I have made your ambient-proofed loaf, following the recipe in your handout for the Sourdough Office Hours workshop. I also used many of your suggestions for improving a sourdough loaf. The result for me was a larger and taller loaf than my usual bake. The warmer 82 temp during bulk fermentation and final proofing was very effective. Your description of how the dough looks when it is ready to bake and the results of the poke test exactly matched my dough, so I knew it was ready to go in the oven. Your recipe and suggestions in the handout worked really well. Thanks.
Thanks for the great instruction! For the mixing in the Ankarsrum, do you use the roller or the hook? I am still working out which attachments to use when.
This is a great guide! Will definitely try some of these tips, especially increasing frequency of folds towards the end of the bulk ferment.
I hope you don't mind me asking a question about shaping. I've been making sourdough for years and I feel like I've never really cracked it. My round boules turn out fine as they're baked in a dutch oven which prevents too much spread but when I try to make a batard and just bake it on a baking sheet I feel it spreads too much and creates a flattened loaf. I'm otherwise happy with my loaves (good crumb, rise, etc.) but the beautiful rounded shape on a batard evades me! even after giving them a long fridge rise. Any thoughts or resources to help me with this?
Many of my suggestions above should help! More dough development, in a machine or by hand, longer bulk fermentations (acids build structure), and lower hydrations, to make the dough less slack.
I do have a question - do these instructions for ambient loaves apply to 80% Whole Grain freshly milled as well? or is that a totally different type of animal? I've only been adding about 100-150 g of King Arthur bread flour since I got my mockmill this year. My loaves turn out very tasty but are definitely not like those with mostly bread flour. I used to make them 80% bread flour and 20% whole grain. I ambient proof 5 hours starting with the levain add, then in the fridge for 12-14 hours. The dough always domes in the banneton. Can I do this "let it flatten out" trial with that much whole grain, or would that be a bad idea? Hydration is usually 75%, and I do the main mixing in the KitchenAid.
Thanks for the info as I can see how I can make a better loaf. Can you tell me the difference between keeping my starter in the fridge then using a reviving flagging starter until it rises vs feeding it daily at room temperature?
This is so helpful, thank you. I have been slowly turning into a dedicated sourdough baker and have been struggling to achieve my platonic ideal of a loaf, so I will be putting ALL of this to use IMMEDIATELY.
I've started maintaining my starters at room temperature, and the difference is truly night and day. When I was maintaining them in the fridge, even if I gave them a few feedings before using them, my proofing time would always be at the high end of the range indicated in a recipe (around 5 hours or so for a typical 25% levain recipe). Now, my proofing time is usually are on the low end of that, maybe around 3 hours for a 25% levain recipe. Plus, they seem to perform much more consistently. I'm not going back to fridge maintenance anytime soon!
Hi! I'm trying to purchase the replay but am unable to do so. When I click the link provided it says "sold out" Is there a way to still purchase the class? Thanks.
Agreed on all that you mentioned...less long ferment...yup, folds, good stuff.
Great instruction. Thanks
All in a nutshell, so nice and concise!!! Thanks!!!
Hello Andrew,
I have made your ambient-proofed loaf, following the recipe in your handout for the Sourdough Office Hours workshop. I also used many of your suggestions for improving a sourdough loaf. The result for me was a larger and taller loaf than my usual bake. The warmer 82 temp during bulk fermentation and final proofing was very effective. Your description of how the dough looks when it is ready to bake and the results of the poke test exactly matched my dough, so I knew it was ready to go in the oven. Your recipe and suggestions in the handout worked really well. Thanks.
so glad to hear that, Charles.
Are captions available for your Zoom class?
Not IN the video, since Zoom does not record them. But there is a CC transcript included in the folder.
Thank you!
This is the kind of content that made me a subscriber :-) Thank yu!
Thanks for the great instruction! For the mixing in the Ankarsrum, do you use the roller or the hook? I am still working out which attachments to use when.
I always use the roller/scraper combination!
So many great tips! Want to pin this to my kitchen wall for my next sourdough experiments!
yay, Sophia!
Fascinating and so useful, thank you
So glad to hear that, Mark!!
I went all out on over proofing. I baked one very flat but tasty loaf and turned the other into pita. The pita worked great.
This is a great guide! Will definitely try some of these tips, especially increasing frequency of folds towards the end of the bulk ferment.
I hope you don't mind me asking a question about shaping. I've been making sourdough for years and I feel like I've never really cracked it. My round boules turn out fine as they're baked in a dutch oven which prevents too much spread but when I try to make a batard and just bake it on a baking sheet I feel it spreads too much and creates a flattened loaf. I'm otherwise happy with my loaves (good crumb, rise, etc.) but the beautiful rounded shape on a batard evades me! even after giving them a long fridge rise. Any thoughts or resources to help me with this?
Many of my suggestions above should help! More dough development, in a machine or by hand, longer bulk fermentations (acids build structure), and lower hydrations, to make the dough less slack.
Thanks so much for the response! I'll give them a try :)
I do have a question - do these instructions for ambient loaves apply to 80% Whole Grain freshly milled as well? or is that a totally different type of animal? I've only been adding about 100-150 g of King Arthur bread flour since I got my mockmill this year. My loaves turn out very tasty but are definitely not like those with mostly bread flour. I used to make them 80% bread flour and 20% whole grain. I ambient proof 5 hours starting with the levain add, then in the fridge for 12-14 hours. The dough always domes in the banneton. Can I do this "let it flatten out" trial with that much whole grain, or would that be a bad idea? Hydration is usually 75%, and I do the main mixing in the KitchenAid.
Thanks for the info as I can see how I can make a better loaf. Can you tell me the difference between keeping my starter in the fridge then using a reviving flagging starter until it rises vs feeding it daily at room temperature?
Ann - Read this post for more details: https://newsletter.wordloaf.org/p/twenty-grams-of-flour-and-a-little
Thank you. Leaving the starter at room temperature has made it more active and like the minimal feeds
This is so helpful, thank you. I have been slowly turning into a dedicated sourdough baker and have been struggling to achieve my platonic ideal of a loaf, so I will be putting ALL of this to use IMMEDIATELY.
Thanks for this writeup, Andrew!
I've started maintaining my starters at room temperature, and the difference is truly night and day. When I was maintaining them in the fridge, even if I gave them a few feedings before using them, my proofing time would always be at the high end of the range indicated in a recipe (around 5 hours or so for a typical 25% levain recipe). Now, my proofing time is usually are on the low end of that, maybe around 3 hours for a 25% levain recipe. Plus, they seem to perform much more consistently. I'm not going back to fridge maintenance anytime soon!
Music to my ears, Gabriel!
Hi! I'm trying to purchase the replay but am unable to do so. When I click the link provided it says "sold out" Is there a way to still purchase the class? Thanks.
ah, thanks for the heads up, I need to change it to unlimited. Give me 30m, it should be updated by then.