A troubleshooting guide for your bread-baking woes. | cbc_life
. Whether you got it from a friend or raised it yourself, the excitement of baking your own naturally-leavened bread can quickly wear off when you run into problems. From an inactive starter to squat and flat loaves, there's no shortage of issues you may face, and that can seem like a set back.
A starter's environmental sensitivity means that what works for me may not exactly work for you in your kitchen. Plus, what I consider a perfect loaf might not be in line with your vision. Because of this you must be fearless enough to tinker until you achieve the bread you want. If experimenting gets overwhelming, keep a journal, recording things like temperature and timing, so you can refer back and adjust.
For when you're unsure, here are some answers to common starter and bread baking queries and challenges.The float test is an accurate way to tell if a starter is ready to leaven bread. To do the test, drop a teaspoon of starter into a warm glass of water; if it floats, it's ready. Do this test when you can see that the starter has doubled in volume since its last feeding.you may be shocked when your starter stops bubbling as actively around the fourth day.
Build enough tension during shaping to form a thin elastic layer on the surface which will help the bread hold its shape. This can be done a few ways and a little internet research will help you master a technique that works for you. I get good results by dragging the dough across a flour-free work surface — leading with my pinkies — and using the friction of the counter to pull the dough taut.
Scoring the bread before baking not only looks good, but it helps direct the fermentation gases up rather than out. Get schooled on a few scoring techniques , and you'll crank out taller, prettier loaves.Acetic acid in your starter is responsible for the sour taste, and this builds up over time, so be patient if your starter is young.
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