slashing wet dough?

dylandylan
Gidday from New Zealand. Long time lurker first time poster.
I've just made my first couple of attempts at slashing a near-no-knead recipe.  I'm getting a better rise for my efforts, but nothing picturesque so far.  Not really sure what the exact hydration is...  roughly 1&1/4 cups water to 3 cups flour?   Any pointers gladly received... I'll happily continue experimenting in the meantime.
Dylan


Category: 
Sourdough Baking
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TeckPoh's picture
TeckPoh 2009 July 20

Welcome, Dylan!

Erm...your title implies you have some problem with slashing a wet dough? The starter's hydration doesn't seem very liquid, so, I guess it's your final bread formula. I think your slashes did their job, allowing your bread to burst in the right places...and, what a sight it is!

dylandylan 2009 July 21
I'll have to get my head around calculating the hydration.  I think as you say it's probably not that wet. I've only been baking for a couple of months using the one recipe, and only slashing the last few loaves so I don't have much of a frame of reference.   I'll keep slashing and see if I improve. I'm wondering if I'm underproofing and getting more expansion... dunno.  Plenty of recipes around here for me to experiment with.
Johnny's picture
Johnny 2009 July 22
Dylan, your breads looks delicious! I really like the choc, cinnamon one with currants & sultanas. I have found using LeadDog's spreadsheet really helpful when calculating or adjusting hydration. I also found I could use it to keep a record of exact amounts of water , flour etc so that when experimenting I knew exactly what I have changed.cheersjohnny
dylandylan 2009 July 22
Thanks for the encouragement.  Looks like I might be needing scales then!   So far I've been doing it pretty roughly by volume and feel, but I'd like to be able to get a handle on the hydration and I don't think there's any way around the weighing.
Johnny's picture
Johnny 2009 July 22
Yep a small digital scale is a good investment and you can pick one up for under $30. It really does make a big difference and takes all the guesswork out particularly when you begin experimenting with changes to ingredients.
dylandylan 2009 September 8
I'm still not measuring anything scientifically... if anything I'm going even more by feel these days, but a few loaves later and I'm slowly getting the hang of the razor blade.


rossnroller 2009 September 8
Nice looking bread, dylandylan. Any chance of a crumb shot?!

Also, would be interested to see your recipe. Always on the lookout for good new ones.

Cheers!
Ross
dylandylan 2009 September 28

This was a quick multigrain from the weekend.  The recipe was something like:
2 cups white1/2 cup wholemeal1/2 cup assorted seeds and grain (I think about half of that was kibbled grain, and the rest equalish parts of linseed, sunflower seed, pumpkin seed, sesame seed)1tsp salt1 1/4 cups water1/2 cup starter (high hydration)
It's about a 24hr process: I mix the lot, wait for about 8 hrs, then stretch & fold a few times with 10-20 minutes between each, about half a dozen times all up.  Then it's shaped and into a banneton over night somewhere cool, proofing for another 8 hours or so before cooking.   Depending on the temperature the dough can over-proof - the multi-grain above proofed too much for my liking, but was still more than edible.

TeckPoh's picture
TeckPoh 2009 September 28

LOVELY crumb, indeed....just a wee bit overproved, looking at the slightly compressed smaller holes at the bottom.

Did you make a soaker with your mixed seeds/grains?

Cheers

TP

Johnny's picture
Johnny 2009 September 28
Well done Dylan.. I have been doing a lot of mixed grain lately and like TP suggests I have been using a soaker.
dylandylan 2009 September 30
So far I've just been adding the grain and seeds as dry ingredients right from the start.  They seem to absorb plenty of moisture from the dough, but I'd never thought about it.  I'm intrigued now so I'll investigate the soaker approach,  thanks for the thought.
Grateful Ed 2011 July 26

I have been making sourdough bread and other items for some time now but would like to brach out and try some other of my favorite recipes but adding "sourdough" to the mix...any suggestions, tips or help would be greatly appreciated,

 

My thanks in advance,

Grateful Ed...

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