Breads (Sourdough) - Open Crumb

Purple Sweet Potato Open Crumb Sourdough Bread

November 11, 2020 | Recipe by Bake with Paws
Purple Sweet Potato Open Crumb Sourdough Bread

Purple Sweet Potato Open Crumb Sourdough Bread

Purple Sweet Potato Open Crumb Sourdough Bread

Fold in mashed potato ⇧

Purple Sweet Potato Open Crumb Sourdough Bread

Spread mashed potato during lamination ⇧


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I have been baking a lot of Purple Sweet Potato Bread but this is my first attempt for an Open Crumb Sourdough Bread.  I was so lucky to get sweet potatoes with a deep purple colour this time.  The bread turned out so vibrant.  

Baking open crumb sourdough bread needs a little more technique. It can be a temperamental and is not as straightforward as baking soft sourdough bread.  We cannot just add mashed potatoes together with the flour at the beginning.  That may affect the gluten development and your bread will not turn out with a nice crumb and good oven spring even if the starter is strong and healthy.  I learned this technique from "Full Proof Baking" that incorporates the mashed sweet potato only after adding salt. It makes all the difference! I have made a few slight changes for my personal preference.

I tried again with method 2 by spreading the mashed potatoes during lamination to create the marble look.  

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.


How To Make Purple Sweet Potato Open Crumb Sourdough Bread

Yields:  1 loaf

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 purple sweet potatoes (21%)
60g levain (active sourdough starter - 100% hydration) – 20%
  • 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:  25C

Note:  Please double up the ingredients to make 2 loaves.  Divide the dough right before lamination.

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 2 – 3 hours.
  2. Mashed Purple Sweet Potato - 
    1. Wash, peel, cut and steam the purple sweet potatoes for about 20 minutes.  Mash with potato riser or folk.
  3. Autolyse 
    1. Mix flour and water, stir until there is no more dry flour with a spatula then by hand.  Or use a stand mixer with paddle attachment for 2-3 minutes at low speed. I used machine for these two loaves.  Cover and leave for 1 to 3 hours.
  4. Levain - 
    1. Wet your hand, add 60g sourdough to the dough and hand mixing until incorporated, about 3 - 4 minutes. Or use a stand mixer with hook attachment and knead for 6 to 8 minutes.  I used hand mixing for these two loaves.  Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
  5. Sea Salt - 
    1. Dilute sea salt with the balance of 10g water.  Pour on top of the dough, use hand to mix in the sea salt water.  It takes about 5 minutes until it is fully incorporated.  Cover and rest for 15 minutes.
  6. Bench Fold -  
    1. Do a light fold on counter.  Return to the same bowl.  Cover and rest for about 30 minutes or until dough spreads.
    2. You can also fold in Mashed Purple Potato at this step if you like.  Slowly fold in the mashed potato.  Do not need to mix mashed potato until it's incorporated with the dough. 
  7. 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 30 - 45 minutes or until dough spreads.  
  8. 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 30 - 45 minutes or until dough spreads.
    2. Coil Fold 2 -  At this stage the dough still extensible but stronger compare with the dough  before the 1st coil fold.  Fold the dough in the dish.  Cover and rest for about 30 - 45 minutes or until dough spreads.
    3. Coil Fold 3 -  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.  I did half fold instead of full fold. My dough was quite strong and less extensibility after doing the half fold,  so I decided to stop. Cover and rest for 60 - 90 minutes or until dough rise 40 - 50% in size since you added the levain.  
  9. Shaping - 
    1. The total fermentation time is 5 hours and 30 minutes. Flour the counter top.  Shape and transfer to a heavily flour banneton.  
  10. Proof On The Counter -  
    1. I straight away put in the fridge as I could see the dough had risen quite a lot.  I knew it when I placed the dough in the benneton it was already almost filled the basket.  Usually, I will proof at room temperature for 15 minutes.
  11. Cold Retard 
    1. Then retard overnight in the fridge for 12 - 16 hours.
  12. 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.  

Comments

  1. Hi, may I know the high gluten flour means 12.8%-13.8% protein content correct?
    Also,if I don't have whole wheat flour, is it okay to use 100% Bread Flour?
    Thanks for your tips, the temperature in my kitchen is really giving me alot of issues while handling the dough ��

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi, thanks for reading this recipe. The Japan High Gluten Flour I used is about 12.2 - 13 %. Yes, you can use 100% bread flour. If your kitchen is warm, try to turn on aircond or use cooler (place cooler in microwave or oven) then place your dough there.

    Please get a thermometer if you can. So, you will know your ambient temperature.

    Cheers :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you very much!! Hehe my kitchen has no aircon, so I will try again with your cooler method ... hope that one day I will be able to success for making the SD with ear or big belly hahhaa... I used Dutch oven (cast iron) super heavy, but I don't see any steam from inside, but the pot is super duper hot :( either the steam is not enough or my starter still young or not strong enough, it's now 2 months old.
      I followed your Instagram too :)

      Delete
    2. Hi, thanks for reading this recipe and your comment. I used Dutch Oven from Ikea and it works well. I don't think we can really see the steam.lol :) You will get this crumb and ear if you keep on trying.

      BTW, thanks for following me at IG.

      Cheers :)

      Delete
  3. Thank you for your encouragement, I hope so :P

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi BWP �� May I know the 30g levain that you added with the 300g flour was added when it peaks too? I don't have aircond in my kitchen too, probably I should take my dough to my room after I added in the levain ��

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, thanks for reading this recipe.

      This one below is just an information for you to know how much total flour used. It is not the ingredients to be used.
      Total flour: 300g + 30g (from levain) = 330g

      Cheers :)

      Delete
    2. LOL,silly me. It's 270g flour with 60g levain. Thanks!

      Delete
    3. Sorry, it's total 300g flour + 30g levain with 100% hydration.

      Delete
  5. Lol, silly me. It's 270g flour with 60g levain, #facepalm. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No worry.. Sorry for confusion. I just moved this line before Ingredients so it is more clear.
      Cheers :)

      Delete
  6. Hi
    Just to check what if im using sweet potato flour instead? What will be the measurements? Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Thanks for reading. Sweet Potato Powder? Hmm, I am not too sure as I never used and experimented sweet potato powders in this bread.

      Cheers :)

      Delete
  7. Hi Bwp. Just wanted to let u know that I tried your recipe for the sweet potato sourdough bread. Came out nice with good ear. I did the marbalised method cos I prefer a mix of white and purple pattern. U are so talented and so kind to your followers; always answering our questions/doubts. By the way both your recent sesame braid loaf looks gorgeous. Will try them soon and update u. Take care and be safe. Thanks again for your amazing uploads!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Chloe,

      Thank you so much for taking time to comment on the feedback. I am glad that worked for you too. I enjoyed the fun of braiding and this method is easy to understand.. lol

      You take care and stay safe too.

      Cheers :)

      Delete
  8. Since you don't have a click to print option, or I couldn't find one. Do you not allow people to copy and paste to print off a recipe? It may be my computer I have a Mac Mini no matter what I did it would not let me copy & paste it. I like to do it like that so I can adjust the font size for these eyes of mine with some vision problems.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Linda, thank you for your interest in this recipe. I just subscribed the Recipe Card for my blog which allow you to print and save. But I need time to install one by one post as I have over 200 posts. Please bear with me.

      It should be able to copy and paste if you are using computer.

      Thank you :)

      Delete
    2. Hi Linda, I just added in the Recipe Card for this post and you can print the recipe now.

      Cheers :)

      Delete

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