Baking is allll about precision

[rickgregory]

Welll... kind of. So, yesterday I started some bread. Specifically a pan loaf for sandwiches and stuff. In goes 750g of AP flour, 150g of whole wheat flour 675g of water. Autolyse it for an hour. So far, so good, right?

After an hour it all goes into the mixer with the sourdough starter and salt. Mix, plop inn oiled bowl and into the proofer.

I start to do some folds and... oh crap. I used cool water. The dough is 62F, so it's going to rise much slower than if I'd remembered to warm the water and had the dough at 75F. I do 4 series of folds and it's 4pm, so instead of bulk fermenting in the proofer and then then putting it in the pan for an overnight ferment, I flip it. Into the fridge it goes... for 15 hours.

Pull it out this AM, into the proofer to warm up and rise. Except... at 2pm, I get pulled into 2 hours of Zoom. I come out and the dough has *definitely* proofed.

Preshape, the shape the dough, into the pan while the oven preheats to 425. Bake with steam for 20 mins at 425, then another 40 at 375. Would it come out OK????





Yeah.

[Jerod Broussard]

That's some cool crap. Ain't no way I'd mess with that, and that's why I think it's cool as crap that somebody else accomplishhes stuff like this.

[bbqLuv]

I agree that baking is more of a science. You Done Good!

[Greygoose]

I’d eat it,,,fer sure

[rickgregory]

So, to be really clear, part of my point here is that there IS some flexibility in making bread. Some resources make it sound like if everything isn't at the perfect temp or you miss optimal proofing by 15 minutes that you're screwed and that can intimidate people from even trying to bake when the truth is that, while you can't completely wing it, it's not the case that anything aside from perfection results in disaster.

Yes, it's important to get the basics correct (ratios of flour to water to salt and yeast), but that's a $20 scale and some simple math.

Baking is pretty straightforward, actually and the biggest issue for me was finding warm places to proof in the winter (I keep the house cool in the winter and heat the rooms I'm in during the day) but aside from that, it's really quite approachable.

[Greygoose]

The Chefs Table has an episode on Nancy Silverton and her quest for the perfect bread,,,
very interesting

[rickgregory]

I need to re-watch that.

[RonB]

I don't know how many times I have heard that bread recipes are actually "formulas" because baking is a science. Precision in measuring is necessary, but sometimes ya just gotta wing it when you make a mistake. Recovering from errors is what makes a good baker a great baker, (except for Richard Chrz who apparently doesn't make mistakes... ).

[Richard Chrz]

and yes, baking is formulas!

[Richard Chrz]

Being a formula isn’t a bad thing, it’s a accurate way to capture anything you’ve done.

[Richard Chrz]

I still have lot’s of lessons, I hope to always some that make you go, huh, how’d that happen! Then, prettiest croutons I’ve ever seen! Or bread crumbs for meatballs,

[SheilaAnn]

There is also the weather to account for. EX: yesterday, I threw together a dough and because it was raining, the dough took on more flour than called for in the recipe.

[rickgregory]

Yep. And various flours do better with with more water or less.

[DeusDingo]

maybe don't make bread outside when it's raining? :-p

[Old Glory]

That made me hungry.