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Orange Sweet Potato Open Crumb Sourdough Bread

Orange Sweet Potato Open Crumb Sourdough Bread

Orange Sweet Potato Sourdough Bread


I came across some beautiful orange sweet potatoes that I just had to buy to make something with.  I ended up making Open Crumb Sourdough Bread.

If you have any questions regarding this recipe or any other post, please leave me a comment in the “LEAVE A COMMENT” link and I will reply you as soon as possible.  Do tag me on Instagram @Bakewithpaws if you attempt on this recipe.


Recipe - Orange Sweet Potato Open Crumb Sourdough Bread 


INGREDIENTS:

270g bread flour (I used Japanese high gluten flour) - 90%
30g whole wheat flour - 10%
224g water (reserve 10g for salt) - 77% final hydration
6g sea salt - 2%
70g mashed orange sweet potatoes (21%)

60g Levain (100% hydration):
21g bread flour (I used Japan High Gluten Flour)
21g water
  • Please refresh  your starter several times before baking day in order to get a better result if you do not feed your starter daily or regularly.
  • Please reserve some liquid and not add it all in one go as each flour absorbs water and hydrates differently. 
Banneton (proofing basket)'s size - 6.5" oval shape
Ambient temperature after adding in levain - 26C - 27C
Total Bulk Fermentation - 5 hours

Please watch my Basic Open Crumb Sourdough Bread video for reference.

METHOD:
  1. Feed starter 
    1. Feed ratio of 1:1:1, keep at room temperature (28C – 30C) and wait until tripled, around 4 – 5 hours.  I fed a few grams extra as some will stick to the jar.  You will need only 60g.
    2. Please feed your starter at the ratio that fit your schedule as long as the starter is at its peak when use.   
  2. Mashed Orange Sweet Potato - Wash, peel, cut and steam the purple sweet potatoes for about 20 minutes.  Mash with potato riser or folk.  Discard the excess liquid.
  3. Autolyse
    1. Mix flour and water, stir until there is no more dry flour with a spatula.  The dough will tear easily when you pull on it. The dough is no extensibility after immediately water is added, gluten is not formed yet. During autolyse, hydration of the flour causes the sticky and stretchy protein to form,  this helps development of gluten.
    2. Cover and leave for 1 - 2 hours at room temperature (28C - 30C).  After 1 - 2 hours I checked the window pane stage.  The dough was very extensible when I pulled on it.
  4. Levain & Salt
    1. Wet your hand, add 60g sourdough to the dough and sprinkle all the salt on top. Mix for about 5 - 7 minutes or until well incorporated.  I also used rubaud method in between to mix.  
    2. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
  5. Long Stretch and Fold (Quite same like Bench Fold)
    1. Pull and fold the four sides, flip over and round the dough.  
    2. Cover and rest for about 30 minutes or until dough spreads.
  6. Lamination and Spread Mashed Potato -
    1. Lightly mist the counter top with water and wet your hand.  Pull the dough into a rectangle shape and pull from centre out to form a bigger rectangle shape.  
    2. Spread the mashed pumpkin on the dough.
    3. Pick up one edge and fold into the center.  Pick up other edge and fold into the center over first section.  Fold the top down half way.  Fold the bottom up.  Put dough in a new dish (square pyrex dish).  The reason to use a square dish is because it is easier to judge how much  the dough has spread.  
    4. Cover and rest for about 40 - 45 minutes or until dough spreads.  
  7. Coil Folds
    1. Coil Fold 1 -  At this stage, the dough is weak and extensible.  Fold the dough in the dish. Cover and rest for about 60  - 75 minutes or until dough spreads.
    2. Coil Fold 2 -  At this stage, the dough is quite strong and not so extensible and will be the last coil fold.  However, if the dough is still quite extensible and spread a lot, then you will need one or two more coil folds.   Fold the dough in the dish.  Cover and rest for about 60 - 90 minutes or until dough rise 50% in size since you added the levain.  However, I accidentally over proofed this bread and I am sure it was more than 50%.   Because of that, the ear is not so pronounced.
  8. Shaping 
    1. The dough should look puffy.  It should jiggling when you slightly shake it.  This is the end of bulk fermentation.  The total fermentation time was 5 hours for this bread.
    2. Flour the counter top.  Shape and transfer to a  flour banneton.  
  9. Proof On The Counter
    1. Let it proof in the banneton room temperature for 15 minutes (27C - 28C ambient temperature).  I omitted this step as I my dough have over proofed.
  10. Cold Retard
    1. Then retard overnight in the fridge (4C) for 12 - 16 hours.  This bread was about 15 hours.
  11. Baking -  
    1. Preheat oven with the dutch oven (cast iron) at 250C (top & bottom heat) fo 30 - 60 minutes before baking.  
    2. Take bread dough out from the fridge, invert onto a parchment paper.  Using a razor blade attached to a lame slash the dough approximately 0.5 inches deep at 45-degree angle.  Immediately transfer the dough with the parchment paper to your preheated dutch oven.
    3. Bake with cover on for 25 minutes.  Remove the cover and lower the temperature to 220C (top & bottom heat), continue bake for another 10 - 15 minutes.
    4. Remove bread from oven and dutch oven. Let it cool on rack completely before slicing.


