I use a large scalpel for scouring (because as a veterinarian I have lots of those around). What I have found helps with scoring is to spray the blade liberally with a non-stick cooking spray; it glides right through. This technique looks great, will have to try it. I'm guessing that if you use a dutch oven you could simply remove the heated dutch oven from the hot oven, place the bread in the dutch oven for 30 sec, score, then replace the dutch oven back into the oven.
I've been thinking about this. It's an interesting idea. I would be concerned about loosing the precious steam in my oven. Also domestic ovens are not very powerful. There would be heat loss too. One way to go is to finish the proof in the fridge, say the last 30 minutes of it. Chilled doughs are stiff and easy to score. Some time back I switched from using a razor blade to a small finely serrated knife. It works exceptionally well with wet doughs especially is it is a little wet. French bakers often use a small modelling knife with exchangeable blades. Sorry to post twice here. You do bake very well indeed. 👍
If the goal is to briefly dry the outer skin of the dough, could the result be accomplished by using a hair dryer to blow bot air over the dough ball for a minute? I truly admire your never ending curiosity about improving every phase of bread making. Thank you for all that you share with us.
I use the opposite technique wich works just as well: I place the dough in my garage fridge for an hour (its much colder than the kitchen one) or in the freezer for some 10 minutes. This makes the dough really stiff and super easy to score.
I was watching several videos about sourdough baking. Some told me to put the dough in the oven for 2-3 minutes before scoring it. Seems to be a helpful idea. I did not manage to bake a nearly goog bread. Watched your video with the 4 tipps for improving and will change the feeding of my relativly new starter. Hope it leads to nice spelt breads.
if you want it to dry so it scores better, just put it the fridge for 10 minutes, then score, we bakers do this on a regular basis in france, it's not reinventing the wheel
I've had success by scoring before the oven, but after 20 or so minutes I score again at the point where the already formed crust meets the "spring." Aim the blade so you cut almost parallel to the crust, but underneath it if that makes sense. It releases some of the yet to be fully cooked dough from beneath the crust and allows further expansion after the initial spring.
Interesting. I have seen people do this before too. In my case I reach maximum expansion in the oven already after 5-7 minutes or so. Then an additional score won't help that much.
I’m so glad I watched this video!!! Super awesome and going to try once my oven preheats. I usually do a 6-min score - never done the 30 second bake then score. Wish me luck!! Your page is amazing!
You can go even further with this technique and let the loaf bake for 5-7 minutes, then score it. This will prevent the dough from flattening out to much if it's not that strong (e.g. when baking overproofed doughs)
Interesting idea! I found around 30 seconds to be the sweet spot. Else the bread has already risen too much and you no longer get an ear, there is no more room for vertical oven spring.
Oh I have to try that! I’m having a horrible time over proofing. I think that is what I am doing wrong. Sticky most of the time. But I’m new to it and it’s a learning experience.
I have now made 2 loaves using this technique and they have risen more than ever before. The first one I had in the oven for 2 minutes by mistake (bit it still worked) and the second loaf as only 1 minute. I have never had so much oven spring! Amazing loaves!! However I have also started adding 20 grams of gluten flour and also starting proofing at 55-60% fermentation instead of 100%. So these 2 things may also be helping.
Does this also mean you feed your starter and let it grow 55/60%? Then mixing/resting (hour or so) and then 55/60% proof, refridgerator or bake? Or let the starter after feeding double in size first?
This channel is absolutely phenomenal. Your explanation is so clear and you really deep dive into a subject. I learned a lot from your videos. I will definitely try this scoring technique and won't make the mistake you did ;)
This sounds great. I'll try it on tomorrow's bread. I love the way you make dough balls. This has been a game changer for my pizza dough and as I work on sourdough.
Try doing this in the fridge instead of the oven. Brezen (Pretzels) are put into the fridge for half an hour or so after shaping. The point is to dry out the skin of the dough so it creates that nice shiny surface once you submerge them in lye and bake them. Fridges are generally very dry. If you place the shaped bread on a sheet in the fridge for let's say 20 minutes, you should get a similarly dried out skin without the hassle of a hot oven. Just a thought for experiment - actually I'm going to try this on my next bake day.
@@the_bread_code But you only dry out the bottom since the surface you'll then score is still covered by the banneton, right? And: All your breads have great oven spring and ears (creating ee=ear envy), so where is the place for the this method? I am missing a comparison--dried out, not dried out.
If you use cold proofing just unwrap your bread 30 minutes before taking it out. You will dry it out a little. If there was good tension built up during shaping and you didn't overproof it will be awesome. Too much hassle with the hot oven. Similar result. If you don't go for retardation in fridge. Just leave your basket uncovered during final proofing. I think the biggest takeaway for new bakers is that growing a bit of skin can be helpful.
Interesting, I was told when I started making sourdough was to cook it in a Dutch oven for 5 mins, then score. I love the idea of putting a pan above the bread to trap the steam, I need to try this!
