The first time I made this, I used the Sir L. flour, and it came out well, chewy as advertised. Last week, seeing that the recipe also mentioned using the KA APF, I decided to try that instead. I bulk fermented 16:45, shaped it into a boule, and put it into my dutch oven for proofing. After an hour, the dough hadn't held its shape but had spread out to the sides of the pot. A poke test suggested it wasn't ready, so I let it go another 45 minutes and then baked it (cover on, then off). There was no oven spring, and the bread was rather dense and not very good (texture, not flavor).
Is the culprit likely to be the APF? Should I have used additional vital wheat gluten to make up for the less-strong flour? Or did I over-proof? I'll try it again, but I'd appreciate a suggestion. Thanks.
April 10, 2014 at 12:30pm