Yecora Rojo Sourdough Breads (No Knead Version too)
I baked this bread but knew I was in trouble when it was finished kneading. It was very wet and hard to handle. I used two flat dough cutters to maneuver it and shape it. Didn’t seem to want to build strength and hold its shape at all. I added flour as I went to make it more manageable and did managed to get it into some kind of shape ( wasn’t happy with it.) I shaped it and put it in a oblong basket. Let it rest 30 minutes on the counter, then placed it in fridge overnight . It never did rise anymore or bulk up. I placed it in the oven per the instructions and praying for something to happen that I knew wasn’t going to. It never rose. Was tight crumb, flat and wet. I want to try it again and make it a staple doe for us. I believe the starter is fine. It was doubled fed and used to bake baguettes and no issues with those or other breads. I have fed this starter for many years so I know it works. I am asking for input to what you think happened . Thanks so much.
Seems very under fermented. No knead bread recipes need high hydration to help the gluten formation and time does the rest with little or no handling. They also involve a small percentage of starter (to enable a long ferment) and are done at room temperature. If you followed a no knead recipe and then did the ferment in the fridge then that would explain the under fermentation.
P.s. I see you only did the final proof in the fridge, as recommended when the recipe says “some final proof in the fridge” but only if the bulk ferment was done properly!
Abe thanks for your response. I never thought of fermentation being the issue. This is the recipe. I thought it might be easier for you to see the recipe than me explaining it to you. I followed it closely except adding flour and some slab folds
Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl until they’re thoroughly incorporated. If possible, put the dough in a straight-walled container and let it double in size. This took my dough about 6 hours in a warm lit oven. (You can see in the photo gallery that my dough more than doubled; this was a bit too fermented).
After the bulk fermentation, continue with the instructions below, starting at the Pre-Shape and Bench Rest. Keep those steps as brief as possible and refrigerate your proofing basket quickly if you ferment the dough as much as I did.
I recommend at least some time in the refrigerator during final proof for this no knead dough to give it some stiffness before baking.
Did You let it double in size?
More flour after the bulk hence the density of the loaf.
