Hi All,
I have an 8-9 month old whole wheat sourdough starter that seems great. Initially, my loaves came out great. Now, they are coming out consistently with a raw arch of dough in the middle. I can't figure out why. I live at 6000 feet.
I use 2.5 cups water, 2.5 t salt, 5.5 cups flour (usually a mix of whole wheat and white bread flour) and 1/2 cup sourdough starter. I mix ingredients and knead for 15 minutes by hand. I do a long cool rise for close to 20 hours, then a quick knead, shape into loaf and bake at 375 for 60-75 minutes. I check the temperature when I take it out. It used to be that 190 F was done. Now, even 200 F is not done--the bread is fine on the outside--great crust, and fine on the ends, but the middle has an arc of dough not fully cooked.
Any suggestions?
Thanks so much.
Replies
Hello stgo0491,
Given your altitude, you could try a higher temperature for baking. This is a general recommendation for high altitude baking. Maybe give it a run at 400 and see how it goes. Not a lot to lose one way or another. You could even go up to 450 if you felt inclined but you would probably need to shorten your baking time.
One other possibility from your process description is that you don't mention any proving after your loaf shaping, so maybe the 'uncooked' dough is something that has been completely de-aerated during this stage and is too dense to bake at the temperature that it reaches.
Good luck with your projects.
Farinam
Thank you so much! I think you could be right about the proving. I will try that!
Steffie