I made hamburger and hotdog buns from the book yesterday into this morning, and I figured I’d share some of my tips and bloopers.
Kitchen temperature was about 78F. For the whole grain component, I used fresh-milled hard white spring wheat.
It took 9.5 hours for the sweet stiff starter to more than double.
The bulk fermentation was basically complete in 4 hours at room temperature, but then I refrigerated the bowl so I could sleep.
First photo is after mixing. Second photo is the next morning just out of the refrigerator. Third photo is the underside of the well-fermented dough.
3.75 hour final proof in a warm kitchen but the dough started out cold. Only one hotdog bun was shaped nicely. I need to improve on this!
Also, I took the buns out after an extra 5 minutes of baking, and the inside temperature was 211F, but they are quite pale. I believe this minimal Maillard reaction is due to a large drop in pH during the retarded bulk fermentation. Next time, no refrigeration.
