Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Some things to have on hand to work with really wet dough are: So how do you fix wet and sticky sourdough? Temperature is one of the most important factors when making sourdough. Yeasted Pre-ferment (Poolish & Biga) VS Sponge VS Dough. 14. Youll find that most recipes are making sourdough with fairly high hydration, which means that the sourdough is naturally stickier, but this doesnt mean that all sourdough has to be sticky. Try placing your dough in warmer area of your kitchen (75F-80F is ideal) - monitoring your final dough temperature to keep it as consistent as possible - or consider investing in a bread proofing box . I hope this guide helps you to troubleshoot your sourdough bread problems and ultimately bake a better loaf! Take the bowl off the scales and mix well, it will look rough and lumpy, but never fear it will soon start to look like bread dough! Turn the mixer on 1-2 (never higher than 2 or medium-low) and let the mixer knead the dough for about 5 minutes. Sourdough differs from most bread in that it contains no baker's yeast, relying instead on a fermented "starter" of water and flour to provide lift. Now it is the sourdough starter or its use that is suspect. Set aside. Q: My dough is too slack and is not developing good strength. You can try to prevent the problem by being more careful when proofing the yeast. Seeded Multigrain Sourdough Bread | Vanilla And Bean Combine the starter, water, rye flour and 1 cup of the bread flour. CAUSE - There are a few reasons your crust is too pale. Mix with the paddle on low speed until it forms a thick batter. Would really appreciate some pointers, thank you in advance!! Autolyse vs Fermentolyse: Which One Should You Use? Too much dusting of flour can also reduce stickiness to the point where sufficient skin tension is not able to be developed. Dough is sticky and wet from under mixing as insufficient gluten network is developed to hold in the water molecules. If you're still unsure a good thing to do is to let your bread cool in your oven. STEP FOUR: Pour the starter/water mixture into the flour mixture and stir, using a fork, into a thick, sticky ball. Why Is My Sourdough Dough So Sticky? How To Handle It - Breadopedia.com But what if your dough is really wet and sticky and you just can't do anything with it? This is the preferred method used by professional artisan bakers. Final internal temp 211FSliced after cooling for 4 hours. However, it shouldnt be so sticky that it is hard to knead. The strength of your dough should build as you perform stretches and folds. Always shape your loaf on a piece of non-stick, silicone paper, then when it's proved, stick it straight onto the hot stone and reduce the temperature of the oven down to around 180-200C. Gluten is impermeable, meaning it doesnt allow gas or water to pass through, when there isnt enough gluten in the dough, water molecules can easily escape out of the dough, resulting in dough mixture that is only partly incorporated with water. When youve kneaded the bread dough enough, stretch it while looking at a light source. Rest 50 minutes. 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. If you wet or oil the work surface, the dough will just glide over the work surface and not able to be pulled taut during shaping. Your dough should be split into two sides. It can also be called Fool's Crumb where the bread appears to have an "open crumb" however the holes are large and surrounded by an uneven, tight crumb that is not desirable. If you can see the light through the dough, youre done the kneading. If the actual final hydration does meet your goal, or whatever formula/recipe you're working from, then the next suggestion for something to tweak would be bake temps and times. You'll find a full guide to all purpose flour vs bread flour here. Content posted by community members is their own. Add the dry mixture. Many thanks for this. 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). Flour contains starches, and some of these starch molecules inevitably cracks and breaks due to the harsh milling process; these are known as damaged starch particles. 480F is not as hot as you could bake. Boil the kettle too. The science of making sourdough bread Then, introduce the remaining water in stages and mix only until the water is incorporated into the dough. Nothing smells better than the wheaty aroma of freshly baked goods; I enjoy it so much that I decided to quit my day job as a management consultant to teach others about the delicate art of baking! Over time, youll become more confident and comfortable working with dough, so you can gradually increase the hydration and get better at handling it. Cover and let the dough double in size, about 12 to 16 hours. PROBLEM - You may have baked a loaf of sourdough which appears to have large tunnels of air or just one big hole surrounded by a tighter or dense crumb. Sourdough: Hard crust, sticky tacky insides after baked! A mistake that nearly sourdough bakers have made is simply leaving the dough for too long. This arguably makes the dough easier to work with. When mixing dough of very high hydration, it can often be excessively wet and sticky and you may find it difficult for the dough to hold in all that water. Don't close the oven door or the crust will become soft and wrinkly. This will result in a more. More often than not, gumminess is a result of under fermentation (cutting the bulk fermentation time too short). This allows the gluten to start to develop on its own before any kneading. side question: Does the 675 g of water, and 75% hydration include what's in the levain? This is because of the moisture that remains in your sourdough. It can be leathery rather than crispy. Why Is My Sourdough Too Sticky? Different types of mixers uses different mixing arm which develops the dough at different rates. The water and other wet ingredients are absorbed