In this chapter, you will learn how to make free-standing wheat sourdough bread. \begin{figure}[!htb] \includegraphics[width=\textwidth]{loaf-pan-free-standing.jpg} \caption{A free-standing sourdough bread next to a bread made in a loaf pan. The free-standing sourdough is considered the supreme discipline of sourdough bread by many bakers. } \end{figure} A free-standing sourdough bread is my favorite type of bread. It combines a great crunchy crust, superb flavor, and a soft fluffy crumb. This is the type of bread that is being inhaled by my friends and family. Unfortunately making this type of bread requires a lot more effort, patience, and technique than other types of bread. You have to perfectly balance the fermentation process. You can not ferment for too short and also not for too long. The techniques you need to learn require a bit more skill. It took me several attempts to get this right. One of the challenges I faced was that I had the wrong flour. I didn't properly know how to use my oven. When should I stop the fermentation? There is a lot of information out there. I dug through most of it and have tried almost everything. In many cases the information was wrong, in other cases, I found another valuable puzzle piece. Aggregating all this information was one of my main motivations to start the bread code. My key learning was that there there is no recipe that you can blindly follow. You will always have to adapt the recipe to your local available tools and environment. But do not worry. After reading this chapter you will know all the signs to look out for. You will be able to read your dough. You will turn into a confident hobby baker that can bake bread at home, at high altitudes, at low altitudes, in summer, in winter, at your friend's place, and even on vacation. Furthermore, you will know how to scale your production from 1 bread to 100 loaves of bread. If you ever wanted to open up a bakery, consider this knowledge to be your foundation. Mastering this process will enable you to make amazing bread that tastes much better than any store bought bread. \section{The process} \begin{figure}[!htb] \begin{tikzpicture}[node distance = 3cm, auto] \node [block] (init) {\footnotesize Ready starter}; \node [block, right of=init, node distance=3cm] (mix_ingredients) {\footnotesize Mix ingredients}; \node [block, right of=mix_ingredients, node distance=3cm] (dough_strength) {\footnotesize Create dough strength}; \node [block, right of=dough_strength, node distance=3cm] (bulk) {\footnotesize Bulk ferment}; \node [decision, below of=dough_strength, node distance=3cm] (divide_test) {\footnotesize Making 1 loaf?}; \node [block, left of=divide_test, node distance=3cm] (divide) {\footnotesize Divide}; \node [block, left of=divide, node distance=3cm] (preshape) {\footnotesize Preshape}; \node [block, below of=preshape, node distance=3cm] (shape) {\footnotesize Shape}; \node [block, right of=shape, node distance=3cm] (proof) {\footnotesize Proof}; \node [block, right of=proof, node distance=3cm] (bake) {\footnotesize Bake}; \path [line] (init) -- (mix_ingredients); \path [line] (mix_ingredients) -- (dough_strength); \path [line] (dough_strength) -- (bulk); \path [line] (bulk) -- (divide_test); \path [line] (divide_test) -- node{yes} (shape); \path [line] (divide_test) -- node{no} (divide); \path [line] (divide) -- (preshape); \path [line] (preshape) -- (shape); \path [line] (shape) -- (proof); \path [line] (proof) -- (bake); \end{tikzpicture} \caption{The typical process of making a wheat based sourdough bread} \label{j:wheat-sourdough-process} \end{figure} The whole process of making great sourdough bread starts with readying your sourdough starter. The key to mastering this process is to manage the fermentation process properly. For this, the basis is to have an active and healthy sourdough starter. Once your starter is ready you proceed to mix all the ingredients. You want to homogenize your sourdough starter properly. This way you ensure an even fermentation across your whole dough. After a short break, you will proceed and create dough strength. Kneading will create a strong gluten network. This is essential to properly trap the CO2 created during the fermentation. Once you kneaded the bulk fermentation starts. Bulk fermentation because you typically ferment multiple doughs together in one bulk. Understanding when to stop this step will take some practice. But nothing to worry about, you will learn the exact signs to look out for. Once this is completed you need to divide your large blob of dough into smaller pieces and preshape each piece. This allows you to apply more dough strength and shape more uniform loaves. The proofing stage follows where you finish the fermentation process. Depending on your time you can proof at room temperature or in the fridge. Mastering proofing will turn your good loaf into a great loaf. Lastly, you will finish the whole process by baking. You will learn different options on how to properly steam your dough. This way your dough will have a beautiful oven spring. During the second stage of the baking process, you will finish building your crust. All the steps rely on each other. You will need to get each of the steps right to make the perfect bread. \section{Readying your starter} The most crucial part of the bread-making process is your starter. The starter is what starts the fermentation in your main dough. If your starter is off, then your main dough is also going to cause trouble during the fermentation. Your starter's properties are passed on to your main dough. If your starter doesn't have a good balance of yeast to bacteria, so will your main dough. \begin{figure}[!htb] \begin{tikzpicture}[node distance = 3cm, auto] \node [decision] (init) {\footnotesize Starter last fed within 3 days?}; \node [block, right of=init, node distance=4cm] (feed_no_branch) {\footnotesize Feed starter twice. 48 hours before and 6-12 hours before}; \node [block, below of=feed_no_branch, node distance=3cm] (feed_yes_branch) {\footnotesize Feed starter once 6-12 hours before making dough}; \node [block, right of=feed_no_branch, node distance=6cm] (high_ratio) {\footnotesize Use a 1:10:10 ratio. 10g starter, 100g flour, 100g water}; \node [block, right of=feed_yes_branch, node distance=3cm] (low_ratio) {\footnotesize Use a 1:5:5 ratio. 10g starter, 50g flour, 50g water}; \node [block, below of=high_ratio, node distance=6cm] (check_starter) {\footnotesize Check if starter is ready to be used}; \node [decision, below of=init, node distance=6cm] (size_check) {\footnotesize Bubbly? Increased in size?}; \node [decision, below of=size_check, node distance=5cm] (smell_check) {\footnotesize Vinegary or yogurty smell?