I have been baking sourdough for a number of years mostly very successfully. In recent weeks during the hot weather I have had some disasters. I prove the dough overnight and that rises as normal but then I shape it the next morning to bake in the afternoon and this second rise has typically been very poor.. Sometimes if I turn it out to bake it collapses and I have a very flat loaf, other times it remains round but with very little rise. The last loaf turned out better on a cooler day today's is small again with higher temperatures. Any suggestions?
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You might want to check and alter your water temps....
The formula that I used to use in an italian bakery and still use at home is:
For the first fermentation: 45 minus the ambient room temp.
For the second dough: 39 minus the ambient room temp.
Hasen't failed me yet. Good luck
Thanks I am not sure I understand your suggestions about the temperature of the water. I know that Italian bakers use a different method to the French recipe I use and I use cold water from the tap without measuring temperature
It seems to me you are over-proving hugely in the hot weather. My kitchen varies between 30C in summer and 15C winter. And that has a great impact on the proving times. If you have to prove overnight, perhaps leave the bread in the fridge?
Proving overnight is part of the French recipe I have always used although perhaps I could leave it in a cooler place overnight (putting it in the fridge would be totally impractical I can't imagine a fridge with enough space to fit my mixing bowl in). Typically everything seems fine after the overnight prove its just the second prove that seems sluggish
In high temperatures, bulk ferment can be as little as two hours. Ditto for proving.
Second prove is sluggish because the dough has lost all its "oomph" during the previous phase.
Any oven spring? If not, probably over-proved.
OK, France can be hot in the South, but France is basically a lot more temperate than Australia.