Help! PROBLEM - Gummy sourdough (dense, moist crumb) is the most common sourdough bread problems facing home bakers. Youll find that the dough sticks much less and youll have a better time shaping it. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Thanks guys!!! At first, the dough will be very sticky, but the gluten will develop more and more after each stretch and fold. Some things to have on hand to work with really wet dough are: So how do you fix wet and sticky sourdough? Rest uncovered for 25 minutes. A well developed gluten network has the strength to hold the gases and produce an even crumb. The gluten structure has become weak and is unable to hold up. Alternatively, you could add a little oil to the work surface and your hands. CAUSE - a tight and or uneven crumb is generally caused by under fermentation, but can also be due to not having a mature or active starter. Even with parchment paper, the base of your bread is sitting on the hot base of the Dutch Oven causing it to cook more quickly. Thanks so much. Sourdough does not stop cooking when you take it out of the oven. This allows the dough to absorb the water into the flour and start to form gluten strands that hold the bread together. I went here and checked the recipe -https://www.abeautifulplate.com/artisan-sourdough-bread-recipe/ it called for 350 BF and 90 WW, for a total of 440, plus 45 from the starter ( which was 100% hydration) for a total of 485. So 180 grams would mean 80 grams of flour and 100 grams of water (because 80 x 1.25 = 100 grams; see above section for calculations) Step 2 - The recipe contains 600 grams flour and 360 grams water. This is the sourdough baking course you need if you are just starting out in sourdough bread baking. If your dough is sticky, its going to stick to whatever is dry, so if youre touching it with dry hands, youre going to struggle. Your dough might be too sticky because you added too much water when making the initial mix, too. Make sure that you do your best to avoid this mistake by learning about sourdough fermentation timing and knowing when its ready to move onto the next step. Temperature is one of the most important factors when making sourdough. Cover the bowl and set aside for 30-60 minutes. The dough has already fermented and the flour you add won't be incorporated well. Thank you in advance! Second sign: The dough has become loose and slack, and doesn't seem to hold any kind of shape. @halfbakedharvest.com Cheaters No Knead Dutch Oven Sourdough Bread. Thank you for visiting! It will give you a better understanding of what you can do when it comes to handling your dough at different stages. For example a gummy crumb can be caused by a starter that's too young and or under fermented dough. Add the sourdough starter to a large mixing bowl. Hi, I'm Kate! In our previous attempts, we thought it was undercooked, hence the longer baking time for Charlie this time round. Bread mix, all-purpose flour, self-raising flour or cake flour can produce undesirable results when making sourdough. Add dried bread to the bowl of a food processor. The bassinage technique is used to help build the dough up to the desired high level of hydration in stages. The only solution for this is to toss your dough and put your time into strengthening and maturing your sourdough starter. However, you should avoid using a mixer to do this, because it can overheat the dough and break down the gluten strands. Mix, and add some spices, dried herbs, or even some cheese powder. Let your sourdough bread come to room temperature before you cut into it. This is the preferred method used by professional artisan bakers. Being slow or having any hesitation can lead to the dough adhering to something it shouldnt, which would make your life a lot more difficult. The dough should be a little sticky before you start kneading it. Too much dusting of flour can also reduce stickiness to the point where sufficient skin tension is not able to be developed. However, it's much better to find out the cause of the problem so you can fix it and prevent it from happening again. Method. 310-330 . Once one side is stretched and dusted, you should shape the dough and put it into your banneton. Stir together until the starter is dissolved and the water looks cloudy. If you cant shape it, the sourdough is too sticky. This isn't the worst that could happen :), but I would really like to understand why the stickiness, and how to get rid of it. Mix by hand until all the dry flour is incorporated. Hi @Semolina, we waited only an hour before cutting into it, hasty on our part! If you are new to sourdough bread baking, I recommend reducing the hydration (ie. It's when this doesn't happen that problems start to occur. When Im not baking sourdough, I love to hang out with my three boys on our farm, tend to my jungle of indoor plants and drink good coffee. This step hydrates the flours and helps with gluten development and dough structure. link to Yeasted Pre-ferment (Poolish & Biga) VS Sponge VS Dough, link to Pate Fermentee VS Poolish VS Biga VS Sourdough Starter, Stand Mixer (KitchenAid Type All Purpose Mixer). Send your . During shaping, we want to wet our hands to prevent the dough from sticking to it. When you have finished Sourdough Bread Baking 101, you will have the confidence to not only bake using your own sourdough starter, you will be ready for more advanced sourdough baking techniques which will enable you to bake all sorts of sourdough artisan breads. A strong, mature sourdough starter will reward you with amazing sourdough at your next bake. 475 F covered, and 450 