10 tips in 10 days coming up!
I’ve basically been having a dough rising every day during the last years. Most often in a bowl or a box, and if not; in my thoughts. Sourdough loaves, pizza balls, burger buns, sweet cinnamon buns & breakfast rolls.
Along with the coming week’s posts I will share 10 of the most valuable insights I’ve had that’s lead to more consistent result in baking high quality, beautiful goods from home (in no particular order).
Would love it if you comment or DM with questions, I always do my best to answer!
So number 1, Sourdough country bread! Get your ideal dough by doing NOTHING. I’m talking about an extended 3-6+ hours flour and water only ‘autolyse’.
When baking a larger size (and heavier) piece of dough, such as a wheat based loaf of sourdough bread, the structure of the shaped dough needs to be able to hold a large portion if its own weight. This is in order to achieve a full bodied form when being baked.
My best way to achieve this is to ensure a practically full ‘development’ of the dough in the time leading up to the final shaping. I’m achieving this consistently by letting time do its work on hand stirred flour and water, rather than relying to kneading/machines during the mixing only.
A freshly mixed dough with water and flour only.
Mixing is all about hydrating the flour. Even though you can’t see dry flour any more, it doesn’t mean the flour is hydrated to the point where the chemical processes starts going.
Relying on time first handedly has given me doughs that feels more supple, smoother and easier to handle during the folding and final shaping.
This is true to all types of wheat dough really, not just sourdough bread.
Featured in this post is today’s first test bake with regionally grown and milled organic bread flour from Limabacka Kvarn and a quarter fresh milled whole ölands wheat. Stunning result!
Bread by @danlarn 