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I’ve been baking with T65 flour lately, and I really love the flavor, aroma, crust, and crumb. But I’m not completely satisfied with how it looks. It’s not bad at all—actually quite pretty, almost like a lotus—but I’m a bit picky and have a certain picture in my head of how it should turn out. The oven spring just isn’t quite what I’m aiming for.

I’m not sure where things might have gone off—maybe the hydration was too high (though it’s only 60%)? Or perhaps it’s my proofing schedule (45-minute interval coil folds, 2 hours bulk fermentation, and 12 hours cold retard, which I usually do given my local temperature). The crumb looks fairly well-proofed to me, though I do wonder if it might be slightly over-proofed.

I’d really appreciate any advice or thoughts you might have. 🙏🏽

#foodstr #sourdough #asknostr

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Discussion

nobody 3mo ago

as a cook, not a baker🥲😅 yet anyway

i bow before this loaf & their baker

a lotus not being enough? 🪷

im not sure ive heard that one before

more oven spring i understand but as not a baker, i dont have recommendations but i wish you luck with it!

to me, it's beautiful

PUMBA21 🧡🍪 3mo ago

That’s so kind of you to say 🙏🏽 I guess I’m just a little too hard on myself sometimes 😅

Troy 3mo ago

The shape looks similar to being over-proofed, but the large cell structure says otherwise.

My "off hand" analysis would be that something about the dough is heavy/dense, preventing it from rising (during your duration), even though there is plenty of bubble/gas production.

PUMBA21 🧡🍪 3mo ago

Yes, too much hydration was my first thought as well. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts—I really appreciate it 🙏🏽

Sanne 3mo ago

It looks yummy! 🤩 What flour do you use for your starter? And what ingredients/proportions do you use for the bread? You can send me a pm if you’d like.

I’m not a professional but I looov baking sourdough bread

PUMBA21 🧡🍪 3mo ago

Thank you very much! 😊 I feed my starter with unbleached flour (about 11–12% protein). For this loaf, I used 300g T65, 180g water, 8g salt, and 60g starter.

I also tried another bake at 70% hydration with a different flour mix, and the oven spring turned out much nicer. So now I’m wondering—maybe the lower protein in the T65 made the dough feel wetter than usual, or perhaps it was my proofing time? Still figuring it out 🧐

Sanne 3mo ago

Cool you experiment with the difference between flour!

Idk if your starter is super strong.

If not. You could try to not only use 100% unbl flour but: give 50% rye flour and 50% unbl flour a try.

Maybe the t65 can develop more gluten if there is a mix in the starter?

The more water you use the faster your dough is raising. (You said you did 70% before with an other flour mix)

So maybe it can be your dough isn’t at its peak within 2 hours of bulking with only using t65?

If you do stretch and folds, is the dough strong like a ball after a few times? Because 60% hydration is not super wet I assume.

Do you see bubbles while your dough is bulking?

I’m always open to talk about bread, just so you know!

PUMBA21 🧡🍪 3mo ago

Thank you so much for the tips! 🙏🏽 My starter is quite strong and I always use it at peak, but I’ll definitely keep your advice in mind—especially mixing in rye and watching the bulk timing with T65. Really appreciate you sharing! 🥖😊

Mandana 3mo ago

Maybe you need to bulk ferment longer and/or cold proof for at least 24 hours. The perfect rise is so hard. I'm struggling there.