From 61c33e4b603eb84fa15672be1dab7d1883859a92 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Hendrik Kleinwaechter Date: Thu, 25 May 2023 16:07:11 +0200 Subject: [PATCH] Spelling fixes + Improvements Thanks again to Adam Carter for sending me the suggestions! --- book/troubleshooting/misc.tex | 93 ++++++++++++++++++++--------------- 1 file changed, 52 insertions(+), 41 deletions(-) diff --git a/book/troubleshooting/misc.tex b/book/troubleshooting/misc.tex index e8dc4c8..41da67c 100644 --- a/book/troubleshooting/misc.tex +++ b/book/troubleshooting/misc.tex @@ -10,19 +10,20 @@ amylase and protease enzymes work faster, making more sugars available and degrading the gluten proteins. At around 22°C (72°F) in my kitchen my bulk fermentation is ready -after around 10 hours. I am using around 20 percent of sourdough +after around 10 hours. I use around 20 percent of sourdough starter based on the flour. In summertime the temperatures in my kitchen sometimes increase to 25°C (77°F). In that case -I am reducing the sourdough starter to around 10 percent. +I reduce the sourdough starter to around 10 percent. + If I didn't do that, my fermentation would be done after around 4-7 hours. The problem is that the dough is quite unstable when fermenting at this high speed. This means -that you are easily running into issues of over-fermentation. +that you easily run into issues of over-fermentation. Finding the perfect sweet spot between fermenting enough -and not too much is becoming much harder. Normally you might +and not too much becomes much harder. Normally you might have a time window of 1 hour. But at the rapid speed it might be reduced to a time window of 20 minutes. Now at -30°C (86°F), ambient temperature things are much faster. Your bulk +30°C (86°F), everything moves much faster. Your bulk fermentation might be complete in 2-4 hours when using 10-20 percent starter. Proofing your dough in the fridge becomes almost impossible. As your dough cools down in the @@ -34,7 +35,7 @@ end up overproofing your dough if you leave it overnight in the fridge. That's why I recommend that you reduce the amount of starter -that you use in the tropics to something at around 1-5 percent +that you use in the tropics to around 1-5 percent based on the flour. This will slow down the fermentation process significantly and provides you a bigger window of time. Try to aim for an overall bulk fermentation of at @@ -42,16 +43,19 @@ least 8-10 hours. Reduce the amount of starter to get there. When making dough, try to use the same water temperature as your ambient temperature. Assuming that the temperature -will climb to 30°C, try to start your dough directly +will climb to 30°C, try to start your dough with 30°C water. This means that you can carefully rely on -a small fermentation sample that visualizes your fermentation -progress. The sample only works reliably if your dough temperature +a small fermentation sample (aliquot jar) that visualizes your fermentation +progress. To read more about this technique refer +to section \ref{section:bulk-fermentation}. + +The sample only works reliably if your dough temperature is equal to your ambient temperature. Else the sample heats up or cools down faster. So tread carefully when using the sample in this case. It's always better to stop the fermentation a little too early rather than too late. Stretch and folds during the bulk fermentation -will help you to develop a better look and feel for +will help you to develop a better feel for the dough. An expensive but possibly useful tool could be a pH meter that allows you to perfectly measure how much acidity has been created by the @@ -74,17 +78,17 @@ great oven spring when making wheat based doughs. When starting with this hobby I always wondered why my rye breads would turn out so flat. Yes, rye has gluten, but small particles called {\it hemicelluloses} (arabinoxylan and beta-glucan) \cite{rye-defects}. -prevent the dough from developing a gluten network like you can -do with wheat. Your efforts are in vain, and your dough will +prevent the dough from developing a gluten network it can +with wheat. Your efforts will be in vain, and your dough will stay flat. Only spelt- and wheat-based doughs have the capability -to retain the \ch{CO2} created by the fermentation. +of retaining the \ch{CO2} created by the fermentation. In most cases something is probably off with your sourdough starter. This very often happens when the starter -is still relatively young and hasn't yet matured -at fermenting flour. Over time your sourdough -starter is going to become better and better at fermenting -flour. Keep your sourdough starter at room temperature +is still relatively young and isn't as capable of +fermenting flour. Over time your sourdough +starter is going to become better and better. +Keep your sourdough starter at room temperature and then apply daily feedings with a 1:5:5 ratio. This would be 1 part old starter, 5 parts flour, 5 parts water. This allows you to achieve a better @@ -139,9 +143,11 @@ experience, most of my pure rye starters produced stronger acetic notes. Chemically, the acetic acid isn't as sour, but when tasting it will seem more sour. Make sure to use a starter that is at a hydration of around 100 percent. Acetic acid production -requires oxygen. A too-liquid starter tends to favor lactic -acid production because the flour is submerged in water, no -oxygen can reach the fermentation after a while. +requires oxygen. A starter that is too liquid tends to favor lactic +acid production because the flour is submerged in water. By submerging +the dough very little oxygen can pass through the water to the fermenting flour. +Because of this, only very little acetic acid can be produced. Over +time the acetic acid-producing bacteria will perish from your starter. \begin{figure}[!htb] \includegraphics[width=\textwidth]{parbaked-bread.jpg} @@ -157,8 +163,8 @@ to customers. Once you receive it, you just bake it again for another 20-30 minutes to achieve the desired crust and then you can eat it. Some of the customers reported a very sour tasting bread. After investigating a bit more, it became -crystal clear. By baking the bread twice you don't boil -as much of the