If you read the whole thread you might have come across the post where I took advice and increased the amount of flour which did improve the strength of the dough.
Fair enough. I don't think I deserved the sarcasm though, pretty rude tbh.
Hmmm, me neither. Worth an experiment though.
Anyone tried either a traditional style rye bread or making there own naan? Got a few days of this week and fancy a go at making both of them.
My usual loaf is a Polish light rye. About 1/3 rye. Still fluffy enough for a sandwich, but has that sharpness from the rye and will last a week without going stale. Truly excellent toast, as well. I find it's easier to get pure rye from Lidl. Bonus advantage that it's pre-sliced, because 100% rye is both difficult to slice and you want it quite thinly done.
Here's what I do and turn out a pretty good sourdough loaf every week.
1. Take starter out of fridge and allow to return to room temperature. It will start to bubble when it is ready.
2. Measure 500g of bread flour into a mixing bowl (my go-to brand is Dove's Farm, but sometimes I use Lidl's own brand and sometimes I mix in a little rye flour or smoked wholegrain flour)
3. Add 1.5 tsp of salt and mix
4. Add 60g of starter and 375g of water (sometimes a little less depending on humidity) and mix well.
5. Cover with clingfilm or place in a plastic bag and secure with a clip
6. Leave to prove overnight for about 18 hours
7. Remove from bowl onto floured service and stretch and fold over a few times (I fold both edges into the middle, and then in half again, if that makes sense)
8. Place in well floured basket, cover with tea towel and leave to rise for 2-3 hours.
9. Place a Le Creuset cast iron pot with lid in the oven turned up to its highest temperature and allow to heat up for 30 minutes
10. Place dough in pot and put the lid on, return to oven and switch temperature down slightly to about 220C
11. After about half an hour, remove the lid and switch the temperature down again. Let cook for another 20 minutes or so.
This method will give you a fantastic crust, and it's a pretty easy technique once you get the timings right. You will also get a nice open texture and a glossy, chewy crumb.
I think the second basket proving is mainly about forming the loaf and slightly drying out the crust before baking.I'm going to try this one next I think.
Silly question I know, but what's the difference (or rather what's happening) between the very long wait under the bag and the time in the basket. What's the advantage of a basket (I don't actually have one yet).
I appreciate this is well old, but working the gluten can also make a massive difference to loaf structure and / or its ability to hold itself upright.
If you're going to be doing this on a regular basis, it's worth browsing bakerybits and - for some things - eBay. eBay is particularly good for spices; I use a load of cinnamon (including in fruit loaves), and can get a quarter of a kg of top end sticks for about a quarter of the price of supermarket.