}; \node [block, right of=smell_check, node distance=6cm] (make_dough) {\footnotesize Prepare dough}; \path [line] (init) -- node{no} (feed_no_branch); \path [line] (init) -- node{yes} (feed_yes_branch); \path [line] (feed_yes_branch) -- (low_ratio); \path [line] (feed_no_branch) -- (high_ratio); \path [line] (high_ratio) -- (check_starter); \path [line] (low_ratio) -- (check_starter); \path [line] (check_starter) -- (size_check); \path [line] (size_check) -- node{no} (feed_yes_branch); \path [line] (size_check) -- node{yes} (smell_check); \path [line] (smell_check) -- node{no} (feed_yes_branch); \path [line] (smell_check) -- node{yes} (make_dough); \end{tikzpicture} \caption{The process to ready and check your sourdough starter when making a wheat based dough. In practice I frequently use a stiff sourdough starter. The stiff starter features enhanced yeast activity. In that case you can use the same ratios as shown in the chart except the water quantity. The stiff starter has a hydration of 50 to 60 percent. So you would half the shown water quantities. I.e. if the chart shows 100g water, use 50 to 60g of water for your stiff starter.} \label{fig:process-starter-wheat-sourdough} \end{figure} Generally, think of the dough you are mixing as a big starter with salt. After mixing all the ingredients you have a green field environment again. The yeast and bacteria start to fight again to outcompete each other. There is plenty of food available and they all do their best to win. Depending on the starter you mix into your dough some of the microorganisms might have an advantage over the others. The first option to achieve a good balance is to apply feedings. If your starter hasn't been fed in a long period the bacteria dominate. This happens if your starter has been sitting unused in the fridge for instance. As more and more acidity piles up the environment is becoming more and more hostile to the yeast. The lactic acid bacteria tolerate this environment better. Your dough fermentation would be more towards the bacterial side with this starter. By applying a couple of feedings the yeast becomes more active. The older your starter the more acid resistant the yeast becomes. Initially, I had to feed my starter 2-3 times to fix the balance. With my more mature starter, one feeding seems to be enough to balance the microorganisms. Some people use a 1:1:1 ratio to refresh the starter. This would be one part of the old starter (10g for instance), 1 part of flour, and one part of water. I think this is utter rubbish. As mentioned your starter is a gigantic dough. You would never a 1:1:1 ratio to make a dough. You might use a maximum of 20 percent starter to make a dough. That's why I advocate using a 1:5:5 ratio or a 1:10:10 ratio depending on how ripe your starter is. As I almost always use a stiffer sourdough starter due to its enhanced yeast fermentation advantages (see section \ref{section:stiff-starter}) my ratio is never 1:5:5. My ratio would be 1:5:2.5 (1 part old starter, 5 parts flour, 2.5 parts water). If it is very warm where you live you could opt for the aforementioned 1:10:5 or 1:20:10. This way you slow down the ripening of your starter. You can use this trick too to make starter feeding work with your schedule. If your starter is typically ready in 6 hours but today you need it ready later, simply increase how much flour/water you feed your starter. These are all values that you need to experiment with on your own. Every starter is unique and might behave slightly different. The second option at your disposal is the starter quantity that you use to make the dough. As previously stated your starter regrows inside of your main dough. While I would normally use 10-20 percent of starter based on the flour, sometimes I go as low as 1 percent starter. This way the microorganisms have more room to balance out while fermenting the dough. If my sourdough starter has not been fed in a day I might use 5 percent of sourdough to make a dough. If I push this to 2 days without feedings I lower the starter amount even further. I would opt for the previously mentioned 1 percent starter. If the food is very scarce your microorganisms will sporulate. They need to regrow again from the spores they created. In this hibernation state, it takes longer for them to become fully active again. I have tried several times to make dough directly out of a dry starter. I wasn't successful because the fermentation took too long. The microorganisms had to regrow from spores and then begin the fermentation. As explained earlier there is a limit to fermentation times as your dough naturally breaks down. Furthermore, you want your microorganisms to outcompete other pathogens contained in the flour. The less starter you use the easier it is for them to reproduce. A strong starter will outcompete other germs. While the method of reducing the starter works, I recommend option one more. It will reliably create better bread. Option 2 is typically what I use when I fed my starter in the morning but didn't manage to make a dough in the evening. I don't want to feed my starter again the next morning. I would like to make a dough directly without waiting and thus use less of the very ripe starter. Over time you will become more accustomed to your starter and how it behaves. You will be able to read the signs of its activity and judge its state. \section{Ingredients} All you need to make a great sourdough bread is flour water and salt. You can of course add additional things to your dough such as seeds. I personally enjoy the hearty taste of whole wheat. Thus I like to add around 20-30 percent of whole wheat flour to the mix. You could also make this recipe with 100 percent whole wheat flour directly. In this case look out for a strong whole wheat flour that is made from flour with higher protein. If you don't like whole wheat you can omit the flour from the recipe. Simply replace the listed quantity with bread flour. One thing to consider about whole wheat flour is the increased enzymatic activity. By adding some whole wheat flour you will speed up the whole fermentation process. Especially when getting started I recommend to use a bread flour which contains more gluten than all purpose or cake flour. This is essential when trying to bake a free standing loaf with sourdough. Find below an example recipe for 1 loaf including baker's math calculation: \begin{itemize} \item 400g of bread flour \item 100g of whole wheat flour \item \textbf{500g of flour in total} \item 300g-450g of room temperature water (60 percent up to 90 percent). More on this topic in the next chapter. \item 50g of stiff sourdough starter (10 percent) \item 10g of salt (2 percent) \end{itemize} In case you want to make more bread simply increase the quantities based on how much flour you have. Let's say you have 2000g of flour available. The recipe would look like this. \begin{itemize} \item 1800g of bread flour \item 200g of whole wheat flour \item \textbf{2000g of flour, equalling 4 loaves} \item 1200g up to 1800g of room temperature water (60 to 90 percent) \item 200g of stiff sourdough starter (10 percent) \item 40g of salt (2 percent) \end{itemize} This is the beauty of baker's math. Simply recalculate the percentages and you are good to go. If you are unsure about how this works please check out the full chapter \ref{section:bakers-math} which looks at the topic in detail. \section{Hydration} Hydration refers to how much water you use for your flour. When beginning to make bread I always got this wrong. I followed a recipe from the internet and my dough never looked like a dough shown in the recipe. The amount of water your flour requires is not fixed. It depends on the flour you have. When a seed gets into contact initially the outer layers soak up the water. That's why when using whole wheat (still containing these layers) you have to use a little bit more water. By forming gluten strands water is absorbed into your dough. The higher the protein value the more water can be used. Some bakers like to use a highly hydrated dough to create a fluffier dough. \footnote{Sometimes it almost feels like a comparison of skill value between bakers. The more water they can handle, the more skillful the baker.