This question is directed at Melissa, but I’d be happy to hear what others do as well.
I do my bulk fermentation in a Pyrex measure because the markings make determining the amount of rise easier. Because the dough domes as it rises, I’ve always wondered whether I should be using the level of the dough at the top of the dome or where the dough meets the glass to determine when it’s reached the suggested rise (100%, 75% etc.) since there can be a significant difference between the dome and the edge. Which do you use Melissa?
Dryer doughs especially do the doming thing and are hard to judge. I kinda average the difference between the edge and the dome. @Benito uses a neat aliquot jar and can assess the expansion at shaping and at baking more precisely. Benny, do you have a sense of doming in the bucket vs what’s happening in your aliquot jar?
I’d call this about 65% expansion. Thank goodness the bread seems to come out nicely at a pretty big range of fermentation because this is not precise.
Great, thanks, Melissa! That really helps for when I try one of your recipes. I understand the process, more or less, but I’ve never tried an aliquot jar.
I have also found that the higher the hydration the flatter the dome, even in an aliquot jar. I’ve always used the meniscus as the place to measure the rise since it is the meniscus that I use to set the starting point to compare the rise to. In the end, I think what is most important is that you do it the same way each time. Be consistent with whether you are using the meniscus, the dome or halfway between them and you’ll be able to make adjustments based on your measurements.
Thanks for your response, Benny. My question was partly academic but mostly to try and duplicate Melissa’s directions as closely as possible when trying a recipe of hers for the first time. I have found that for me, a 75% hydration works best for the mostly 100% whole grain breads that I bake. That seems to achieve the best balance of crumb openness with enough oven spring to produce a loaf that works for sandwiches.
What do you find to be the benefits of using an aliquot jar? Do you add the contents of the jar back to the main loaf after bulk fermentation?
Here is the post I did explaining why and how I use an aliquot joint. Aliquot Jar to determine when to end bulk fermentation In short, its value is to allow adjustments to get the dough well fermented when repeating a recipe. It allows me to fine tune fermentation.
An example of this would be sourdough baguettes which I have found are remarkably different from other breads. In bulk I aim for 20% rise and then 35% rise by the time of bake. I don’t then to bake the aliquot of jar, it is quite small and since I use the aliquot to measure until the time of bake, it is a bit late to add to a fully shaped and fermented dough.