acid during the baking process. Water +crystal clear. By baking the bread twice you don't boil off +as much acid during the baking process. Water evaporates at around 100°C (212°F) while acetic acid boils at 118°C (244°F) and lactic acid at 122°C (252°F). After baking for 30 minutes at around 230°C (446°F) some of the water has started to evaporate, @@ -175,9 +181,13 @@ exceed the 118°C required to boil the acid. Overall, your bread will be more sour. The enhanced acidity also helps to prevent pathogens from entering your bread. The bread will be good for a longer period of time. That's why -the concept of a delivery works well with sour sourdough bread. -In my experiments the bread stayed good for up to a week -in a plastic bag. +the concept of a delivery bakery works well with tangy sourdough bread. +In my own experiments, the bread stayed good for up to a week +in a plastic bag. This is much longer than a yeast-based dough that might +mold after just a few days. \footnote{Some of my first test customers however +reported that the bread was overly sour and not pleasant to eat at all. +When this happens to you, consider toasting the bread. Toasting +will boil off additional acidity.} \section{My bread is too sour} @@ -199,17 +209,18 @@ once per day at room temperature. This way you shift the tides of your starter towards a better yeast fermentation \cite*{more+active+starter}. To shift the tides even further, a real game changer -to me has been to create a stiff sourdough starter. The +for me has been to create a stiff sourdough starter. The stiff sourdough starter is at a hydration of around 50 percent. By doing so your sourdough starter will favor yeast -activity a lot more. Your doughs will be more fluffy and will -not as sour for a given volume increase. I tested this -by putting condoms over different glass jars. I used +activity a lot more. Your doughs will be more fluffy and less +sour for a given volume increase. I tested this +by putting balloons over different glass jars. I used the same amount of flour for each of the samples. I tested a regular starter, a liquid starter and a stiff starter. The stiff starter by far created the most \ch{CO2} -compared to the other starters. The balloons were inflated -the most. \cite{stiff+starter} +compared to the other starters. As a consequence, the stiff +starter balloon was inflated the most. \cite{stiff+starter} You can read more +about the topic of stiff starters in section \ref{section:stiff-starter}. Another unconventional approach could be to add baking powder to your dough. The baking powder neutralizes the @@ -233,11 +244,11 @@ mold spores. When beginning a sourdough starter, all the microorganisms start to compete by metabolizing the flour. Mold can sometimes win the race and outcompete the natural wild yeast and bacteria. In that case simply -try cultivating your sourdough starter again. If it molds +try cultivating your sourdough starter again. If mold reappears again, it might be a very moldy batch of flour. Try a different flour to begin your sourdough starter with. -Mature sourdough starters should not mold unless the conditions +Mature sourdough starters should not go moldy unless the conditions of the starter change. I have seen mold appearing when the starter is stored in the fridge and the surface dried out. It also sometimes forms on the edges of your starter's container, typically in areas where no active @@ -269,7 +280,7 @@ metabolites that inhibit mold growth. \cite{mold+lactic+acid+bacteria} To pickle your starter, simply take a bit of your existing starter (5 grams for instance). Then feed the mixture with 20g of flour and 100g of water. You have -created a starter a hydration of around 500 percent. Shake the mixture vigorously. +created a starter with a hydration of around 500 percent. Shake the mixture vigorously. After a few hours you should start seeing most of the flour near the bottom of your container. After a while most of the oxygen from the bottom mixture is depleted and anaerobic lactic acid bacteria will start to thrive. Take a @@ -455,15 +466,15 @@ accelerated by my using whole wheat flour. Whole wheat contains more enzymes than white flour. To fix this, try to make sure that your sourdough starter is lively -and active. Simply apply a couple of more feedings in advance before +and active. Simply apply a couple more feedings before making your dough. This way your dough becomes ready to shape before it has completely broken down. \section{My sourdough starter is too sour} -A too-sour sourdough starter will cause problems during -the fermentation. Your fermentation will be more on the -bacterial side, rather than the yeast side. This means +If your sourdough starter is too sour it will cause problems during +the fermentation. Your fermentation will have more +bacterial activity than yeast activity. This means you will likely create a more tangy loaf which isn't as fluffy as it could be. The goal is to reach the right balance: Fluffy consistency from the yeast and a great, @@ -482,8 +493,8 @@ the amount of old starter that you use to feed. A ratio of 1:5:5 or 1:10:10 can do wonders. In this case you would take 1 part of starter (10g) and feed it with 50g of flour and 50g of water. This way the microorganisms start -the fermentation in a green field environment. This is -similar to the 10 percent starter of 20 percent starter +the fermentation in a greenfield environment. This is +similar to the 10 percent starter or 20 percent starter ratio that you use to make a dough. These days I almost never use a 1:1:1 ratio. This only makes sense when you are initially creating your starter. You want a sour @@ -685,7 +696,7 @@ them you can cook the seeds for 10 minutes in hot water. Rinse them with cold water before adding them to your dough. If you want to sweeten the dough, your best option is to add sugar during the -shaping stage. Initial sugar is typically fermented and no residual sugar +shaping stage. Sugar added too early in the process typically gets fermented until none of it remains. Adjust your shaping technique a little bit and spread your sugar mixture over a flattened-out dough. You can then roll the dough together, incorporating layers of sugar.