} The reason for this is the dough's improved extensibility. The wetter the dough the easier it is for the dough to be stretched. When you pull it, the dough will hold its shape. In comparison a very stiff (low hydration) dough will maintain its shape for a longer period of time. To visualize this think of your extensible dough as a balloon. The stiff dough is a car tire. The yeast has a much harder time to inflate the care tire compared to the balloon. That's because the rubber of the car tire is much more elastic. It requires much more force to inflate the tire. For this reason an extensible dough will inflate more in the oven. The loaf will be visually bigger and offer an airier more open crumb structure. While this might sound great, the high hydration causes several side effects. \begin{enumerate} \item Your dough becomes more difficult to handle. Your dough will be stickier \item Your dough has to be kneaded for longer in order to build a proper gluten network. \item During the fermentation your dough might become too extensible and lose some of the dough strength. To circumvent this stretch and folds are applied compared to a regular dough. requiring you to invest a lot more work. \item Shaping becomes much more of a hassle as the dough is very sticky. \item The dough can stick to the banneton a lot easier while proofing. \item If you wait too long during proofing the dough won't have enough strength left to pull upwards and stay flat. \item Generally the higher the water content the more bacterial fermentation you have. Thus a wetter dough will reduce in gluten faster than a stiffer dough. This is why you have to start the fermentation with a sourdough starter in perfect shape. Bakers use a process called autolyse to shorten the main fermentation time to circumvent this. \item The crumb in the end might be perceived as somewhat sticky. It still contains a lot of water. Personally I love this crumb, but this is a personal choice. \end{enumerate} To achieve a high hydration dough it is best to slowly add the water to your dough. Start with 60 percent hydration, then slowly add a bit more water. Knead again until the water is absorbed. Repeat and add more water. As your dough has already formed a gluten network, new water can be absorbed much easier. You will be surprised by how much water your dough can soak up. This method is commonly known as the bassinage method. More on that later. By opting for this technique I was easily able to push a low gluten flour to a hydration of 80 percent. This is also my method of choice when making a dough now. I keep adding water until I can feel that the dough has the right consistency. As you bake more bread you will develop a better look and feel for your dough. When mixing by hand this can be quite cumbersome. It is a lot more easy when using a stand mixer. All in all increasing the hydration requires a lot of trial and error. There is however one option that makes things easier and causes less headache: Slow fermentation. You get the same extensibility advantages the high hydration offers by simply letting your dough ferment for a longer period of time. Slowing the fermentation process is easy. Use less sourdough starter or ferment in a cooler environment. There are two reasons for slow fermentation advantages. As explained earlier both the protease enzyme and bacteria break down your gluten network. So as fermentation progresses your dough will automatically become more extensible. This is because the rubber layers of your care tire are slowly converted and eaten. Ultimately your car tire turns into a balloon that can very easily be inflated. When waiting too long the balloon will burst. You will have no gluten left anymore and your dough becomes very sticky. Finding the sweet spot of enough rubber eating and not too much is what the perfect wheat sourdough bread bread is about. But don't worry, after reading this chapter you will have the right tools at your disposal. The advantages of slow fermentation can be nicely observed when experimenting with a fast fermenting yeast dough (1 percent dry yeast based on the flour). The crumb of such a dough is never as open as a dough made with sourdough. Furthermore the protease enzyme can not do its job within such a short fermentation period. Large industrial bakeries add active malt which contains a lot more enzymes. This way the time required to make a dough is shortened. You will most likely find malt as an ingredient in supermarket bread. It is a great hack. The baked turbo fermentation bread will feature a relatively dense and not fluffy crumb. That is because only very little gluten is broken down when finishing the fermentation period in 1 hour. If you were to slow down things the dough would look completely different. Try this again and use way less yeast. This is the secret of the Neapolitan Pizza. Only a tiny bit of yeast is used to make the dough. In fact my default pizza recipe calls for around 150 milligrams of dry yeast per one kilogram of flour. Give it a shot yourself the next time you make a yeast based dough. Try to push the fermentation to at least 8 hours. The difference is incredible. You will have made a bread with a much more fluffy and open crumb. The flavor of the dough is drastically improved. Your crust becomes crisper and features a better taste. This is because amylases have converted your starches into simpler sugars which brown better during baking. If you take away one learning from this book, it is that slow fermentation is the key to making great bread. For this reason my default hydration is much lower than the hydration of other bakers. I prefer a slower fermentation for my recipes. The sweet spot for my default flour is at around 70 percent hydration. Again this is a highly subjective value that works for my flour. If you are just getting started with a new batch of flour I recommend to conduct the following test. This will help you to identify the sweet spot of your flour's hydration capabilities. Make 5 bowls with each 100g of flour. Add different slightly increasing water amounts to each of the bowls. \begin{itemize} \item 100g of flour, 55g of water \item 100g of flour, 60g of water \item 100g of flour, 65g of water \item 100g of flour, 70g of water \item 100g of flour, 75g of water \end{itemize} Proceed and mix the flour and water mixture until you see that there are no chunks of flour left. Wait 15 minutes and return to your doughs. Carefully pull the dough apart with your hands. Your dough should be elastic and hold together. Stretch your dough until very thin. Then hold it against a light. You should be able to see through it. The flour water mixture that breaks without seeing the windowpane is your no-go zone. Opt for a dough with less hydration than this value. You will know that your flour mix can go up to 65 percent hydration for instance. Use the left overs of this experiment to feed your starter. \begin{figure}[!htb] \includegraphics[width=\textwidth]{window-pane-effect} \caption {The window pane test allows you to see if you developed your gluten well enough} \end{figure} From an economic perspective water is the cheapest component in your bread dough. When running a bakery a higher hydrated dough will weigh more have lower production costs. The profit will be higher. This comes at the price of increasing labor costs and more potential failures due to the enhanced difficulty. \section{How much starter?