Tip #1: Increase the Hydration Level of your Dough for a Softer Textured Sourdough. The amount of water you add to the dough affects how open the crumb is in the final result (open crumb means bigger holes and a softer texture). The higher the water level, the more open the crumb will be.
We get many questions from customers about why their sourdough bread has uneven holes in it. Holes that are too big obviously aren't good, neither are 'tunnel' holes along the length of your sourdough loaf. But uneven holes occurring through your sourdough is good, not bad!
Crumb - The pattern and size of holes inside of a loaf. Artisan breads made with high hydration dough typically have an open and irregular crumb.
The amount of water you add to your dough directly affects how the crumb in your baked loaf. A more open crumb results in bigger holes and a softer texture, whereas a closed crumb results in a more robust textured bread. Simply put, the more water in your dough, the more open the crumb will be.
One of the most common mistakes is having a dough temperature that's too low for the starter to feed on all the flour in the dough, resulting in a crumb that's dense, with fewer openings. "Starter is happiest and most active at around 75 degrees. If it's a lot colder, the process will be much slower.
Sourdough works because of the relationship between these wild yeasts and naturally occurring lactic acid bacteria (or lactobacilli) in the flour. These lactic acid bacteria give sourdough its sour taste, while also preventing unwanted microbes from growing in the starter.
Set the oven to 450°F, turn it on, and set a timer for 30 minutes. When the timer goes off, remove the lid and allow the bread to continue baking until it's a dark golden brown, probably an additional 25-30 minutes.
Overproofed is when the dough has rested too long and the yeast has continued making carbon dioxide while the strength of the dough (gluten bonds) have begun to wear out. The dough will look very puffy, but when you touch it or move it you may notice it deflate or sag.
Kahm yeast is often mistaken for mold, however it is quite different. It isn't actually mold, but instead a free range yeast. It can look like a foamy or powdery white film on your sourdough starter.
Stretching and folding helps activate the gluten in wheat flour, making it easier to work with and shape. If you skip stretching and folding, chances are you will end up with soggy dough that doesn't hold its shape before or during baking.
Too little folding can result in weak dough. But too much folding can produce excessive tension and compressive forces. An over-folded dough might have a tighter crumb as the layers of alveoli push against each other and coalesce. In the worst case, excessive folding might cause a dough to tear under too much tension.
The sourdough should reach at least 50 percent higher—so not doubled in size, but 50 percent larger in size before you want to shape it. But know that the more whole grain you use, the less you can tell fermentation from volume.
Mixing baking soda into the dough at the shaping stage (just after the bulk ferment) will give sourdough bread an extra boost and help it become lighter and more airy. Baking soda is a heavy alkaline and reacts with the strong acidity of sourdough.
Bread flour is the logical choice for sourdough bread. Its higher protein content means that it will give you the best results. White bread flour will ensure that your dough easily develops a strong gluten network. It will be easy to fold and shape and give you the best oven rise because of this.
Step 7: Wait For The Sourdough Loaf to Cool (The Hard Part)
The loaf needs to cool outside of the Dutch oven for at least 30 minutes, and ideally more like two hours. When you pull the bread out of the oven, it is still baking inside. Cutting into a loaf too early will stop this process and result in a very gummy loaf.
If your recipe calls for more than 227g (about 1 cup) of starter, feed it without discarding until you've reached the amount you need (plus 113g to keep and feed again).
No you do not have to stir sourdough starter before you use it. You measure the sourdough starter by weight, not volume, so stirring it or not makes absolutely no difference. What does "fed" sourdough starter mean? Fed sourdough starter refers to a starter that has been fed flour and water (preferably by weight).
Feed the starter every 12 hours until you see it double or triple in volume within 6 to 8 hours; this means it's ready to bake with.
These pockets are defined by their membranes' durability, the gluten that you have strengthened through mixing, kneading, and stretch and folds during bulk fermentation. If you're forceful with the dough, you'll cause these pockets to break into smaller versions of themselves, tightening the dough's overall structure.
If your starter is not doubling or growing substantially in volume between feedings, it is not strong enough to leaven dough. You can certainly try baking, but you most likely will not achieve proper fermentation.
For the autolyse, I simply mix the flour and water together until the flour is fully moistened. I then cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 30 minutes. It's truly miraculous to observe how the dough transforms in 30 short minutes from a rough blob to a smooth and stretchy dough.