I’m consistently having problems with my second proofing/oven spring. It is just not happening. I’ve tried proofing shorter, longer, in the fridge, on the counter, in the fridge and then the counter and the rise is just not there. The starter seems vigorous, the first rise is fine, but then not much is happening. Am I over-proofing the first rise? Other thoughts.
I bake either in a dutch oven or in the Breadtopia oblong clay baker. Thanks.
Just a bit more information. On the loaf I just took out it looks like the top crust rose some, but separated from the loaf’s interior. Now it is deflating.
Some questions to help get to the bottom of this:
What kind of flour are you using? (some flours have very little gluten)
How long is that first rise? At approximately what ambient temp?
Usually a combo of organic whole wheat flour (Warthog and Marquis have been the most recent fours) from Barton Springs Mill (a local Austin mill) and bread flour or all-purpose unbleached I tend to make a fairly high hydration dough. The ambient temp varies with the weather, but generally the range is 68 F (winter) to 82F (summer). The time of the first rise varies also. I do several folds during the first 60 to 90 minutes and then shape after it has at least doubled. If my schedule gets in the way, I put it in the fridge. Yes, it is all pretty loosey-goosey, but I have had successes over the years. Lately, though, the failures with my sourdough seem to be outstripping the successes.
Okay, so warthog isn’t a gluten powerhouse, but combined with refined flour, it can get be part of a tall bread. Also, I worked through a bag of marquis from BSM a while back and it was stronger than warthog. Bottom line, I don’t think you should be getting flat loaves and flying crust with either of them combined with refined flour, so I’d rule out wheat type as the problem.
I think it’s the “at least doubled” that could be the issue. Maybe you’re exhausting the food supply of the dough before the final proof. Try only letting the dough reach about 75% growth.
Another possibility that’s worth mentioning is starter over-ripeness and proteolysis. You can read more about it here Mystery Starter
Thank you for taking the time to help. I really appreciate it. My feeling is that you’re probably right about over-proofing the first rise, but I’m going to think about the starter also.
You’re welcome, fingers crossed for you!