} Most bakers use around 20 percent sourdough starter based on the dough mass. I recommend to go way lower to around 5 to 10 percent. By adjusting the amount of preferment you can influence the time your dough requires in the bulk fermentation stage. The more starter you use the faster this process is. The smaller the amount of starter the slower. With a higher quantity of starter you are introducing more microorganisms to your main dough. The higher this quantity the faster the rate of fermentation in your dough is. The other factor influecing the rate of fermentation is the temperature of your dough. The warmer the temperature the faster the process, the colder the slower the process. While food is available the microorganisms will reproduce and increase in quantity. The process is a self limiting process that stops when there is no more food available. This can be compared to whine making where the yeast ultimately dies as ethanol levels increase and turn the environment toxic. The ethanol creates a preservant that makes it impossible for other microorganisms to join the feast. The same thing happens with the acidity created by the bacteria. The high acidity slows the fermentation process and prevents new microorganisms from entering the system. Initially your starter's properties are carried over to the main dough. Then as time progresses the microorganisms adapt to the new environment. If your starter is very bacterial then so will be your main dough's fermentation. You end up with a dough that is not as fluffy as it could be. It will taste quite sour, too sour for most people. If you were to use an extreme value of around 90 percent starter based on your flour there would be very little room for the microorganisms to adjust in the main dough. If you were to just use 1 percent, your microorganisms can regrow into a desirable balance in the dough. Furthermore you need to consider that a high value of starter means a high inoculation with already fermented flour. As mentioned earlier enzymes break down the dough. This means the higher this value the more broken down fermented flour you have. A too long fermentation always results in a very sticky dough that can not be handled. The more starter you use the faster you will get to this point. If you were to use a very little amount of starter your flour might have naturally broken down before the fermentation has reached the desired stage. You can observe this when using a small quantity of around 1 percent sourdough starter. The small amount of added microorganisms will not be able to reproduce fast enough before the protease has broken down your dough completely. As explained earlier the key to making great bread is a slow but not too slow fermentation. Enzymes require time to break down your dough. Taking all this into consideration I try to aim for a fermentation time of around 8 to 12 hours. This seems to be the sweet spot for most of the flours that I have worked with. To achieve this I use around 5 percent of sourdough starter in summer times (temperatures are at around 25°C in the kitchen.). In winter times I opt for around 10 percent up to 20 percent sourdough starter (kitchen temperature around 20°C). This allows me to use a sourdough starter that's not in perfect condition. Your bread dough is essentially a gigantic starter. The low inoculation rate allows the starter to regrow inside of your main dough into a desirable balance. Furthermore the enzymes have enough time to break down the flour. This also allows me to skip the so called autolysis step completely (more in next chapter). Making a dough becomes very simple. \section{Autolyse} The autolysis describes the process of just mixing flour and water and letting this sit for a period of around 30 minutes up to several hours. After this process is completed the sourdough starter and salt is added to the dough.\footnote{I have tested adding the salt at the start and end of the autolysis process and could not notice a difference. Based ony my current understanding the importance of adding salt later seems to be a myth.} The overall time flour and water is in contact is extended. Thus you get the beneficial enzymatic reactions that improve taste and characteristics of the dough. I do not recommend an autolysis as it adds an additional step in the process. Instead I recommend the fermentolyse which will be covered in the next chapter of this book. The effects of the autolysis are very interesting. Try to mix just flour and water and letting that sit for a day. During the day check the consistency of your dough. Try and stretch the dough. If you dare you can also taste the dough throughout the day. With each hour progressing your dough will become more extensible. It will be easier to stretch the dough. At the same time your dough will start to taste sweet and sweeter. The protease and amylase enzymes are doing their job. The same process is used when making oat milk. By letting the mixture sit for some time enzymes work the oats. The taste is perceived as sweeter and more appreciated. This process is further accelerated the more whole wheat your flour is. The hull contains more enzymes. The gluten network will ultimately tear and your dough flattens out. For wheat sourdough this is your worst enemy. When this happen your dough will become leaky and release all that precious gas created during the fermentation. You need to find the right balance of your dough breaking down just enough and not too much. When you use a high inoculation rate of around 20 percent sourdough starter your fermentation can be very quick. At 25°C it could be finished in 5 hours already. If you ferment longer your dough becomes leaky. At the same time in these 5 hours the enzymes have not broken down the flour enough. This means the dough might not be as elastic as it should be. Furthermore not enough sugars have been released and thus the flavor after baking is not good enough. \footnote{I have not seen studies yet looking at enzymatic speeds depending on the temperature. But I assume the higher the temperature the faster these reactions. This goes up until to a point when the enzymes break down under heat.