdough, I could chat about it for hours
.Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/08/2017 03:57AM by CarolynC.
|
Re: Baking bread in Romertopf November 10, 2017 03:08AM |
Chris, that's interesting about the difference between you and your friend's doughs. Differences in flour perhaps? When I make wholemeal loaves with stoneground flour l find I need a cup of water if the recipe says 3/4 cup. Re your non-umphy starter, I've always use filtered water so I don't know if it makes a difference or not. I do however have a tip from Ed Wood (the guy has about fifty years' worth of sourdough experience so hopefully he knows what he's doing) that might help. He says that starters get more acidic over time, and the more acidic the starter, the less the rise. He says when you get the starter out of the fridge, fill the jar (assuming it's about half full with starter) with warm water, stir it in and toss half away, then feed it. I've done this every time and my starter is as bouncy as it was at first.
) that might help. He says that starters get more acidic over time, and the more acidic the starter, the less the rise. He says when you get the starter out of the fridge, fill the jar (assuming it's about half full with starter) with warm water, stir it in and toss half away, then feed it. I've done this every time and my starter is as bouncy as it was at first.
Sorry, only registered users may post in this forum.
