And sometimes the issue is the recipe. You'll find 6 of the most common reasons for wet and sticky dough explained below, along with possible solutions. The next day, preheat the oven to 500 degrees for 60 minutes. Is Cake Flour The Same As Self-Rising Flour? Ensure that your dough is well fermented prior to shaping. High temperatures can cause premature over fermentation, which will result in wet, sticky sourdough. Steps: Autolyse for an hour before adding the starter (rest 30m) and salt (rest 15m) all by hand using the folding and pinching method. More often than not a tight crumb with a number of larger holes - but it's not even or open. This can result in your dough feeling wetter and stickier than normal. Breadopedia.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Having a strong gluten network means that the carbon dioxide produced by the yeast will be evenly distributed. Use a 65% water content and you should be able to handle the dough and shape it with little to no problem at all. You haven't let your dough bulk ferment for long enough so the yeast and bacteria have not been able to do their jobs effectively. Heres What To Do. Cheaters No Knead Dutch Oven Sourdough Bread: so EASY, only 6 ingredients, made in 1 bowl, 5 mins mixing, then just rise + bake time! One set of strong Stretch & Folds. Get a piece of baking paper cut to about the size of your dough ball and plop the dough, seam side down, onto the baking paper. Add the honey or maple syrup, pumpkin pure, pumpkin spice and salt. We are compensated for referring traffic and business to Amazon and other companies linked to on this site. Let's dive into each of these reasons and see how you can avoid or correct the situation. This excess water is not retained inside the dough but rather coats the doughs surface causing it to be wet and sticky. "Final" or "overall" hydration is supposed to include both the water and the flour in the levain. Once you get it all set to go try this delicious Sourdough Focaccia recipe yum! When it comes to building the gluten, everyone has a different preference in how to do it. SOLUTION - Allow your bread to cool for AT LEAST 90 minutes (much longer for rye bread). Your email address will not be published. Yeast and bacteria prefer warmer temperatures. When the dough is excessively over mixed, it first becomes very strong and stiff, then when mixed further, the gluten network starts to unravel and unknits, releasing the absorbed water out into the dough environment, causing it to be wet and sticky. How Do You Know When Your Sourdough Starter Is Ready To Bake With? Use a very sharp knife to cut a cross shape into the top of the . This isn't the worst that could happen :), but I would really like to understand why the stickiness, and how to get rid of it. You can find resources on shaping. We retarded the dough for 16 hours. Other ingredients, like honey, may also make your sourdough wet and sticky. BAKE TIME: 30 Minutes with the lid on at 230C/450F plus 10-15 Minutes with the lid off at 210C/410F. Many start at 400 F and drop to 375 F at some point during the baking. It is possible to make 100% hydration (or even higher) so there's really no such thing as too wet. There are lots of things that can go wrong when baking sourdough bread. If you see anything inappropriate on the site or have any questions, contact me at floydm at thefreshloaf dot com. They are purposed for cakes, slices, muffins, and other cooking. Thanks for the suggestions about leaving the bread to cool longer. A. In our previous attempts, we thought it was undercooked, hence the longer baking time for Charlie this time round. Internal temp when I took them out of the oven was, again, 211F Just a tiny hint of tackiness this time around, well within the bounds of acceptability (I.e. STEP FOUR: Pour the starter/water mixture into the flour mixture and stir, using a fork, into a thick, sticky ball. Sourdough differs from most bread in that it contains no baker's yeast, relying instead on a fermented "starter" of water and flour to provide lift. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. These need to be done without hesitation. The proofing basket is typically made with wood and it is quite porous. Sticky sourdough isnt something anybody wants to work with, but it is completely normal and something that you need to get used to if youre going to get good at making sourdough bread. This is done in intervals over the course of a few hours, so the dough has plenty of time to become more elastic and less sticky. Id recommend keeping a bowl of water next to your dough at all times so its always there when you need it. Cutting the bread while still warm will create a gummy interior as the crumb hasn't finished setting. One of the best might just be whipping up a batch of sourdough crackers with just