We know that flour is essential, but you need to make sure that youre using it correctly for the best results. A mistake that nearly sourdough bakers have made is simply leaving the dough for too long. A Guide to Troubleshooting Sourdough Bread - The Pantry Mama Sourdough made with bread flour can take up to 6 hours to cool properly. Sourdough does not stop cooking when you take it out of the oven. Don't close the oven door or the crust will become soft and wrinkly. How to Preshape Bread Dough | The Perfect Loaf This arguably makes the dough easier to work with. I hope this guide helps you to troubleshoot your sourdough bread problems and ultimately bake a better loaf! If youre going from low hydration (60-65%) bread dough to a sourdough (65-80%) hydration, youre most probably not going to know how to handle it properly. Using too much water for the amount of flour you're using will result in a wet dough that's really hard to handle. Second, most bakers wait more than 1 hour before cutting into the bread. One fold consists of the folding of all four sides of the dough into its centre. Another tactic is adding flour to the work surface before you start working with the dough. Sourdough can take up to 24 hours to fully cool and come to room temperature. Bread needs gluten development in order to trap gas and rise, but this also helps the dough to become less sticky. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Under fermented dough will also cause you to have a pale crust that just doesn't brown up, even when you cook it longer. Help! My Sourdough is Too Wet and Sticky - Crusty Labs It is normal when working with dough of very high hydration for it to feel quite wet and sticky after it has finished mixing. Easy everyday sourdough bread | King Arthur Baking The sticky side should only touch the dough. Sliced through the bread in an hour and it left sticky residue on the knife and the insides was tacky. Salthand-mixed, Rubaud style, for 5 minutes. Score the bread on top with any design you like. If you simply cant handle sourdough with medium-to-high hydration, its better for you to either gradually knead in more flour or start off with less water in the first place. Only oil the proofing vessel if it is made of a non-porous material such as metal or glass, if it is made of a porous material like wood, then line the proofing vessel with a cloth and dust the cloth with flour. A hollow sound indicates that it's cooked. Wet and sticky dough not only sticks to the work surfaces but also to our hands, increasing the risk of tearing and making it very difficult to work with. If you've found this article on handling wet, sticky sourdough helpful, you might also enjoy these: What a great resource you've created here. SOLUTION - Lack of oven spring can be a complex problem. Bake in preheated, covered DO at 475F for 20 minutes, then uncovered at 450F for 20 minutes. We will hold back from slicing it too early the next time!! I would like to share with you what I have learnt from the many hours spent researching and testing these baking techniques myself. When using a proofing basket, line it with a clean cloth and dust its surface with flour by using a sieve to ensure an even coating. Steaming is one of the most crucial steps when baking bread. Wetting your hands before handling your sticky dough is a game-changer. Id recommend picking up one metal and at least one plastic scraper to aid you in handling your sourdough. Cover with cling film and let rest in the fridge for 12-15 hours. Gummy Bread- How did Everything Go Wrong and How to Fix It This is the sourdough baking course you need if you are just starting out in sourdough bread baking. This site is powered by Drupal. The Fresh Loaf is not responsible for community member content. CAUSE - Your sourdough is lacking oven spring, which means your dough is not growing in the oven as it should. Youll notice that you can stretch the dough further and less will cling to your hands by the time youre done. Help! How Long Does Cookie Dough Last in the Fridge. Rest uncovered for 25 minutes. You might get a drier dough, but you wont get the same rise in the dough and a solid crust that you were expecting. Just dont freeze it. We would like to share the recipe we used here, hopefully to get some help from the experienced bakers around! Thanks. sourdough after baking. Then, I use my wet hands to pick up a side of the dough, stretch it up, and fold it over. As Ive already mentioned, gluten is essential to prevent too much sticking. Sourdough bread offers a number of benefits. After fermenting for too long, the gluten in the dough begins to break down, which leaves you with a thick, gloopy mass of flour and water with no way to make good sourdough. As the flour is better hydrated, more water is absorbed by the dough, and less water is coating the doughs surface which makes the dough feels less wet and sticky. Mistakes Everyone Makes With Sourdough - Mashed.com Bake in a Dutch Oven. Sourdough generally contains more water, which makes the gluten more likely to cling to everything. Inside of bread too moist and gummy - Sourdough Wet and sticky dough is caused by a few different issues. If the dough is too sticky at this point, add a little flour and knead it in. In this case, extra flour wont save it. You should aim to handle your dough more like that as you get more practice. Water that is too soft