} That's why bakers opt for the autolyse. The autolyse starts the enzymatic reactions before the microorganism fermentation begins. This way after 2 hours of autolysis (an example) and 5 hours of fermentation the dough is in the perfect state before beginning proofing. When you try to mix your salt and starter into the flour/water dough you will notice how cumbersome this is. It feels like you have to knead again from scratch one more time. You will spend more time on mixing a dough. For that reason I am advocating to utilize the fermentolyse which simplifies the mixing and kneading process greatly. \section{Fermentolyse} The fermentolyse creates you the same advantageous dough properties the autolysis creates without the headache of mixing your dough twice. You do this by extending the fermentation time of your dough. Rather than doing a 2 hour autolysis and 5 hour bulk fermentation you opt for an overall 7 hour fermentation period. To do this you use less sourdough starter. A conventional recipe including the autolysis step might call for 20 percent sourdough starter. Simply reduce this value to 5-10 percent. The other option could be to place the dough in a colder environment and thus reduce the speed at which your microorganisms replicate. \begin{table}[!htb] \begin{tabular}{|l|l|l|l|} \hline \textbf{\begin{tabular}[c]{@{}l@{}}Temperature\\ in °C\end{tabular}} & \textbf{\begin{tabular}[c]{@{}l@{}}Temperature\\ in °F\end{tabular}} & \textbf{\begin{tabular}[c]{@{}l@{}}Starter\\ recently fed?\end{tabular}} & \textbf{\begin{tabular}[c]{@{}l@{}}Amount\\ of starter in\%\end{tabular}} \\ \hline 30 & 86 & Yes & 5 \\ \hline 25 & 77 & Yes & 10 \\ \hline 20 & 68 & Yes & 15 \\ \hline 30 & 86 & No & 2.5 \\ \hline 25 & 77 & No & 5 \\ \hline 20 & 68 & No & 10 \\ \hline \end{tabular} \caption{A table visualizing how much sourdough starter to use depending on temperature and the starter's activity level} \end{table} Based on my experience and my sourdough my ideal breads always take around 8 to 12 hours during the bulk fermentation. Based on my availability throughout the day I use more or less starter. If I wanted to achieve a completed fermentation in 8 hours I would opt for 10 percent sourdough starter. If I wanted it to be ready in 12 hours I would use less starter, around 5 percent. Simply mix together all the ingredients and your fermentation begins. The enzymes and microorganisms commence their work. On a very warm summer day the mentioned quantities no longer work. With 10 percent starter the same dough would be ready in 5 hours up to a point of no return. Another additional hour would cause the dough to break down too much. In this case I would opt for 5 percent sourdough starter to slow the whole process down to reach the 8 to 12 hour window again. If it is very hot I might use as little as 1 percent sourdough starter.\footnote{Please take these values with a grain of salt as they depend on your flour and your sourdough starter. These are values that you have to experiment with. After baking a couple of breads you will be able to read your dough much better.} You have to play with the timings on your own. Rather than relying on timing I will show you a much better and more precise approach by using a fermentation sample. This will be covered later in this chapter. Even for yeasted doughs I no longer use an autolysis. I just reduce the amount of yeast that I am using. Opting for the fermentolysis will save you time and simplify your bread making. As mentioned in previous chapters, the secret to making great bread is a slow but not too slow fermentation. \section{Dough strength} Dough strength is a fancy way to describe the bread kneading process. As you wait and knead the gluten bonds in your dough become stronger. The dough becomes more elastic and holds together better. This is the basis for trapping all the gases during the fermentation process. Without the gluten network the gases would just diffuse out of your dough. \begin{figure}[!htb] \begin{tikzpicture}[node distance = 3cm, auto] \node [block] (init) {\footnotesize Homogenize recipe ingredients}; \node [block, right of=init, node distance=3cm] (wait1) {\footnotesize Wait 15 minutes}; \path [line] (init) -- (wait1); \node [block, right of=wait1, node distance=3cm] (knead1) {\footnotesize Knead 5 minutes}; \path [line] (wait1) -- (knead1); \node [block, right of=knead1, node distance=3cm] (wait2) {\footnotesize Wait 15 minutes}; \path [line] (knead1) -- (wait2); \node [decision, below of=wait2, node distance=3cm] (windowpane_test) {\footnotesize Window-pane?}; \path [line] (wait2) -- (windowpane_test); \path [line] (windowpane_test) -- node{no} (knead1); \node [decision, left of=windowpane_test, node distance=4.5cm] (more_water) {\footnotesize Bassinage for more water?}; \path [line] (windowpane_test) -- node{yes} (more_water); \node [block, left of=more_water, node distance=4.5cm] (add_water) {\footnotesize Add water}; \path [line] (more_water) -- node{yes} (add_water); \path [line] (add_water) -- (knead1); \node [block, below of=add_water, node distance=4cm] (wait3) {\footnotesize Wait 15 minutes}; \path [line] (add_water) -- (wait3); \node [decision, right of=wait3, node distance=4.5cm] (dough_sample) {\footnotesize Aliquot jar?}; \path [line] (wait3) -- (dough_sample); \path [line] (more_water) -- node{no} (dough_sample); \node [block, right of=dough_sample, node distance=4.5cm] (dough_ball) {\footnotesize Make round dough ball}; \path [line] (dough_sample) -- node{no} (dough_ball); \node [block, below of=dough_sample, node distance=3cm] (extract_sample) {\footnotesize Extract sample}; \path [line] (dough_sample) -- node{yes} (extract_sample); \path [line] (extract_sample) -- (dough_ball); \node [block, below of=dough_ball, node distance=3cm] (begin_bulk) {\footnotesize Begin bulk fermentation}; \path [line] (dough_ball) -- (begin_bulk); \end{tikzpicture} \caption{The gluten development process for a wheat based dough} \label{fig:wheat-sourdough-kneading-process} \end{figure} It might sound odd but the most important part of kneading is waiting. By waiting you are allowing your flour to soak up water. This way the gluten bonds of your dough form automatically and your dough becomes more elastic. So you could be kneading for 10 minutes initially just to be surprised that kneading 5 minutes and waiting 15 minutes has the same effect. The gluten proteins glutenin and gliadin virtually instantly bond after being hydrated. Disulfide bonds enable the longer portions of glutenin to join with one another and form sturdy, extensible molecules. Glutenins add strength, whilst the more compact gliadin proteins allow the dough to flow like a fluid. Ultimately the longer you wait, the more your gluten network transforms into a web like structure. This is what traps the gases during the fermentation process. \cite{how+does+gluten+work}. \begin{figure}[!htb] \includegraphics[width=\textwidth]{dough-strength-sourdough-yeast} \caption{A schematic visualization of automatic gluten development. The doughs are not kneaded, just initially mixed. Note how the dough strength deteriorates over time as enzymes break down the flour. The effect is accelerated for sourdough due to the bacteria's gluten proteolysis. } \label{fig:wheat-yeast-sourdough-degradation} \end{figure} % See https://www.figma.com/file/wTUVe6Nm2INOvT82mJhQur/Dough-strength-visualisation?node-id=0%3A1&t=fjdPvXYuJpsdQfWN-1 for % the source of this visualization The soaking process has to be extended the more whole wheat flour is used. The purpose of the wheat kernel's outer bran is to soak up water as fast as possible. The enzymes become activated and start the sprouting process. Because of this less water is available for the gluten bonds to develop. Either wait a bit longer, or proceed and use slightly more water for the dough. This is the same principle that popular no-knead recipes follow. By making a less hydrated dough and waiting your gluten network automatically forms. You still have to mix and homogenize the ingredients. You wait a few minutes just to find your dough having developed incredible dough strength with no additional kneading.