a cup of your discarded starter, a cup of flour, a dash of salt, and about a quarter cup of butter. It can be caused by over fermenting or under fermenting your dough, but also by other things like shaping issues. You can read more about this, Take some time to strengthen your sourdough starter (particularly if it's been in the fridge for a while or it's doubling consistently). One solution is to use a wet dough cutter or scraper. The loaf will also feel light in your hand, rather than heavy. if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'crustylabs_com-box-3','ezslot_2',120,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-crustylabs_com-box-3-0');There are other reasons besides having very high hydration levels that can cause your sourdough to be wet and sticky. Rest for 30 minutes @76F. Then the dough is less likely to stick to them. It's not until all of this steam has escaped that your bread actually finishes cooking. Sourdough made with bread flour can take up to 6 hours to cool properly. This helps keep the dough from sticking. Once the dough doesn't tear when you stretch it between your fingers, you're ok to set it aside for bulk fermentation. The majority of the time, I see this because the dough needed less water or more kneading upfront (or stretch and folds during bulk fermentation ). Mix until no dry patches remain. Also check the temperature of your fridge to ensure it's 4C or under. You can read more about this trick, Use water mist or ice inside your Dutch Oven to ensure you get a, Leave the sourdough bread in the oven to cool after it's baked (you'll find a. It should be room temperature. Dough that splits in this way is almost always under fermented. Switch to a wood spoon. I hope this guide helps you to troubleshoot your sourdough bread problems and ultimately bake a better loaf! It will look like cloudy water. Place the lid on and bake for 30 minutes. You/we need a hydration % of the levain too, to figure out how much flour and how much water is in the levain. We would like to share the recipe we used here, hopefully to get some help from the experienced bakers around! Most loaves are soggy at the bottom because they've not had the heat but you can simulate that at home by using a hot stone. To make the levain, combine the sourdough starter, water and flour (see image 2) in a medium bowl and mix until well combined.Cover with plastic wrap and stand in a warm, draught-free place (approx. First, good effort, but where did you get the recipe from? Makes 1 x 800-g/1-lbs. Your colon naturally contains healthy probiotic bacteria called Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli. Lets look at some of the common problems with sourdough bread and how to deal with them. In order to have an easier time handling the dough, you need to maximize gluten development. CAUSE - Logically, the cause of this is not baking your bread for long enough. I baked a loaf this morning and I dont gone cute it until we ready to eat it. It really is a delicate balance to ensure that the yeast have consumed enough of their food to produce those beautiful pockets of air - but not too much so they can still provide oven spring at baking time. While the dough is proofing, preheat your oven to 230 C (450 F) and place your Dutch oven inside to preheat as well. . If all has gone well, the dough will be in a tight ball and ready for proofing. It has a more uniform appearance than a quick bread, and it cant leave you with a nasty chemical aftertaste. Sometimes removing the bread out of the Dutch oven and baking it on the shelf for the last few minutes has a positive effect. Youll find that most recipes are making sourdough with fairly high hydration, which means that the sourdough is naturally stickier, but this doesnt mean that all sourdough has to be sticky. American flour has a damaged starch percentage of roughly 8-9% while European flour has a lower damaged starch percentage at about 7%. Mix the drier dough until it has developed into the desired dough strength. Concentrate on shaping evenly and with plenty of tension to ensure your dough rises evenly and doesn't split other than where you've scored. Mix together the flour, sourdough starter and 250ml/9fl oz water in a bowl. Youre aiming for maximum gluten development for the dough to become easier to manage. 475 F covered, and 450 uncovered for 20 min seems too hot to me for only a 30% whole grain loaf: 300 g einkorn / (900 g + 90 g from levain) = 300 / 990 = 30.3%. Sticky and unmanagable sourdough. This is the sourdough baking course you need if you are just starting out in sourdough bread baking. Add of the water and dissolve or break up the sourdough with your hands. Your email address will not be published. Will be back to update! Or you need to give the sourdough starter more salt.Another root cause may be the recipe relative to your environment. 