into the flour. In other cases, the issue is the recipe. You might want to leave the bread in the oven for 10 minutes with the oven off and door ajar to help wick away some of the extra moisture. If your kitchen is too warm, the dough can become a sloppy, wet mess. Remove the pot from the oven using pot holders (please be very careful ). I wouldn't reduce temperature, but rather increase baking time. One reason why people add too much flour and mix it in is to try to get the dough more manageable. Sourdough that has hydration levels of more than 72% tends to be sticky and tears apart easily when it is handled. How Long Does Cookie Dough Last in the Fridge. Baking SOS: how to solve 10 common bread problems by Luis Troyano First, it's helpful to have a small bowl of water nearby to dip your hands into before touching your dough. You can read more about this trick, Use water mist or ice inside your Dutch Oven to ensure you get a, Leave the sourdough bread in the oven to cool after it's baked (you'll find a. I tried your suggestions, kinda - 2 large (880g) loaves baked covered at 465F for 25 minutes, then uncovered at 425 for 25 minutes. Mix by hand until all the dry flour is incorporated. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Gently pull the dough towards the edge. Gluten development is strengthened by adding salt to your dough, so don't forget to do this! Flour blended and autolysed for 2 hours@85F. When it comes to transferring your dough, kneading it, or shaping it, youll have a much easier time with the assistance of some additional water. Damaged starch absorbs water during mixing as opposed to undamaged starch where the water merely coats the outer surface. If you find your dough to be relatively dry after mixing, but gets wetter and stickier over time, it means that the flour you are using contains a very high percentage of damaged starch particles; try changing to a different flour brand and use European flour instead of American flour. One solution is to use a wet dough cutter or scraper. What is a Pate Fermentee? High temperatures can cause premature over fermentation, which will result in wet, sticky sourdough. The easiest thing you can do to handle your sticky sourdough is to simply make it less sticky by cutting back on the water. The dough that is autolysed also contains more gluten strands which is able to trap more water inside the dough. The dough will develop further in strength becoming dry and workable, as it will be able to retain more moisture once it has gone through the bulk fermentation phase and the folding phase. Ingredients: 300g water 100g sourdough leaven* (made with your starter) 100g of stoneground organic wholemeal flour 400g organic strong white flour 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. 310-330 . How Do You Know When Your Sourdough Starter Is Ready To Bake With? Easy Sourdough Bread Recipe for Beginners | Little - Little Spoon Farm This method involves mixing the dough so the flour is fully hydrated before performing a series of stretch and folds. They are purposed for cakes, slices, muffins, and other cooking. Alternatively, you could add a little oil to the work surface and your hands. How To Make A Sourdough Starter - Sourdough Bread Matching my work schedule. The chains of gluten give your dough strength and structure. Wet and sticky dough is caused by a few different issues. 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. It's a good thing for bread dough, but it also means that it makes the mess you're attempting to clean up extra sticky and impossible to clean up . Sourdough Rye Bread - Baking Sense The Fresh Loaf is not responsible for community member content. If you are working with regular dough, ready How to Fix Super Sticky Dough. If you're using all purpose flour, it can be a good idea to add some vital wheat gluten to the mix. A strong, mature sourdough starter will reward you with amazing sourdough at your next bake. Excess flour at shaping can mean that your dough does not seal back onto itself, causing tunnels of air to form when baking. Im the face behind The Pantry Mama and I want to help you bake delicious sourdough bread, no matter what your schedule. Ensure gluten development and fermentation are correctly executed. Over proofing or fermenting the dough can also result in the gluten structure weakening causing sticky dough. It really depends on where you are in the sourdough process. Another reason we want to minimize dusting is because the additional flour from dusting is not well hydrated and when baked can leave unsightly gray streaks on your sourdough bread that taste raw. Inside of bread too moist and gummy - Sourdough Dutch Oven Sourdough Bread - Cooking Gorgeous The problem here is, there's not a lot you can do with over fermented dough. Remove the potion from the refrigerator before chopping and boiling it. American flour has a damaged starch percentage of roughly 8-9% while European flour has a lower damaged starch percentage at about 7%. Send your bread making problems to breadsos@bakewithjack.co.ukInclude your name, your location, a method or recipe if possible and the temperature of your kitchen if you know it and we'll get to the bottom of your most common problems right here. When the lame scores the dough, the air escapes causing the dough to collapse. The trick is to pinpoint which one is affecting your dough so you can fix it or change your formula for next time. A tough crust can also be caused by a lower hydration recipe. Well, sourdough is a stickier, wetter dough than regular yeasted bread. If you see anything inappropriate on the site or have any questions, contact me at floydm at thefreshloaf dot com. BAKE YOUR SOURDOUGH Preheat your oven to 450F (230C) half an hour before the end of proving. The usual choice of flour for dusting includes bread flour, rice flour, semolina; all these flour works just as well for preventing sourdough from sticking.