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East2WestGirl
2 Posts
Ashley
USA
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 Posted - Jul 09 2020 : 07:44:47 AM
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Location- Central Coast, CA
Elevation- 250'
Equipment- Brod&Taylor proofer @ 73', 85' proof for 4-6hrs bake day
Flour- Kamut
Week 1- bake day: was not great, but bread
Week 2- bake day: some rise, bread wet and dense
Week 3- bake day: full rise during proof. Bread appeared as though it "fell" or lost rise during baking. Bread was spongy and wet.
Quite discouraged by Week 3's bake results. I have made the basic loaves each week. Plan to attempt Week 4 bake day with same basic loaf. I am carefully following the book's instructions and my oven temp. has been verified. What can be done to get rid of the moisture and the spongy texture? |
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Ashley
656 Posts
Ashley
MOSCOW
Idaho
USA
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Posted - Jul 09 2020 : 09:38:43 AM
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Hi Ashley,
It sounds like you've had good rise results. The Batter Bread does make a pretty moist bread. Since your bread fell in the oven, you may benefit from adding a little extra flour. I'd start small here—maybe an extra 1/4–1/2 cup. This will help the bread hold bubbles better, and will slightly reduce the moisture in the bread. The Batter Bread will always make a moist loaf, but since you're seeing a full rise at week 3, I'd say you're pretty close to being able to move to the Advanced section, which has recipes for breads with less moisture content.
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Ashley Ogle |
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tmagnani
4 Posts
Therese
Cottonwood
Arizona
USA
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Posted - Mar 13 2022 : 10:07:01 AM
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I have had similar experiences as East2WestGirl. I am on week 5 with Kamut, have only made the batter bowl bread. I am at 3314' in Cottonwood AZ.
1st week, very little rise, very dense and moist, almost gummy. And the flavor was very sour.
2nd week, a bit more rise, not quite as dense, but still very sour.
3rd and 4th week, I froze the excess starter.
5th week, good rise, nearly to top of bowls, 6 hrs in proofer. As I was heating the oven, it appeared that the loaves were actually starting to deflate. I used the maximum amount of flour. Less dense, still moist and very sour. I am hoping as I move past batter breads, the sourness will lessen. I feel like I am wasting flour and time baking bread no one wants to eat.
Questions:
Do I need to increase the bake time due to my elevation?
How long do I really need to continue to bake batter breads?
Can I just continue working with the starter, freezing the extra for a few more weeks and get on with the advanced breads?
Thank you for any and all help and advice.
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Ashley
656 Posts
Ashley
MOSCOW
Idaho
USA
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Posted - Mar 14 2022 : 1:43:14 PM
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Hi Therese,
From what you describe, I think your mother is moving along nicely. The beginner breads do have a pronounced sour flavor simply because there is a lot of mother added to the recipes. If you prefer a more mild sourdough flavor, you'll find better results once you move to the Advanced Section.
I'm not sure that you need to adjust the baking time due to your elevation. Unfortunately, I'm at roughly 2579 feet, so do not have a way to troubleshoot, but generally speaking, elevation doesn't effect cooking/baking until 3500 feet. I recommend checking the internal temperature of your breads to make sure they're hitting 200-205 degrees Fahrenheit before removing loaves from the oven.
When your breads are rising within a consistent timeframe to the edge of the pan, your counter mother is ready to be converted to a refrigerator mother. Here's a resource that gives a more in-depth view on the topic: http://www.maryjanesfarm.org/download/wild-bread/admonitions/admonition1.pdf
You can certainly freeze your mother while waiting for it to develop, but you'll want to bake breads somewhat regularly to test its lofting power and flavor, especially if you're anxious to move on to the advanced breads. |
Ashley Ogle |
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tmagnani
4 Posts
Therese
Cottonwood
Arizona
USA
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Posted - Mar 19 2022 : 3:03:15 PM
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Hi Ashley,
Thank you for the information.
I cut the loaf pan recipe in half last week and that loaf came out better than I expected. My husband declared it a success! I put it in the proofer, and it rose to the top of the pan in 3 hours. The flavor was milder than the bowl breads were.
I appreciate you putting the link in your reply. I am patient with many things, just need to add wild bread making to my list!
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Ashley
656 Posts
Ashley
MOSCOW
Idaho
USA
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Posted - Mar 21 2022 : 10:43:43 AM
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| I'm so happy to hear you had a successful Bake Day. 3 hours is a great rise time. I'm hoping this is the start of a long string of successful Bake Days for you! |
Ashley Ogle |
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Kamut Week 4