25 minute proof at room temperature. - longer waiting period before cutting --> this to me seems where you should start. The good news is, there's always a way to fix your sourdough bread problems for your next bake! Alternatively, you'll need to adjust the amount of starter in your dough to suit the temperature of your kitchen. The water absorbed from the damaged starches is then gradually released and the dough that was initially dry and strong becomes wet, sticky and weak over time. Mix by hand until all the dry flour is incorporated. Flour issues. When water is excessively soft, the lack of minerals results in a sticky andslack dough. How to handle sticky, wet . Temperature is one of the most important factors when making sourdough. Send your bread making problems to breadsos@bakewithjack.co.ukInclude your name, your location, a method or recipe if possible and the temperature of your kitchen if you know it and we'll get to the bottom of your most common problems right here. And this time we'll be sure to wait longer before slicing up "Danny"! No matter how long you leave it to ferment, the yeast and bacteria won't actually grow or change. When I first started baking, everything that could go wrong, went wrong; it felt borderline alchemy to me. Dough is sticky and wet from under mixing as insufficient gluten network is developed to hold in the water molecules. CAUSE - This most likely caused by under fermentation, but can sometimes be a shaping issue too. I have, however, always let my bread cool for at least 4 hours, until its at or very near room- temperature, and it continues to be sticky - even when left in the oven to steam out for a little while after baking is completed. The recommended method to prevent wet and sticky dough from sticking to our hands is to wet our hands with water whenever we are handling the dough; wet dough sticks to dry hands, but wet dough does not stick to wet hands. Send your . Shape into batards. This step hydrates the flours and helps with gluten development and dough structure. Pale crust after baked. Avoid using cake or pastry flour for dusting as it contains a higher starch content and tends to lump up more than bread, rice or semolina flour. Id recommend picking up one metal and at least one plastic scraper to aid you in handling your sourdough. Step 4: Bake. Salt is called for in every bread formulation, but it is the one ingredient that we most commonly tend to forget to include into our mix. Hot water strengthens the gluten in the flour. It's really important to develop the gluten in your sourdough to ensure you don't end up with a wet and sticky mess. CAUSE - a tight and or uneven crumb is generally caused by under fermentation, but can also be due to not having a mature or active starter. Bread doesn't rise when baked. If you simply cant handle sourdough with medium-to-high hydration, its better for you to either gradually knead in more flour or start off with less water in the first place. Oil the mixing bowl, the bowl used for bulk fermentation and folding, and the proofing vessel. If you wet or oil the work surface, the dough will just glide over the work surface and not able to be pulled taut during shaping. Some Student Reviews: by Pam H - Outstanding. Put the lid on and place into the hot oven. The gluten structure has become weak and is unable to hold up. Some people add too much water to compensate. Sourdough baking is a never ending journey of learning - and that's what makes troubleshooting it so damn interesting! Sourdough can take up to 24 hours to fully cool and come to room temperature. We preheated the oven (which was constrained at 480F) for an hour, and baked Charlie for 40 mins (tried 25 mins for Betty) in the cast iron, and 20 mins on the rack. Autolyse for an hour before adding the starter (rest 30m) and salt (rest 15m) all by hand using the folding and pinching method. Throughout the shaping, the dough felt aerated and light and bouncy and it was easy to handle after dipping our hands in water. 150g bread flour, 150g all-purpose, 90g whole wheat flour with 350g water (slightly warmer than room temperature by the touch), with 90g of starter and 9g of salt. Flour contains starches, and some of these starch molecules inevitably cracks and breaks due to the harsh milling process; these are known as damaged starch particles. Thanks!! If youre using a lot of wholewheat, youre going to be left with a very sticky dough, especially if its paired with high hydration. All Purpose flour is ok, however it generally doesn't have the protein necessary to develop a strong gluten network. Approximate size of sourdough bread: Approximate cooling time: small dinner rolls: 30 minutes: small white loaf (1 lb): 4 hours: large white loaf (1.5 lb): 8 hours: small wholegrain loaf (1lb): 5 hours You want the bread to be completely cool so you'd generally want to wait at least 3-4 hours and some bakers recommend waiting 24 hours to enhance flavor. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Instructions. At first, the dough will be very sticky, but the gluten will develop more and more after each stretch and fold. Over time, youll become more confident and comfortable working with dough, so you can gradually increase the hydration and get better at handling it. 1. Make the Dough: Meanwhile, in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the boiling water, pumpernickel, oil, salt, molasses, instant coffee, and chocolate. 30g flour (in this case I'm using 15g organic rye flour and 15g organic white flour) 30g water (preferably filtered and room temperature - not straight from the tap) Weigh the flour and water, and combine them in the container. Wetting your hands before handling your sticky dough is a game-changer. Just dont freeze it. Excess flour at shaping can mean that your dough does not seal back onto itself, causing tunnels of air to form when baking. You should aim to handle your dough more like that as you get more practice. You just want to make sure it's not too wet for you to handle. You wont be able to shape it when its wet. Evenly roll out your small 2- to 4-ounce balls into small circles a scant quarter inch thick. Cover the bowl and set aside for 30-60 minutes. This will ensure that the bread is cooked all the way through. Cover the bowl with a clean shower cap or plastic wrap and rest at 80F/26C for a minimum of 1 hour or as long as 2 hours. Here are some options for working with wet, sticky over fermented sourdough. I have done wetter doughs at similar times/temps without the gumminess but I take your point - your lower/slower suggestion makes sense to me and I may well try that on my next go-round. *This article may contain affiliate links. SOLUTION - extend your bulk fermentation to enable the yeast in your dough to release some of their energy before hitting the oven. So that should work out to (282+45)/(390+45)=75%. If you cant shape it, the sourdough is too sticky. As gluten develops more readily in a drier environment, this method allows the extra hydration to be easily incorporated into the dough. Extend your bulk fermentation time. Your dough might be too sticky because you added too much water when making the initial mix, too. But we are utterly puzzled by the outcome again. Place in bannetons. After fermenting for too long, the gluten in the dough begins to break down, which leaves you with a thick, gloopy mass of flour and water with no way to make good sourdough. The trick is to pinpoint which one is affecting your dough so you can fix it or change your formula for next time. Bread flour. Since using dry hands can be such a big problem for the sticky dough, Id advise that you get yourself a bowl of water to dip your hands in before you handle the dough. Place the sourdough into the pot using the silicone sling or parchment paper as a handle. Give it around thirty minutes. 3. BE CAREFUL, IT'S HOT! You can get the tool under the dough so you can pick it up or manipulate it. Its very important to avoid tearing the gluten as this causes it to become sticky again. Score the bread on top with any design you like. Loaf In a small mixing bowl, mix the flour and salt together thoroughly. When it comes to transferring your dough, kneading it, or shaping it, youll have a much easier time with the assistance of some additional water. This method of developing gluten should prove to be much cleaner and easier, but its up to you to figure out which gluten-development method you like the most. 2. SOLUTION - Depending on the cause of your spread, you can implement the following fixes: PROBLEM - Dough splits in places other than where you've scored or even splits messing up your decorative scoring. Some doughs are sticker than others because of the type of flour. It may just be that you need to leave it in the oven longer with the lid off your. Mix everything together. If you're having trouble understanding the timing of bulk fermentation, I've written an easy to follow guide. Q: My dough is too slack and is not developing good strength. 480F is not as hot as you could bake. Overproofed bread will also have a pale crust because the yeast has used all the sugars and therefore there are none left to caramelise the crust. Oiling works just as well as dusting to create a non-stick surface which prevents your sticky dough from sticking and tearing. To achieve a 75% hydration I will attempt again with the following: 390g of flour mix to 282g of water, adding on 90g of starter (at 100% hydration as I always to a 1:1 flour water ratio feed). I've written a full guide to why sourdough deflates after scoring here.