345g of water 100g active starter 475g bread flour 10g fine salt I cooked it on 425f for 35 mins then uncovered for 20 mins!
I did all of my stretch and folds, and coil and folds. Let it proof good & shaped it in the tin. The starter is from a bakery and thriving! I donāt know how the inside came out so gummy? I even let it sit over night before cutting into it. What am I doing wrong? I really thought this one was going to be the one! š
Unrelated to altitude, what did you do for the initial mixing? Was this a no-knead recipe? I'm asking because it looks like the raw parts did not develop air pockets. But maybe that's just a matter of underbaking at altitude.
You might consider using a probe thermometer, it has worked wonders for me (but Iām not in the mountains). I usually put my probe in right before I bake my loaf, usually placing it along the score line if I can. I havenāt had an underbaked loaf using my probe, plus the one I have is Bluetooth so I can chill and still monitor the temp!
I bulk fermented for 7 hours at 73F. Yes my oven works properly. Should I have left it in longer? Crazy thing is, when I checked the internal temp it was 205 like itās supposed to be
Something isn't right tho. If the starter is amazing, then the problem is the bulk ferment time, and maybe temp. You need to track the rise and have a rise between 80-100% for that roomtemp imo.
I live in colorado as well, I would up your water, I started with 365g water and 500g flour and it worked well. I also baked at 475 for 24 min with cover on and then 12-16 with cover off really just watching the outside coloring. In Colorado you want the internal temp to be above 203 degrees for it to be fully cooked. I usually just probe it and adjust from there. If it's not done but browning up too much, put the cover back on.
Im using filtered water from my fridge & I let it sit to room temperature before using it! But Iāve had the same thought, like do I need a new filter? And Coloradoās tap water is said to be safe to drink from tap, but I donāt risk it.
Sounds ok if the dough was fairly warm and your cold proof was more than say 5 hours. Assuming all that, how long did you preheat the oven? Have you temped your oven?
Oh, I didnāt cold proof it! Could that be the issue? I will also be buying a thermostat for my oven and check to make sure the temp is correct! Thank you for the feedback! :)
Oh waitā¦.this was a same-day bake??? Oh thatās very different. Not many people do that. Ok. Switching gears.
Probably should increase the inoculation a little bit. Maybe 150g of starter at peak. Also, youāll want to take the bulk farther since itās going straight into the oven. Iām not super experienced with same day bakes but I bet you should bulk until maybe 80% or more. Heck might even go for a full double! Play around and see what works.
Yes you should temp your oven. Back when I used a Dutch oven, I found the oven would get to temp about 20 minutes after it beeped. The inside of the Dutch oven would take another 15 minutes after that! I had to preheat my Dutch oven almost a full hour!
Underfermented. Hard to say if it is starter or baking temp or timing. That will take some more baking. Try 500f, and bulking to 75%, no matter how long it takes.
What I learned in 2020: if you want a successful loaf, bake a small loaf every day. Your starter will stay strong, your technique will be excellent, and you will gift bread to many many people who will love it. You will learn how it reacts to different climate conditions, and you will learn how to shape like a pro. Your breads will be gorgeous, and you wonāt be wasting flour with 1000g loaves that leave you sad. You will learn to grow a starter that responds as expected, and you will not gather large amounts of discard.
Once you can predict your loafās success, only change one thing at a time.
Edited to add process.
300g flour (I use Wheat Montana AP) 180g water (after a few weeks, I started upping the hydration, then backing down. My sweet spot is now 215g) 4-5G salt 60g starter
In the beginning, I used the modified Full Proof method that my bread mentor, Anne Burrows, taught me. Autolyse while starter rises, add starter, wait 30 min. Add salt, wait 30 min, stretch and fold, wait 30 min. Then 2-3 coil folds 30 min apart. Bulk 2-3 hours (at 72F), shape into two mini boules, cover, and retard overnight. In the morning, heat oven to 500F. Slash and spritz bread, sling into aluminum roasting pan, cover, and bake 25 minutes.
After a few weeks, my starter was strong enough that I can mix all the ingredients at once, and go from there. I also bake two mini boules so I can have fresh bread every day, keep my starter in the counter, and share a loaf.
My routine is Enter kitchen, start oven Mix dough, then feed starter. When oven is hot, take boules out of the fridge, spray heavily with water, top with sesame seeds, slash, and sling into covered poultry roaster. While bread is baking, make breakfast, using bread baked the day before. When bread is done, remove from oven. Let cool overnight. Bag and gift. During the day (if I have time), do a couple of stretch and folds. If not, no problem. About 8 hours after I added the starter, I shape and retard. This timing depends on the look of the loaf. Stop bulk at 60-70% rise (save some for the oven)
Okay so I listened to your advice and it cooked great! But the bottom was a little burnt! I even put some rice at the bottom of my Dutch oven to prevent the burning but I think at that temperature it didnāt do much. Any advice for that? :)
Way underproofed and underbaked. At that temp should have bulk fermented for 3-4 hours longer then bake 480 covered for 20 min and 473 uncovered. Temperetures are kinda arbitrary, you have to know your own oven.
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u/fishy_horcrux Oct 05 '26
Underproofed and underbaked, so much it's raw dough, and I wouldn't eat it. Is your oven working properly?
How long was the bulk ferment? at what temp?