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Appreciation post: I found out most home bakers overproof their dough
I was reading a book from the library called 'Bread Science' last week and it mentioned that a huge amount of home bakers let their dough rise for too long. The author said it's the number one reason for flat, dense loaves. I always thought more time meant more flavor, but I tried a shorter bulk ferment yesterday and my sourdough had way better oven spring. Has anyone else adjusted their proofing times after learning something similar?
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schmidt.kim26d ago
Wait, the number one reason for flat bread is overproofing? I always blamed my shaping skills or a bad starter. That's a huge relief if it's true, but also kind of frustrating. I've been baking for two years and just assumed longer was always better for flavor. Maybe I've been messing up the most basic step this whole time.
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logansullivan26d ago
Yeah my buddy had the same issue, @schmidt.kim. He was convinced his starter was weak, but his loaves were always flat. I told him to try cutting his bulk ferment in half, like literally just watch for the dough to barely double. His next loaf had a huge ear and he texted me a picture like he'd won the lottery lol. Turns out he was letting it go almost twice as long as needed.
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