Over the last couple of weeks since my last post I have continued to bake bread trying out different ideas. I have managed some success and one failure. Three ideas I have been trying are to use potato water (that's just water used to boil potatoes), proving with less yeast at room temperature instead of the fridge and kneading in a different way. This is the use of three very short kneads over half an hour instead of a continuous 10 minute knead. It's the technique championed by Dan Lepard and used in his sour cream sandwich loaf (see my earlier post):
- After mixing the dough in the bowl, cover and leave for 10 minutes.
- Turn the dough out on to an oiled work surface and knead for 10 seconds. I think in practice I do it for longer.
- Cover and leave for 10 minutes.
- Knead for another 10s, cover and leave for 10 minutes.
- Do one more knead. So that's three kneads over 30 minutes.
- Clean out the bowl and put the dough back in and cover. (I use oiled clingfilm but you can also use a plastic bag or a floured cloth).
- Leave for at least an hour. I usually leave overnight or till the next evening (about 20 hours).
The failure was a 100% wholemeal brick. I used potato water and half the flour to make a sponge which was left for about 24 hours. I then added the flour and salt and left it for another 20 hours before shaping for the tin. It didn't rise in the tin and didn't spring in the oven. Although a nice taste it is just too heavy and so it will be blitzed in the food processor and given to the birds. I didn't add any sugar and I suspect the yeast ran out of food over the very long proving time. I thought the potato water would provide food but that's starch and not sugar.
The great success was 100% white bread. For the liquid I mixed a small amount of fat-free Greek yogurt (just what was left in the pot) and potato water and then made it up to the full amount with full-fat milk. I made two large loaves with 1200g flour and 720g liquid - about 500g of this was the potato water. I used about 4g of dry yeast and kneaded as described above. I left it overnight. Over this period I had to knock the dough down in the bowl a couple of times - the milk probably provided enough sugar for the yeast. I divided the dough in two and shaped each piece just by flattening it and then tightly rolling. I cooked the loaves for about 30 minutes at 200C. One loaf had risen by more than the other and it also sprang up in the oven quite well. So high temperatures and steam don't seem to be necessary for oven spring.
Last night's bread was for two large loaves as follows:
- 900g wholemeal bread flour
- 500g white bread flour
- 930g liquid (about half and half potato water and tap water)
- 15g salt
- 20g light brown sugar
- 4g yeast
Three quick kneads and in the bowl at room temperature until the next evening. The dough rose very well and had to be knocked down several times. Divided into two tins and left to prove. Baked at 200C for 35 minutes with the last 5 out of the tin. Reasonably successful but I would change a few things:
- Less liquid. The dough was a bit slack and so when it rose in the tin it spilled down the side instead of going up. This is a similar amount of liquid I have used before so perhaps the potato water affects this.
- More salt. I decreased the salt but probably by too much as it tastes a bit bland. Probably should have used 20g.
- Less yeast. Having to knock the dough down in the bowl several times shows there was plenty. Another option would be to put the dough in the fridge overnight but then leave it at room temperature during the day before baking in the evening.
- Knead the traditional way. I want to see if this makes a difference but I would need to compare two identical recipes for this to be valid.
- Bake at a higher temperature. The loaves are a bit pale and the crust is a bit thick. This may change after a day or two but I think going back to a higher temperature and cooking for less time would help this. At high temperatures I find the loaf looks burnt but isn't.
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