\footnote{Give it a shot yourself. The automatic formation of gluten networks is an amazing phenomenon that still fascinates me every time I am making a dough.} If you over hydrate your dough at the beginning it becomes more difficult for the gluten chains to form. The molecules are not as close together in a wetter dough compared to a stiffer dough. It is harder for the molecules to align and form the web structure. For this reason it is always easier to start with a lower hydration and then increase the water quantity if needed. This is also commonly known as the \textit{Bassinage method}. The gluten bonds have formed at the lower hydration and can then be made more extensible by adding water and kneading again. This is a great trick to make a more extensible dough with a lower gluten flour. \cite{bassinage+technique} When machine kneading a dough opt for the same technique shown in figure \ref*{fig:wheat-sourdough-kneading-process}. Initially opt for a low speed. This helps the homogenization process. After waiting to allow the flour to soak up the water, proceed on a higher speed setting. A good sign of a well developed gluten network is that your dough lets go of the container. This is because the gluten's elasticity. The elasticity is higher than the urge of the dough to stick to the container. \begin{figure}[!htb] \includegraphics[width=\textwidth]{dough-strength-sourdough} \caption{A schematic visualization of gluten development in sourdoughs with different kneading techniques. A combination of techniques can be utilized to achieve maximum dough strength. } \end{figure} % See https://www.figma.com/file/wTUVe6Nm2INOvT82mJhQur/Dough-strength-visualisation?node-id=0%3A1&t=fjdPvXYuJpsdQfWN-1 for % the source of this visualization Generally the more dough strength you create, the less sticky your dough is going to feel. As the dough holds together it will no longer stick to your hands as much. This is a common problem beginners face. A sticky dough is frequently the sign of a not well enough developed gluten network. \begin{figure}[!htb] \includegraphics[width=\textwidth]{dough-surface-touchpoints} \caption{A schematic visualization of how a rough dough surface creates more touch points compared to a smooth dough surface. By touching the rough surface the dough will swell and get into contact with more areas of your hand. } \label{fig:dough-touch-points} \end{figure} Kneading more is great in almost all cases. You'll have a stronger gluten network. Only in case you are making soft milk breads you might want to have a more extensible dough to begin with. For every other type of wheat based dough kneading is helpful. When you use a stand mixer, you can run into the issue of kneading too much. This is hardly possible though. Even after kneading for 30 minutes on medium speed my doughs hardly ever were over-kneaded. The moment you knead too much the color of the dough can begin to change. You mostly notice this though during baking. The resulting loaf looks very pale and white. This is because mixing dough causes oxidation, which is necessary for the development of gluten. However, if the dough is mixed too much, the compounds that contribute to the bread's flavor, aroma, and color may be destroyed, negatively affecting the quality of the bread.\cite{oxidization+dough} The last step before beginning bulk fermentation is to create a smooth dough ball. By making sure your dough's surface is smooth you will have fewer touch points when touching the dough. See figure \ref{fig:dough-touch-points} for a schematic visualization of how your hand touches a rugged and smooth dough. With the smooth surface your dough is going to stick less on your hands. Applying later stretch and folds will be a lot easier. Without a smooth surface, the dough becomes almost unworkable. Folding the dough later becomes an impossible task. This is a frequent mistake I see many new bakers commit. \begin{figure}[!htb] \includegraphics[width=\textwidth]{dough-ball-steps} \caption{The transformation of a sticky dough blob to a dough with a smooth surface. The goal is to reduce surface touchpoints with your hands to make the dough less sticky when working it. } \label{fig:dough-ball-steps} \end{figure} To make the dough's surface smooth place your dough on a wooden board or on your kitchen's countertop. Drag the dough with your palm over the surface. A dough scraper could be used here for assistance. Drag the dough towards you while making sure the top center of the dough stays in place. It can help to gently place your second hand on top of the dough so that the dough mass moves while retaining its orientation. Once the whole dough is too close to the edge of the container/countertop gently move it back with two hands. By doing so you are stretching the outer surrounding gluten layer. For this reason, it is important to not use any flour during this process. By using flour you can no longer drag the dough over the surface and thus you can't stretch the gluten. Always imagine you are touching something utterly sticky. By doing so you will automatically try to touch the dough as little as possible. Keep repeating the process until you see that the dough has a nice smooth surface. The final dough should look like the dough shown in \ref{fig:dough-ball-steps}. If your outer gluten layer tears you have overstretched your dough. In that case, take a 10-minute break leaving your dough on the kitchen countertop. This allows the gluten to re-bond and heal. Repeat the same process and the damaged rugged areas should disappear. The same dough-rounding technique is used later during the pre-shaping process. After creating dough strength you have all the time you need to practice rounding. Round the dough as much as possible until it tears. Then wait the mentioned 10 minutes and repeat. Later you don't have any room for error. Your technique has to be on point. An over-pre-shaped dough can potentially not recover. \section{Bulk fermentation} After mixing the starter into your dough the next stage of the process known as bulk fermentation