Barb at King Arthur

March 11, 2018 at 4:02pm

In reply to by Jessica McBroom (not verified)

Hi Jessica, No pennies necessary! If your dough is flattening out this can be a sign that the dough is underdeveloped, or that it's simply a very wet dough. Shaping can also play into a loaf that flattens out, so be sure that your shaped loaf has adequate tension to help it maintain its shape. Are you adding an autolyse as part of your mixing and folding routine? This might be helpful, although I would only do a 30 minute autolyse. There's also nothing wrong with kneading your dough in addition to adding supplemental folds. Bread flour typically requires more kneading time than all-purpose flour, so it may be that developing the dough a little more may help prevent the dough from flattening out. I usually don't see the dough double in the refrigerator either; I'm guessing a 50% rise is more typical. It could also be that the hydration of your dough is causing the dough to flatten out. I would suggest being sure that the shaped rise in the refrigerator occurs in a basket or bowl that doesn't allow for too much flattening. A Dutch oven is a great method for baking a high hydration dough, but if it's too large for the amount of dough you're baking, some flattening out can occur. I find that a 3 1/2 to 4 quart Dutch oven is generally a good size for a 2-3 lb loaf. I hope this helps! Barb
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