So the thing I remembered as I moved on to the next process is that working with wetter dough is much more challenging than working with dough that kind of holds a shape and isn't incredibly sticky. Maybe at some point I'll need to talk to Peter to get a few tips on how to work with this stuff, but until then I am probably going to basically stick to my 'grab a handful of dough and slap it onto the baking surface' approach that I've been using.
But they'll kind of buff out as they rise, right?
So now I'm back to waiting for dough to rise. Hooray!
And we now have at least a post-a-day!
Cameron - 10
Neil - 0
2 comments:
Professional consult right here. Working with wet dough can be frustrating at first, but becomes very rewarding. One thing about wet dough is that it can be quite liquidy. The flour doesn't absorb the water all at once; the flour has to "learn" to absorb the water. When mixing, don't add all the water initially. Hold some back and add some gradually after a mixing for a couple of minutes. After that it may require another adjustment of water or flour. During bulk fermentation (ie the first prove), the flour continues to absorb water, so by the time you are ready to divide it up, it is not so wet (especially in the case of longer fermentation times). Giving the dough the occasional fold during the bulk fermentation phase also helps. While dividing it into individual loaves, use a fair bit of flour on the work surface, and ball it up, than let it rest until the gluten relaxes before shaping. This is good for the gluten, but also gives a drier outside surface that is easier to work with. If it's too wet the dough will be quite flat and need to be balled up again.
On the question of using a mixer, I used to love kneading dough. Now that I have a kitchen aid mixer, kneading is not something I bother with, even when making newfoundland bread. The mixer, combined with a few turns or folds during bulk fermentation will sufficiently develop the gluton (folds or turns definitely help if the fermentation time is shorter; if the fermentation time is longer, the time itself will help the gluten strands develop). There is a lot of debate about "no knead" bread, which is an absurd debate. It has been known for generations that all that is required to develop gluten was a good mixing of ingredients, a series of folds, and time.
I see on Twitter part 3 has been posted. Hopefully this doesn't end at trilogy!
B'y, don't be thinking all first three Star Wars - first there will be another three posts - and then as many more as I can milk out until the well is more than dry.
Thanks for the info. We just got back from a store where I was lusting after a Kitchen Aid mixer. Maybe this will help me in my quest?
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