causes dough to be sticky and slack from the lack of minerals; reverse osmosis water and soft tap water can cause your dough to be too wet and sticky. It is often easier to make. This is mainly because sourdough is higher hydration, meaning it contains more water. Basic sourdough bread | Sourdough Recipe | BakeClub Simply combine your flour and water before any of the other ingredients, fully incorporating the flour. Sourdough that has hydration levels of more than 72% tends to be sticky and tears apart easily when it is handled. If baking in a pre-heated oven, turn on the oven to at least 200C/392F, once heated, add two big glasses of water to a dish on the bottom shelf This method involves mixing the dough so the flour is fully hydrated before performing a series of stretch and folds. What Went Wrong With Your Sourdough? | Epicurious The only time I wouldnt recommend using wet hands is during shaping. If your dough is too dry, add a little moisture and mix it, adding just a little more water if necessary. Mix together the flour, sourdough starter and 250ml/9fl oz water in a bowl. To calculate, add up all the flour, including the flour in the starter, then add up all the water, including the water in the starter, and divide the water by the starter. Sourdough: Hard crust, sticky tacky insides after baked! 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. You want the bread to be completely cool so you'd generally want to wait at least 3-4 hours and some bakers recommend waiting 24 hours to enhance flavor. The higher hydration the dough, the stickier its going to be. The remaining water coats the outside of the dough, causing it to appear wet and sticky. Meanwhile chop the cranberries. This part is extremely important as its what determines whether you end up with a well-shaped sourdough or a mess. Third, mix in the soaker, mixing and incorporating the grains and seeds into . The crumb is open and definitely "finished" - the bread can be compressed and springs right back. Im the face behind The Pantry Mama and I want to help you bake delicious sourdough bread, no matter what your schedule. So if you're over-shooting the original formula's hydration due to miscalculattion, that would be the first thing to correct. In our previous attempts, we thought it was undercooked, hence the longer baking time for Charlie this time round. I understand in the beginning you want to see the inside but do yourself a favor and wait at least 3 ours. no one but me would notice or care). Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. For example a gummy crumb can be caused by a starter that's too young and or under fermented dough. When water is excessively hard, it tightens the gluten as well as decrease fermentation rate. When to Cut Sourdough Bread to get Beautiful Even Slices Levain hand-mixed, Rubaud style, for 5 minutes. Autolyse is an important part of the baking process where flour and water is initially mixed without any other ingredients and left to rest for about 20 to 60 minutes. Let the integrated flour-and-water mass sit for up to an hour. They give you what is called slack dough.If the dough is very slack and it isnt because you added too much water, then autolyze. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. It will only improve the flavor. Starting at a lower hydration (70% is good) is best for beginners. Having a strong gluten network means that the carbon dioxide produced by the yeast will be evenly distributed. Then the dough is less likely to stick to them. A great way to start the gluten development is to simply begin with an autolyse (mixing just the flour and water and letting it sit for one hour or more). 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. The speed of your actions when handling your sourdough makes all the difference. Dutch Oven Sourdough Bread | EmilyFabulous Many thanks for this. Second sign: The dough has become loose and slack, and doesn't seem to hold any kind of shape. Our problem was with the tacky, rubbery, sticky insides of the baked bread (I could press a piece of the inside between my fingers and it would stick on without falling) no matter how long we bake it for (Charlie was baked for 40 mins in the cast iron and 20 mins on a rack, and the picture attached shows the insides). You can get the tool under the dough so you can pick it up or manipulate it. Let's dive into each of these reasons and see how you can avoid or correct the situation. Youre aiming for maximum gluten development for the dough to become easier to manage. Mix until no dry patches remain. When I first started baking, everything that could go wrong, went wrong; it felt borderline alchemy to me. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Over time, youll become more confident and comfortable working with dough, so you can gradually increase the hydration and get better at handling it. This makes it easier to handle. The water almost wholly stops the sticking, so you dont have to worry about messing up your dough. Bread SOS Episode 5: STICKY / TACKY Sourdough Crumb. The gluten network serves to provide structure and strength to the dough but it also plays an important role in containing and holding water and moisture. From a gummy crumb to a lack of rise and everything in between. Ensure that your dough is well fermented prior to shaping. Heres What To Do. You just get more un-fermented dough that wont stand up. I ran your numbers, and unless my math is wrong, your are above 90% hydration, which is extremely high. Think about how professional bakers look when handling their dough. A large mixing bowl A round cane banneton 2 clean tea towels A Dutch oven, La Cloche or bread pan A large heatproof pan, a sharp knife or 'lame' to slash the dough with. Sourdough can be a little tricky as it can take time for the flour to absorb the water during the autolyse process. Extend your bulk fermentation time. It's not until all of this steam has escaped that your bread actually finishes cooking. Method. Acetaldehyde is a known stomach irritant and causes watery diarrhea. Why Your Bread Dough is Stick and how to Fix it Easily Its like an extension to your hand and can be used to improve your technique with the dough. Mix everything together. This is the preferred method used by professional artisan bakers. Is rye flour good for . Will be back to update! Modified: Dec 27, 2022 by The Pantry Mama This post may contain affiliate links. Sourdough starter is wild yeast and bacteria. First, in a large mixing bowl, whisk the starter, water, orange zest and juice, and maple syrup or honey. . It's when this doesn't happen that problems start to occur. How to stretch and fold sourdough | The Perfect Loaf Begin mixing the flour in with a spoon or fork, then continue mixing with your hand, until all the flour is incorporated and you have a shaggy dough. We performed up to 6 sets of stretch and fold during the first two hours of fermentation before leaving it to bulk ferment for the next two hours. Flour Cleaning: How to Clear the Dough After Baking - Food & Wine Your email address will not be published. This is when you let the dough rest after it is mixed but before you start to knead it. Once you get comfortable, you can gradually increase the water content of your dough and see how you manage it. It will be sticky. Sourdough bread recipe - BBC Food Steps: Autolyse for an hour before adding the starter (rest 30m) and salt (rest 15m) all by hand using the folding and pinching method. Unfortunately, this results in tougher bread. Pinpointing the cause of your wet and sticky dough will depend where in the sourdough process you are. Plastic and metal dough scrapers are useful tools and both have their own pros and cons. Bread mix, all-purpose flour, self-raising flour or cake flour can produce undesirable results when making sourdough. 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. 10 Pieces 5 Inch Bread Banneton Proofing Basket Round Dough Sourdough Proofing Basket Rattan Bakery Baking Bread Bowl with Liner and Scraper Tool Set for Starter Gifts Professional Home Bakers : Amazon.co.uk: Home & Kitchen 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. Cutting it too soon stops your sourdough from completing the cooking process and results in a gummy, wet texture when you cut it. Instructions. Gently pull the dough towards the edge. 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. The bacteria produce both lactic acid and acetic acid. Excess flour at shaping can mean that your dough does not seal back onto itself, causing tunnels of air to form when baking. It is generally healthier and easier to digest. the yeast has not fermented for long enough and still has too much energy to burn when it hits the oven, the yeast lets off too much gas all at once when it hits the oven. In my other courses, I teach how to bake all sorts of sourdough breads, but in this course, I won't load you down with lots of information, just enough so it is easy and fun to bake your first loaf of sourdough. Always ensure that youre using the right techniques for your sourdough to build the most gluten. Sourdough that has hydration levels of more than 72% tends to be sticky and tears apart easily when it is handled. However, it is possible to get sticky sourdough that is hard to get out of the pan or cut into pieces. It could be using the slap and fold, stretch and fold, rubaud kneading, or whatever youd like. But we are utterly puzzled by the outcome again. water) slightly (eg. Scrape into a greased 9" x 4" x 4" pan; cover and let the loaf rise until it's within about 1" of the pan's rim, about 3 to 4 hours. Gluten is the foundation for good bread, so you wont get very far if its not developed. full guide to all purpose flour vs bread flour here, Baking sourdough when it's really hot or really cold. If you're having trouble understanding the timing of bulk fermentation, I've written an easy to follow guide. Remove the pot from the oven using pot holders (please be very careful ). So that should work out to (282+45)/(390+45)=75%. If you are doing decorative scoring, it's still advisable to have one "utility" score and then your more shallow, decorative scoring. This method of developing gluten should prove to be much cleaner and easier, but its up to you to figure out which gluten-development method you like the most. Remove the lid and bake for another 10 minutes to get a brown crust. Sourdough Bread Troubleshooting Guide and FAQ - A Beautiful Plate Place the bread pieces on a parchment lined baking sheet in a single layer. You'll find a full guide to all purpose flour vs bread flour here. After toiling through many failures, I finally reached a level of consistency that I can be proud of - it is amazing the intricacy that is required to produce a great bake.