GENERAL NOTES

SOURDOUGH STARTER


A healthy starter is very crucial as advised by Baking with Gina.   It is advisable to feed your starter regularly if you want your bread to rise nicely and to use the starter (levain) at its peak.  A starter that is fed regularly will be more active in general.  If the mother starter is not strong, the bread dough will not rise a lot even though the starter is used at its peak.  


HYDRATION

The liquid measurement given is also a guide.  It is advisable to always reserve some liquid and not add it all in one go.  This would give you the opportunity to adjust if necessary. If dough is too dry, add the reserve liquid one tablespoon at a time until the right consistency.  This is because each flour absorbs water and hydrates differently. 

BULK FERMENTATION

Bulk fermentation starts when you add in levain to the dough and ends when the dough is ready for shaping.  

TEMPERATURE DURING BULK FERMENTATION

Ambient temperature plays a very important part in sourdough baking.  It will affect the dough temperature and eventually affect your fermentation time.  The cooler ambient temperature will extend the fermentation time.  The greater degree of proof, the stronger the dough will be as explained by Trevor J. Wilson. 

The ambient temperature that worked for me is between 25C - 26C and bulk fermentation time is between 4.5 hours to 5.5 hours.  At the end of bulk fermentation, my dough would have increased 50% in volume.   The dough should look puffy.  It should jiggling when you slightly shake it.  This is the end of bulk fermentation.  

But, my kitchen ambient temperature (without air-conditioner) was 29C - 30C.  So, I have to bring down the temperature. 

How to bring down ambient temperature?
  1. Air-conditioner room - Rest the dough in air-conditioner room during bulk fermentation.  I used this option sometimes.  I turned on my air-conditioner when I added in levain and try to maintain temperature between 25C - 26C.
  2. Home oven (that's turned off) -  Place ice cooler packs inside along with an ambient temperature thermometer.  Then place your dough during bulk fermentation in the oven. Keep an eye on that thermometer and try to keep between 25C - 26C.

DOUGH STRENGTH AND EXTENSIBILITY

Too strong (tension or elastic) dough will take a longer time to increase (proof) in volume.  So too strong dough may not have good oven spring and open crumb.  While too weak dough (extensibility) dough may not hold it shape and rise with good oven spring too.  

So over-working the dough (too strong dough) or under-working (weak dough) may affect the crumb structure and oven spring.  

The number of coil folds is not fixed and very much depends on the strength and extensibility of the dough.  

As demonstrated in an experiment by Kristen (Full Proof Baking) the over-worked dough rose super tall but was smaller in overall size and had a more dense crumb while the control dough rose tall during the oven spring and had a better overall result.

How do we know when it is enough and no more coil folds are needed? 
We usually do 3 coil folds for this method.  However, if by the second coil fold the dough is strong with less extensibility as you lift up a part of the dough then it should be the last coil fold, or just do a half coil folds instead of full. The resistance of the dough to being folded should be an indication to refrain from folding further.

How do we know when to do the next coil fold or stretch & fold?
When the dough spreads. Please do not rely on the time given in the recipe as it is just a guideline.  Please watch your dough and not the clock.  

SALT

You may wonder why most of the recipes asked to add salt after autolyze and adding levain.  Salt will tighten the gluten and make it harder to stretch.   But, in this recipe, I added salt together with levain and I didn't notice any big difference.

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