FoodBanter.com - rising problem

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Hi all,

I haven't posted on this board in a while, mostly b/c I've been to busy
to bake much. But now I have more time on my hands and need some help
with a problem I've been having with my crusts.

As far as I'm concerned, there are two ways to rise high (~67-75%)
hydration dough. One is in a banneton, and one is in a bowl of some
type. If I use a banneton, the linen seems to wick moisture out of the
top part of the dough, leaving the top of the loaf (the part in contact
with the linen) a lot like leather. If I rise the dough in a bowl this
doesn't happen, BUT...there are all kinds of little fermentation
"holes" on the outside of the crust where it was contacting the sides
of the bowl. Not huge holes, but enough to make the loaf look odd.

I've racked my brain trying to come up with a solution to this problem
and can't figure anything out (other than proofing the loaf right on my
peel, which, with high hydration, would probably make the dough "slump"
and lose its shape).

Any suggestions?

Thanks,

Phil

On 1/27/05 2:01 PM, " > wrote:

> Hi all,
>
> I haven't posted on this board in a while, mostly b/c I've been to busy
> to bake much. But now I have more time on my hands and need some help
> with a problem I've been having with my crusts.
>
> As far as I'm concerned, there are two ways to rise high (~67-75%)
> hydration dough. One is in a banneton, and one is in a bowl of some
> type. If I use a banneton, the linen seems to wick moisture out of the
> top part of the dough, leaving the top of the loaf (the part in contact
> with the linen) a lot like leather. If I rise the dough in a bowl this
> doesn't happen, BUT...there are all kinds of little fermentation
> "holes" on the outside of the crust where it was contacting the sides
> of the bowl. Not huge holes, but enough to make the loaf look odd.
>
> I've racked my brain trying to come up with a solution to this problem
> and can't figure anything out (other than proofing the loaf right on my
> peel, which, with high hydration, would probably make the dough "slump"
> and lose its shape).
>
> Any suggestions?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Phil

This one is easy to solve. Keep using the banneton. The dough touching the
linen is supposed to dry somewhat. The leathery surface is easier to slash.
I'd try slashing all of the way around, as in 4 cuts with a sharp razor
blade.

I posted an jpeg of last night's bake. It's a heavy spelt/rye loaf with the
slash pattern I mentioned, so don't expect to see a major vertical lift. You
will see how much impact the slashes have though. If you look carefully, you
can even see a piece of old pumpernickel poking through in the front. Looks
sort of like a raison. There's no scale here but the bread is about 9 inches
diameter.

http://www.netpix.org/pix/01/27/05/im000395.jpg

Will

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>Marcella Peek wrote:
>I suspect that if you were to wrap the outside of the banneton in
plastic wrap >the loaf would stay moist.

> marcella

Other people have recommended the plastic wrap thing before, and I
don't think it would work. It's the canvas itself that is wicking the
moisture out. I can't remove the linen either...well, I *could*, but
the basket is woven (not a circular cane one).
Thanks for the input,

Phil

Will:

I think I will continue to use the banneton. It's not that big a deal,
but the slashes don't come out like the ones in your picture did. I
can't explain it, I'll try posting a pic when I get the starter ready
(it's been in the fridge for 5 months and had turned brownish...I
thought it was dead...but after about 8 refreshments now, it's getting
lively again and rising).

Thanks for the advice,

Phil