How Stella Got Her Prove Back

I started with a 75% hydration dough and here I return to it. Rubaud with 75% hydration is a work out. The dough is a lot more firm with that 5% less water compared to 80%. I followed Ken Forkish’s style as well of proving the dough with the fold side down in the banneton - this way when I poured the dough from the banneton to the dutch oven the fold split to allow expansion, creating a more au natural effect, I like it.

Rin has explained there is a smell journey each dough goes through, and it is up to each of us to decide at what point we want to bake our dough, however, the dough is generally ready when it smells fruity, though you can push it to sour / funky if you want. Once you get to boozy you’ve basically just made a giant levain. Also obviously there is the “poke it” test where you depress the dough and based on how it springs back you can see, or you can shake it and see how well the dough wiggles. I’m still learning the smell. Each loaf I feel like I am slightly under proved, the crumb good, but not great. This loaf I feel much better about, the crumb is much better, bigger, irregular, still not the photo finish that I romanticize, but quite good.

I can get the bulk proof to go even longer next time. I have stopped looking at the clock but for to fold it every half hour, which I do for several hours now, not the first two, but I imagine looking at the clock towards the end - when I think it is nearing readiness - might help me get the bulk proof to where I want it.

With Rubaud, there isn’t really any dried flour on the sides of the bowl so only one bowl is needed to prove the dough for a single loaf, transferring it to a “clean” bowl is wholly unnecessary. To that point, because I have two metal bowls, I flipped one over on top of the other as a cover and I can say, this was the best method to date to keep the loaf from drying out on top. Additionally, when I put the loaf in the banneton and into the fridge, I used the second metal bowl again to cover the banneton overnight, no saran wrap, no waste, and it kept the loaf moist, no dry top layer. Covering with a plate / bowl seems a better move than a towel or cloth as there’s less air flow.

I dislike waste. Categorically. I re-use saran wrap because it feels needless and wasteful to create a handful of plastic trash for every loaf of bread. Using an over turned bowl in the fridge that leads to the same results is, in my opinion, a far better solution.

I also dislike throwing a razor out after a few loaves. It seems Forkish’s method is superior for this sake as it avoids this unnecessary waste. Sure, you don’t get the much sough after “ear” or pretty shapes that many bakers use to adorn their loaves, but that’s a cultural romanticization. I may change my mind. I may just use a sharp knife, much to Rin’s chagrin. We’ll have to see, this is only loaf nineteen, I have a lot to learn.

Dough
300 g bread flour (Central Milling Brand Organic)
200 g whole wheat flour (Central Milling Brand Organic)
375 g h2o
75% hydration
10 g salt

Levain
10 g starter
50 g all purpose flour (King Arthur Brand Organic)
50 g water

What I did right:
I let it prove longer and executed every step well.
What I did wrong:
I need to keep working on my fold and turn, practice practice practice, my hands still lack fluency that will take many more loaves to acquire when shaping the loaf before the final proof.
What I learned:
Keep pushing the bulk proof.