uncovered for 20 min seems too hot to me for only a 30% whole grain loaf: 300 g einkorn / (900 g + 90 g from levain) = 300 / 990 = 30.3%. Third, mix in the soaker, mixing and incorporating the grains and seeds into . You see, when your hands are wet, the dough cannot stick to them easily, so it just slips right through them. We will hold on to the knife the next time and be sure to wait longer. Step 4: Bake. Required fields are marked *. Bread has been baked too soon after shaping / under proofed. I've been making breads recently which, while they're delicious, seemingly well-baked, and with an open crumb, are a bit tacky/sticky to the touch and during slicing. Cheaters No Knead Dutch Oven Sourdough Bread: so EASY, only 6 ingredients, made in 1 bowl, 5 mins mixing, then just rise + bake time! The good news is, there's always a way to fix your sourdough bread problems for your next bake! 25 minute proof at room temperature. Cut one loaf of sourdough bread into 1" cubes. Though my guess is, that if you are getting the internal final temp to 211 F (even 210 F is usually good enough even for a mostly whole grain loaf)and it's still gummy, then your hydration was too high to start with. Add 850g water to your mixing bowl and mix with your hand until the levain is wholly dissolved. It might be that your sourdough is too sticky because there is insufficient gluten development. This site is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. But as it cooled, the crust wrinkled and collapsed what happened? This is when you let the dough rest after it is mixed but before you start to knead it. Insufficient gluten development is what makes the dough so sticky, so if youre using a low protein flour (protein in flour creates gluten), it wont be able to create as much gluten in the dough and it will, therefore, be stickier. Place on a floured cake or bowl with a tea towel and fold over. (Rest for45 minutes @76Ffollowed by coil folds) - repeat 3x. If you are working with regular dough, ready How to Fix Super Sticky Dough. This is mainly because sourdough is higher hydration, meaning it contains more water. 1 our is defently to short. As the gluten develops, the dough becomes less sticky and more manageable. Add the all purpose/bread flour and whole wheat/spelt flour. Approximate size of sourdough bread: Approximate cooling time: small dinner rolls: 30 minutes: small white loaf (1 lb): 4 hours: large white loaf (1.5 lb): 8 hours: small wholegrain loaf (1lb): 5 hours Once the dough doesn't tear when you stretch it between your fingers, you're ok to set it aside for bulk fermentation. This will result in a more. How Do You Fix Gooey Bread? Preheat the oven to 230C fan/456F/gas mark 8 with a baking stone on the middle shelf and a deep tray on the bottom. When working with high hydration level dough, the dough gets very close to the point of 100% saturation from the high quantity of water, and it is difficult to get any more water to be incorporated into the dough. When the oven floor is clean, but before the equalizing soak, the temperature is ideal for pita bread, which cook in a minute or two. When the percentage of damaged starch particles in flour exceeds 10%, your dough will become wetter and stickier over time. Factors like temperature, humidity, air pressure and elevation play a role here. For now, you need to know exactly whats causing your sourdough to be sticky and what you can do to help yourself with it. Charlie was a little better probably because we increased the bake time, but the higher hydration did it in. At the same time, we should dust the work surface lightly during shaping as we need some level of stickiness and friction between the dough and the work surface to create sufficient skin tension. Then, I use my wet hands to pick up a side of the dough, stretch it up, and fold it over. What is a Pate Fermentee? Be sure you open with an autolyse, a step far easier than it sounds. SOLUTION - Lack of oven spring can be a complex problem. Send your bread making problems to breadsos@bakewithjack.co.ukInclude your name, your location, a method or recipe if possible and the temperature of your kitchen if you know it and we'll get to the bottom of your most common problems right here. We preheated the oven (which was constrained at 480F) for an hour, and baked Charlie for 40 mins (tried 25 mins for Betty) in the cast iron, and 20 mins on the rack. The remaining water coats the outside of the dough, causing it to appear wet and sticky. bread sticky after baking. SOLUTION - Allow your bread to cool for AT LEAST 90 minutes (much longer for rye bread). If you're using a young sourdough starter, there's always a chance that it's just not quite ready to bake with and will cause your dough to be too wet and sticky. Makes 1 x 800-g/1-lbs. Below, Ive listed the main reasons your sourdough is sticky, so have a look through and see how they might be affecting your dough. We should fold once every hour of bulk fermentation. Placing a baking tray underneath your Dutch Oven should do the trick. Take the temp before cutting into it. It can be a mixture of rye and wheat or just rye. Ensure gluten development and fermentation are correctly executed. Rice flour to stop it sticking to the counter. Sourdough bread offers a number of benefits. Maybe 80% final hydration if your levain is more "liquid" than 100% Hyd. SOLUTION - Tunnels can have a few solutions: PROBLEM - My sourdough isn't cooked all the way through. The water absorbed from the damaged starches is then gradually released and the dough that was initially dry and strong becomes wet, sticky and weak over time. Shape into batards. 