New bakers facing an alleged over-discovered sourdough disaster should stop panicking. Try to find out how to save your sour dough or how to avoid repeating this situation in the future. Some people prefer to throw away the over-revealed sourdough, believing it to be unfit for consumption. However, this is not the case. Fortunately, the overdiscovered sourdough is quite salvageable. So let's look at the simple steps needed to save your over-tested sourdough loaves.
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What is the exam?
Rectification is another word for fermentation. It refers to the time given for the yeast and bacteria in the dough to undergo fermentation and produce gases that allow the dough to rise.
Correction plays an important role in determining the volume, crust and structure of crumb.
Read related: Why is my sourdough bread rubbery?
There are two phases of the trial and these include:
- Bulk fermentation – This is the first stage of correction, which is done after the dough has been mixed.
- Final fermentation – This is the second stage of the test, which is done after the dough has been formed.
How can you tell if your sourdough is proofread?
The main task when proofing sourdough is to wait patiently for the carbon dioxide gases to accumulate and rise the dough. This can take anywhere from 8-14 hours depending on several factors: flour level, temperature and humidity. This is because yeast works faster in warmer temperatures.
The dough will have completed proofing once it reaches a 30% increase during bulk fermentation and an additional 30% increase in dough during final fermentation.
You can observe the rise of the dough during bulk fermentation by placing the dough in a square transparent container that is the same width across the height and measuring the rise with a ruler.
Overdone sourdough
Over-risen dough is a common problem for sourdough bread bakers. It is caused by too much yeast in the dough, which means that the yeast has used up all of its food source and is starting to die. This can also happen if there is a lot of moisture in the air around your sourdough starter or if it has been kept at room temperature for days at a time.
Knowing the basic methods to tell if your dough is over proofed or not can be quite helpful. Here are some obvious ways to catch an over-resisted batter:
- The dough smells like alcohol
- The Poke Test
The dough smells like alcohol
If you're struggling with the telltale signs of too much sourdough, I got you!
The best way to determine this is by smelling your dough. A major sign that your dough is over proofed is when you smell your dough and the dough smells a little like alcohol.
If the bread has this particular smell, then it is likely overprotected and will most likely fall apart when baked in the oven, due to a lack of structure and strength.
The Poke Test
The poke test is an easy way to help you decide if your dough is proofed or not.
The method is straightforward, just uncover your dough and press one or two fingers on its surface for about 2 seconds. Then remove your fingers and see how much of an indentation remains in the dough. If you notice that the dough doesn't spring back into place and stays put, then your dough has lost its elasticity, which means it's too stiff.
What are the signs of an overdone sourdough?
An over-proofed sourdough is a bit difficult to save, depending on how proofed it is.
Some signs of a tested sourdough include a flatter dough texture that has collapsed to the sides of the bowl.
Fortunately, there is a way to fix this.
Try giving your dough some stretches and folds with your hands, moving the dough around the bowl. This will give the dough a chance to find some new pockets of sugars and starches to use up. Follow this up by letting your starter proof again for another 2 hours before shaping into loaves or buns as usual.
Another sign is a loose and weak dough that does not yield to any shape you try to give it by force, is by pulling them up towards you or by folding them over. You'll notice that the dough will just fall back into heaps hanging on itself. This is also known as over-proof, which means there is very little left that can be stored without baking something on the spot – even if you were able to get some sort of shape out of it!
The only thing left would be to pour the shapeless dough into greased pans in the hope that they would magically transform into structured loaves after baking; which most likely won't happen as these loaves tend to come out as one dense breadinstead of soft and fluffy.
With the end result giving a denser flatter bread with a wonderfully sour taste, you'll find these are great for making croutons or using in bruschetta toppings.
What about unproven sourdough?
While undercorrection is more forgiving than overcorrection, it has its drawbacks.
The bread will not have as much flavor and will have a few uneven crumbs after baking. This can be seen through the very large holes at the top of the bread, and the much smaller ones at the bottom.
In addition to this more basic issue with texture, there is also a difference in the flavor profile between proof and overripe bread. While both will still taste good when baked, a raw dough will lack some depth compared to one that's been left to rise for longer—something that could be described as plainer or simpler to in terms of flavor profile.
Testing your overripe dough
You can test your puff pastry to determine its consistency. If you're not sure how to tell if your dough is spoiled, perform the following tests:
- Indentation test
- Spread Test
- The De-Gas test
- The Religion Test
Indentation test
This is a simple technique you can use to determine if your dough is over-proof.
While the dough is in its bowl, press the dough with your finger for a few seconds. If after removing the finger, the indentation remains, then you know that your sourdough needs to be saved. Maya has exhausted itself and stopped working as it should.
If, however, when you press down on your sourdough and release, it reacts by springing back into place and returning to its original shape, then this means that your motor has not yet become overpowered. You can still bake it normally without the need for any extra precautions!
Spread Test
Overripe sourdough will spread more than normal. You can test this by removing it from its original container and returning it to another.
If the dough begins to spread immediately, even slightly, then this is an indication that the dough is over-resilient (which happens as the gluten forces lose their elasticity and the dough is unable to hold its structure). Regular bread will be fuller and will hold any shape you store it in
The De-Gas test
The outgassing test is a great way to determine if your dough is over proofed or not. This test can be done by gently tapping the top of the noodle.
If it has been properly resisted, there will be gas bubbles appearing on its surface. They can be deflated as soon as your knuckles touch the dough, with a slight pop.
A dough that is too proofed will be hard and you won't be able to remove the gas any further. Now there will be no extra gas to escape from the batter. This will result in an indentation where you touched the bread.
The Religion Test
The slice test is a good way to check if your dough is over-proofed. If you have already mixed the starter of sourdough and want to know if your bread has risen enough, then cut in the center with a sharp knife. If it breaks easily, then it means that it is over-resistant. Try not to cut it too much, otherwise the overall texture of your bread will be ruined.
If instead, when you use a sharp knife on the top of the bread, it doesn't tear well, but causes an indentation in the bread without any resistance (this can happen even if you're trying to slice while it's still hot), then this indicates under – insulation which can lead to sunken areas above.
Surviving sourdough
Having an overexposed sourdough happens to the best of us, and it's definitely not the end of the world. Sometimes it can be adjusted to create that almost perfectly baked bread. Other times you may have baked a loaf with an uneven crumb and a bland flavor profile.
Trial and error is the key to success!
Speaking of trying, why not start with these recipes?
Frequently asked questions
What happens if the Sourdough is over-proved?
An over-extended sourdough means your dough won't rise in the oven, causing it to deflate easily as you turn it into a pan.
How do you know if you've outgrown the sourdough?
You can press the dough to test if your dough is too firm. If it leaves a permanent scar, it's over-tested.
Can excess sourdough be stored?
Try gently punching and reshaping them, then baking immediately.
How do you know if bread is over-proofed?
The sprinkled bread gives off a distinct smell and falls apart easily when pulled.
