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Quick school night sourdough loaf

caliking
caliking Posts: 18,921
edited July 2018 in Baking
I had been thinking about some posts made in the Wild Yeast thread recently, specifically one member who used his KA to knead the dough since he had a few loaves to bake, posts about the importance of shaping the dough after the bulk rise ( @SciAggie ), and a comment by  @NPHuskerFL about gluten structure. 

I had some leftover levain from a week ago in the fridge, so decided to try things a little differently. 

Dough: 
AP 450g
Water 338ml
Salt  10g
Levain 185g

levain came straight out of the fridge. I used that much because a) didn’t want to waste any b) I needed the dough to bulk rise in a few hrs since it was a school night. 

Mixed the AP and water for a few minutes in the KA, then let it rest for 30mins. Added the levain, then kneaded for 10 or so mins until the dough became silky and pulled away from the bowl easily. Sprinkled the salt on it and let it rest for 30 mins. Then folded every 30 mins x4. 

The about doubled after 4 hrs and felt right, so I shaped it. This time I paid attention and rolled the dough towards me with my hands, to sort of tighten the dough. Did this a few times then, plopped it in a loaf pan. This makes it easier to take bread to work and make sammiches. Refrigerated overnight for 8 hrs. 
  This morning, preheated the oven to 475F for 45mins, then  placed the cold dough in the oven. Tented HD foil over the top. Ice cubes in a hot CI skillet for steam.  Baked for 30 mins covered, 10 mins uncovered. 





This was one of my best loaves yet, in terms of oven spring. Haven't sliced it yet, since it came out of the oven just before I had to leave for work. 

And I really dig the convenience- make the levain ahead of time, bulk rise 4 hrs, refrigerate 6-8 hrs, then done within 1.5hrs of waking up the next morning. 

#1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.

Comments

  • lkapigian
    lkapigian Posts: 11,140
    Looks Like A Winner!
    Visalia, Ca @lkapigian
  • blind99
    blind99 Posts: 4,974
    i've been using loaf pans and overnight fridge, as well, with a couple of problems - sometimes the dough rises too much and gets stuck to the plastic wrap I put on.  and i've gotten the dough stuck to the pan.  (second problem I mostly fixed by putting a piece of parchment on the bottom of the pan; the sides I loosen with a knife.)

    thoughts? great looking loaf there!
    Chicago, IL - Large and Small BGE - Weber Gasser and Kettle
  • caliking
    caliking Posts: 18,921
    blind99 said:
    i've been using loaf pans and overnight fridge, as well, with a couple of problems - sometimes the dough rises too much and gets stuck to the plastic wrap I put on.  and i've gotten the dough stuck to the pan.  (second problem I mostly fixed by putting a piece of parchment on the bottom of the pan; the sides I loosen with a knife.)

    thoughts? great looking loaf there!
    I've had the same happen in the past.

    I dust the bottom and sides of the pan with flour. No oil, as it will scorch with the high temp.

    After shaping and dropping it in the loaf pan, i dust the top of the dough with some flour, and place the pan in a plastic grocery store bag. Loosely knot the ends, and tent the part overlying the dough. This lets it all breathe a little, so you don't get condensation between bag and dough, which minimizes the plastic sticking to the dough. 

    I also found that removing the loaf from the pan seems to be easier within a few minutes of it coming out of the oven vs. waiting for it to cool in the pan. 

    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
  • blind99
    blind99 Posts: 4,974
    excellent, thanks, i'll give that a try.
    Chicago, IL - Large and Small BGE - Weber Gasser and Kettle
  • SciAggie
    SciAggie Posts: 6,481
    That’s a beautiful loaf of bread. 
    Coleman, Texas
    Large BGE & Mini Max for the wok. A few old camp Dutch ovens and a wood fired oven. LSG 24” cabinet offset smoker. There are a few paella pans and a Patagonia cross in the barn. A curing chamber for bacterial transformation of meats...
    "Bourbon slushies. Sure you can cook on the BGE without them, but why would you?"
                                                                                                                          YukonRon
  • NPHuskerFL
    NPHuskerFL Posts: 17,629
    Nice!!! :plus_one:
    Oven spring ✔
    Those blisters tho :heart:
    Sliced yet?


    LBGE 2013 & MM 2014
    Die Hard HUSKER & BRONCO FAN
    Flying Low & Slow in "Da Burg" FL
  • bgebrent
    bgebrent Posts: 19,636
    That looks wonderful man!
    Sandy Springs & Dawsonville Ga
  • caliking
    caliking Posts: 18,921
    edited July 2018
    Thanks @SciAggie . I made a few improvements based on "listen to your egghead friends" as mentioned above. Another thing I got right with this one, was not burning the crust. The loaf has a particular aroma at the right moment when it needs to be pulled, and I usually haven't paid attention to it. I think @20stone passed that on to me. 

    Next up is honing my lame skills,  to control how the loaf expands as it bakes.

    It never ends!

    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
  • caliking
    caliking Posts: 18,921
    Thanks @NPHuskerFL . Can't wait to slice into it when I get home.

    The crust turned out nice and crispy. I leave a CI skillet in the oven as a heat diffuser, and dump 2 cups of ice cubes in it immediately after the loaf goes in. Charges the oven up with steam very nicely. If baking in a covered DO, I pop 2-3 cubes inside the hot DO, between the parchment paper and dough. 

    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
  • Dyal_SC
    Dyal_SC Posts: 6,268
    Perfect!  Looks awesome!  I gave up on sourdough. Never could get it right.  Might hafta try it again after this post. 
  • SciAggie
    SciAggie Posts: 6,481
    Open crumb is cool and all that - I think it’s fun to develop the skill set to make a loaf with really open crumb. That said, open crumb sucks for sandwiches; butter, jelly, and the like leak through terribly as well. What you made is a very practical and useful bread. 
    Coleman, Texas
    Large BGE & Mini Max for the wok. A few old camp Dutch ovens and a wood fired oven. LSG 24” cabinet offset smoker. There are a few paella pans and a Patagonia cross in the barn. A curing chamber for bacterial transformation of meats...
    "Bourbon slushies. Sure you can cook on the BGE without them, but why would you?"
                                                                                                                          YukonRon