150g bread flour, 150g all-purpose, 90g whole wheat flour with 350g water (slightly warmer than room temperature by the touch), with 90g of starter and 9g of salt. Mix until dough comes away from the sides of the bowl . Remove the lid and bake for another 10 minutes to get a brown crust. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. BAKE TIME: 30 Minutes with the lid on at 230C/450F plus 10-15 Minutes with the lid off at 210C/410F. It's not until all of this steam has escaped that your bread actually finishes cooking. SOLUTIONS - These are the things you can do to try to avoid your dough splitting naturally: PROBLEM - your sourdough bread has an uneven crumb. Turn out the loaf out onto a floured peel, make a cut in the top with a grignette and slide it onto the baking stone. Youre right, the actual hydration is around 77%, and I understood that from the start. The exterior was perfectly brown. Sometimes the issue is the kneading technique. If youre new to making sourdough bread, youre bound to run into a few issues at first, especially if youre not experienced with sticky dough. Mix dry ingredients together. But if you leave the flour, water, starter and salt to autolyse, the flour absorbs all the water and becomes fully hydrated. Final internal temp 211FSliced after cooling for 4 hours. The dough will develop further in strength becoming dry and workable, as it will be able to retain more moisture once it has gone through the bulk fermentation phase and the folding phase. You just want to make sure it's not too wet for you to handle. All Purpose flour is ok, however it generally doesn't have the protein necessary to develop a strong gluten network. CAUSE - This most likely caused by under fermentation, but can sometimes be a shaping issue too. You/we need a hydration % of the levain too, to figure out how much flour and how much water is in the levain. The yeast is responsible for the rise in the bread and will help create a light and airy sourdough. . Will be back to update! Bread needs gluten development in order to trap gas and rise, but this also helps the dough to become less sticky. Day 1 - The Start. If your bread contains rye, it can take up to 24 hours! Turn out on to a surface and knead for 10 minutes or until the 'windowpane effect' is . As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. For example, the problem may be a recipe that calls for more hydration than the flour youre using requires. Use a 65% water content and you should be able to handle the dough and shape it with little to no problem at all. Under fermented dough will also cause you to have a pale crust that just doesn't brown up, even when you cook it longer. Switch to a wood spoon. It may just be that you need to leave it in the oven longer with the lid off your. Bake the sourdough bread. One of the most obvious causes of wet dough is using too much water in the dough. This will give the sourdough a chance to find new pockets of sugars and starches to consume. Once mixed, the dough enters the bulk fermentaiton phase where folding also takes place which helps significantly to develop more gluten network as well as to incorporate more water into the dough making it feel less wet and sticky. Try placing your dough in warmer area of your kitchen (75F-80F is ideal) - monitoring your final dough temperature to keep it as consistent as possible - or consider investing in a bread proofing box . I bake high hydration (88-90%) near 100% whole-grain loaves. Now it is the sourdough starter or its use that is suspect. Bread doesn't rise when baked. If your sourdough has a very thick base which is burnt or just very tough, there's a very simple fix for this. Concentrate on shaping evenly and with plenty of tension to ensure your dough rises evenly and doesn't split other than where you've scored. Id recommend picking up one metal and at least one plastic scraper to aid you in handling your sourdough. Under fermentation causes a pale crust because it doesn't enable caramelisation of the sugars in the dough. Once you get the hang of the sourdough process and the various phases, then start introducing whole grain flours into the mix. If you can see the light through the dough, youre done the kneading. You went with 150 and 150 - which is only 300, then 90 WW and 45 starter, for a total of 435. and so that drove the hydration from 81%, which is still fairly high, to over 90%. Place in bannetons. Pale crust after baked. Third, cover and rest the dough for 30 minutes. Bread Baking Tools A Must Have For Any Baker, Learn how to make bread and pizza with this, Why Did My Quick Bread Not Rise? If you're looking for troubleshooting your sourdough starter - you'll find a list of the most FAQ here. There are plenty of methods for developing gluten, so its up to you to try out different variations and figure out which is best for you. Unfortunately, this results in tougher bread. The hardness of water measureshow much calcium and magnesium ion is present (expressed as ppm). You can read my five best tips for strengthening a sourdough starter, Extending your bulk fermentation time to allow your dough to rise and ferment properly. Salthand-mixed, Rubaud style, for 5 minutes. if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'crustylabs_com-leader-1','ezslot_6',124,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-crustylabs_com-leader-1-0');The table below is extracted from Jeffrey Hammelmans Bread Book that shows the relative mixing time between different mixers and hand mixing to develop the same dough to the same strength.