begins. The term bulk is used because in bakeries multiple loaves are fermented together in bulk. If you are a home baker you might bulk ferment a single loaf. The bulk fermentation ends when you divide and preshape, or directly shape your final loaves or loaf. The hardest part when making sourdough bread is controlling the fermentation process. Bulking long enough but not too long is the deciding factor for making great bread at home. Even with poor shaping and baking techniques, you'll be able to make excellent bread, solely by mastering the bulk fermentation process. With a too-short bulk, your crumb will be perceived as gummy. Your crumb will feature large pockets of air commonly referred to as "craters". A too-long fermentation results in the dough breaking down too much. The resulting dough will stick to your banneton and spread while baking into a pancake-like structure. The key is to find the sweet spot between not too little and not too much bulk fermentation. I'd always recommend pushing the dough more toward a longer fermentation. The flavor of the resulting bread is better compared to a pale underfermented dough. \begin{table}[!htb] \small \begin{tabular}{|l|l|l|l|} \hline \textbf{} & \textbf{\begin{tabular}[c]{@{}l@{}}Too short\\ fermentation\end{tabular}} & \textbf{\begin{tabular}[c]{@{}l@{}}Too long\\ fermentation\end{tabular}} & \textbf{\begin{tabular}[c]{@{}l@{}}Perfect\\ fermentation\end{tabular}} \\ \hline \textbf{\begin{tabular}[c]{@{}l@{}}Crumb\\ texture\end{tabular}} & \begin{tabular}[c]{@{}l@{}}Unbaked gummy areas\\ towards the bottom of\\ the bread\end{tabular} & \begin{tabular}[c]{@{}l@{}}Crumb can be\\ perceived as\\ gummy, as most\\ gluten broken\\ down\end{tabular} & \begin{tabular}[c]{@{}l@{}}Crumb evenly baked.\\ Crumb can be perceived\\ as moist, but not\\ gummy\end{tabular} \\ \hline \textbf{Alveoli} & \begin{tabular}[c]{@{}l@{}}Overly large alveoli\\ in the crumb "craters"\end{tabular} & \begin{tabular}[c]{@{}l@{}}Many tiny alveoli\\ equally distributed\end{tabular} & \begin{tabular}[c]{@{}l@{}}Alveoli evenly\\ distributed, no\\ "craters"\end{tabular} \\ \hline \textbf{Taste} & Pale neutral taste & \begin{tabular}[c]{@{}l@{}}Strong acidic flavor\\ profile. Acidity\\ overweighs when\\ tasting\end{tabular} & \begin{tabular}[c]{@{}l@{}}Balanced flavor profile,\\ not too mild but also\\ not too sour. Depending\\ on starter vinegary\\ or lactic notes\end{tabular} \\ \hline \textbf{Texture} & Overall poor Texture & \begin{tabular}[c]{@{}l@{}}Good consistency,\\ crumb is not as fluffy\\ as it could be\end{tabular} & \begin{tabular}[c]{@{}l@{}}Great combination of \\ textures\end{tabular} \\ \hline \textbf{\begin{tabular}[c]{@{}l@{}}Oven\\ spring\end{tabular}} & \begin{tabular}[c]{@{}l@{}}Vertical oven spring,\\ mostly due to water\\ evaporating and\\ inflating the dough\end{tabular} & \begin{tabular}[c]{@{}l@{}}Very flat pancake like \\ structure after baking\end{tabular} & \begin{tabular}[c]{@{}l@{}}Great vertical oven\\ spring. Dough grows\\ more upwards rather\\ than sideways\end{tabular} \\ \hline \end{tabular} \caption{The different stages of sourdough fermentation and the effects on crumb, alveoli, texture, and overall taste.} \end{table} The worst thing you can do when fermenting sourdough is to rely on a recipe's timing suggestions. In 99 percent of the cases, the timing will not work for you. The writer of the recipe probably has different flour and a different sourdough starter with different levels of activity. Furthermore, the temperature of the fermentation environment might be different. Just small changes in one parameter result in a completely different timing schedule. One or two hours difference results in the dough not fermenting long enough, or turning it into a gigantic sticky fermented pancake. This is one of the reasons why the current baking industry prefers to make solely yeast-based doughs. By removing the bacteria from the fermentation, the whole process becomes a lot more predictable. The room for error (as shown in figure \ref{fig:wheat-yeast-sourdough-degradation}) is much larger. The doughs are perfect to be made in a machine. Experienced bakers will tell you to go by the look and feel of the dough. While this works if you have made hundreds of loaves, this is not an option for an inexperienced baker. As you make more and more dough you will be able to judge the dough's state by touching it. My go-to method for beginners is to use an \textbf{Aliquot jar}. The aliquot is a sample that you extract from your dough. The sample is extracted after creating the initial dough strength. You monitor the aliquot's size increase to judge the level of fermentation of your main dough. The aliquot jar is extracted after creating dough strength. As your dough ferments, so does the content of your aliquot jar. The moment your sample reached a certain size your main dough is ready to be shaped and proofed. The size increase you should aim for depends on the flour you have at hand. A flour with a higher gluten content can be fermented for a longer period. Generally, around 80 percent of your wheat flour's protein is gluten. Check your flour's packaging to see the protein percentage. The actual size increase value is highly subjective depending on your flour composition. I recommend beginning with a size increase of 25 percent and testing up to 100 percent with subsequent bakes. Then identify a value that you are happy with. \begin{table}[!htb] \begin{tabular}{|r|r|} \hline \multicolumn{1}{|l|}{\textbf{Flour protein content}} & \multicolumn{1}{l|}{\textbf{Relative aliquot size increase}} \\ \hline 8-10\% & 25\% \\ \hline 10-12\% & 50\% \\ \hline 12-15\% & 100\% \\ \hline \textgreater 15\% & \textgreater 100\% \\ \hline \end{tabular} \caption{Reference values for how much size increase to aim for with an aliquot jar depending on the dough's protein content} \end{table} The beauty of the aliquot is that no matter the surrounding temperature, you will always know when your dough is ready. While the dough might be ready in 8 hours in summer, it could easily be 12 hours in winter. You will always ferment your dough exactly on point. \begin{figure}[!htb] \includegraphics[width=\textwidth]{aliquot-before-after} \caption{An aliquot jar to monitor the dough's fermentation progress. It took 10 hours for the dough to reach a 50 percent size increase.} \end{figure} While the aliquot jar has enabled me to consistently bake great loaves there are limitations to consider. It's crucial to use a cylindrical-shaped container to properly judge the dough's size increase. Furthermore, it is essential to use room-temperature water when making your dough. If the water is hotter, your aliquot due to its smaller size will cool down faster. The aliquot will ferment slower than your dough. Similarly, when you use too cold water, your sample will heat up faster than the large dough mass. In that case, your aliquot is ahead of your main dough. You would probably stop the fermentation too early. Make sure to keep the dough and aliquot close together. Some people even place the aliquot in the same container. This makes sure that both are in the same environment temperature. The aliquot is also less reliable if your ambient temperature changes a lot during the day. In that case, your aliquot will adapt faster than your main dough. The readings will always be slightly off. If you are making a large chunk of dough with more than 10kg of flour the jar is also less reliable. The biochemical reactions happening inside your dough will heat it. The fermentation itself is exothermic which means that it produces heat. Another but more expensive option is to use a pH meter to monitor your dough's fermentation state. As the lactic and acetic acid bacteria ferment, more acidity is piled up inside your dough. The acidity value (pH) can be measured using such a meter. The more acidity the lower the pH value of your dough. The pH scale is logarithmic meaning that each digit change will have a 10x increase in acidity. A sourdough dough might begin fermenting at a pH of 6, then shortly before baking has a pH of around 4. This means that the dough itself is 10x times 10x (= 100x) sourer than at the beginning. By using the meter you can always judge the state of your dough's acidification and then act accordingly. To use the pH meter successfully you need to find pH values that work for your dough. Depending on your starter, water, and flour composition the pH values to look out for are different. A stronger flour with more gluten can be fermented for a longer period. To find out the pH values for your bread I recommend taking several measurements while making your dough. \begin{enumerate} \item Measure the pH value of your sourdough starter before using it \item Check the pH after mixing all the ingredients \item Check the pH before dividing and pre-shaping \item Check the pH before shaping \item Check the pH of your dough before and after proofing \item Check the pH of your bread after baking \end{enumerate} If the bread you made turned out successful with your values you can use them as a reference for your next batch. If the bread didn't turn out the way you like, either shorten the fermentation or extend it a little bit. \begin{table}[!htb] \begin{tabular}{|l|r|} \hline \textbf{Step} & \multicolumn{1}{l|}{\textbf{pH Value}} \\ \hline Starter ready & 4.20 \\ \hline Mixing & 6.00 \\ \hline Dividing/preshaping & 4.10 \\ \hline Shaping & 4.05 \\ \hline Before proofing & 4.03 \\ \hline After proofing & 3.80 \\ \hline After baking & 3.90 \\ \hline \end{tabular} \caption{Example pH values for the different breakpoints of my own sourdough process} \label{table:sample-ph-values} \end{table} The beauty of this method is its reliability. Once you found out your good working values, you can reproduce the same level of fermentation with each subsequent dough. This is especially handy for large-scale bakeries that want to achieve consistency in each bread. While this method is very reliable there are also certain limitations to consider. First of all the pH values that work for me likely won't work for you. Depending on your own starter's composition of lactic and acetic acid bacteria your pH values will be different. You can use the values shown in table \ref{table:sample-ph-values} as rough ballpark figures. Regardless you need to find values that work for your setup. Another limitation is the price. You will need to purchase a high-tech pH meter. Ideally, a meter featuring a spearhead. This way you can directly poke the meter deep into the dough. At the same time, automated temperature adjustments are a feature to look out for. Depending on the temperature the pH value varies. There are tables you can use to do the adjustment calculations. More expensive meters have this feature built-in. The pH meter loses accuracy over time. For this reason, you need to frequently calibrate this. The process is cumbersome and takes time. Lastly, you need to carefully rinse the pH meter before using it in your dough. The liquid surrounding the head of your pH meter is not food-safe and thus should not be eaten. I rinse the meter for at least one minute before using it to measure my dough's fermentation stage. The last method to judge the state of bulk fermentation is to read the signs of your dough. The more bread you are made the more accustomed you will become to this process. Look out for the dough's size increase. This can sometimes be a challenge when your dough is inside a container. You can help yourself by marking your container. Some bakers even use a transparent rectangular bulk container. You can use a pen to mark the initial starting point. From there on you can nicely observe the size increase. Similar to the mentioned aliquot jar look out for a size increase that works for your sourdough composition. \begin{figure}[!htb] \includegraphics[width=\textwidth]{bulk-finished-dough} \caption{A dough in a good state to finish bulk fermentation. Notice the tiny bubbles on the dough's surface. They are a sign that the dough is inflated well enough.} \end{figure} Look out for bubbles on the surface of your dough. They are a good sign that your dough is inflated with gas. The further you push the bulk fermentation the more bubbles will appear. If you overdo this stage the dough becomes leaky and the bubbles will disappear again. Take note of the dough's smell. It should match the same smell of a ripe starter shortly before collapsing. As mentioned before, your dough is nothing but a gigantic starter. You can also proceed and taste your dough. It will taste like pickled food. Depending on the acidity you can judge how far the dough is in the fermentation process. The final bread will taste less sour. That's because a lot of acid evaporates during baking.\footnote{More on this topic later. Just by baking longer and/or shorter, you can control the tang of your final baked bread. The longer you bake the less sour the final loaf. The shorter the more acidity is still inside the bread. The resulting loaf will be sourer.} When touching the dough it should feel tacky on your hands. The dough should also be less sticky compared to earlier stages. If the dough is overly sticky you have pushed the fermentation too far. If you pushed the bulk fermentation too far you won't be able to bake a free-standing loaf with the dough anymore. But don't worry. You can move your dough into a loaf pan, or use parts of the dough as the starter for your next dough. When using a loaf pan make sure it's properly greased. You might have to use a spatula to transfer your dough. Allow the dough to proof for at least 30 minutes in the loaf pan before baking it. This makes sure that large cavities induced by the transfer are evened out. You could push the proofing stage to 24 hours or even 72 hours. The resulting bread would feature an excellent very tangy taste. \section{Stretch and folds} This chapter is still pending and will be added soon. \section{Optional Preshaping} This chapter is still pending and will be added soon. \section{Shaping} This chapter is still pending and will be added soon. \section{Proofing} This chapter is still pending and will be added soon. \section{Scoring} This chapter is still pending and will be added soon.