I have done this after 10 mins so maybe a little sooner / and also frozen them a bit too long I'm a beginner but had some lovely results but also just on my start of a journey! So many variables it's bonkers! I just want to hear you say that! ( don't worry it's just English for absolute madness ) I'm Sian and happy to be on this journey with you! I can't video! I just make a mess! A bit like my sour dough a month ago but after hours of TH-cam videos with you I'm getting better! 🤣🤞🤣🤣 thank you for the channel and helpful tips cracking help I like a flavour in my crumb but still lacking my open crumb but this week better and my starter has gone mad! Be back in the morning 🤞
Spray dough with water and rub gently u til all flour is gone and then use a blowdryer on hot for like 1 min and score, no oven heat loss no steam loss no hot stone
Hi! I just started my sourdough journey! And I just want to say THANK YOU for going so deep into technicalities of the sourdough and bread baking! I have a question about the flour you usually use and buy for bread: what protein number should be ideally used? Today I was making a dough out of 12g protein flour, and I went with 70% water, but it doesn't seem as humid as in your recipe. Ohhh, and how much time is usually needed between kneading and folding stages? Thank you very much in case you see this question! Love your videos! will keep on watching and bread-educating myself :)
Thank you very much! You can use every flour that you like. The higher the protein, the longer you can ferment. It makes it a bit easier. Folding I only do when the dough flattens out a lot.
Hmmm …. Breaducation! The Bread Code channel certainly has earned this description in the time he’s been on YT. I started with the “field trip” to the German flour mill and have learned continuously from every presentation. He has contributed to much happy bread success around the world!
Thank you for responding! I have baked my first loaf today! Yaay! The crumb shows the signs of underfermentation. Which happened cause I hesitated to leave the dough to rest in the room temperature after about 6 hrs from mixing overnight. Next time will be better! So fascinating!
I recently score my bread after keeping it in freezer for 30-60min before putting it into the oven and it gives me very good, and consistent results. It also gives much more time for decoration scoring. Also tried similar method as shown in your video. I scored my bread again after 5 min of baking and cut looked very clean and estethic.
Dear Hendrik! Thank you so much for sharing us your experience, so I just tried to follow your instructions but I'm not care enough, my dough was cold (right from refrigirator), so I would say - 30 sec. its not enough to dry dough surface for convinient and easy scoring in my case. So anyway thank you and I'll try again my next bread.
That diving arm mixer hasn't been seen in decades. Where did you get that? I've seen huge versions for a large bakery but never for a home. I like the Swedish mixer Ankarsrum, it's only been around for over 70 years but it makes the Kitchen-Aide look sick.
@@the_bread_code Used your 30-second-pre-bake techinique on some sourdough 5 hours ago. Got the best oven spring of any bread I've made yet! Thank you!! Say, I might do a video about my experience as an amateur baker, where I give credit to you for teaching me this technique. If I make said video, could I please have your permission to include a clip from this, to demonstrate where I got the idea from, please?
@@l26wang I have one for shaving and one for bread. Admittedly the bread one is just a no-name amazon special that I wouldnt use on my face, but still works for bread fine.
Hendrik, thanks. Another way to get a really good dough surface after proofing overnight in the fridge is using Semola in the basket. In fact, this was my game changer because the surface is very dry and can easily be scored.
The easiest for me is to use a long super sharp knife - I just bought a set and discovered it actually works better than the lame. Only question is, once it inevitably dulls, if I'll be able to sharpen it as good as the factory.
Vielen Dank - having you tried going longer than the 30 seconds you've done in this video? I only ask, because I am curious with opening the oven door and letting the heat out - do you think that effects anything and would it be better to go longer than 30 seconds, to allow the oven to come back up in temp? I usually cook mine in a dutch oven and not on a stone - do you think this would still work for me? I will be trying this with my next dough, I was just wondering if you tested it. Thanks for all your experimenting. Biss bald.
Hello, I just found you and got your book, what an amazing amount of informations for us bread baking fanatics! Thank you! I have a question and I’d very much appreciate your input. Is it true that the method you suggest for creating steam only works for electric ovens? My oven is a gas one and I’ve heard that the steam scapes through a vent in that kind of ovens?
Great question. Nope - they won't. Once they are established they are very very strong. If you are interested, page 23 in my book could be interesting (www.the-bread-code.io/book.pdf)
Might be a good idea, but it's also a bit too complicated. I found that his method with the little sample in the jar works reasonably precise to give you an idea. Bread baking isn't much more of an art than it is science - you just have to develop the feel for the dough. Took me 3 years to finally have consistently great breads and it was a lot of trial and error. Now knowing what makes a great bread and being able to see and feel those stages in the dough is what makes it easy to bake good bread all the time. I usually measure my ingredients, but I've gone without scale when camping and the results were just as good - I just know when the dough is right, you can feel it. Of course that takes time and tools sure help but ultimately you need to develop a feeling for the dough.
This works excellent. I have a whole chapter on this in the book. Page 80, managing fermentation using a pH meter. The problem - it's super expensive. For someone just starting a good 200$ meter is just a very big investment. For large bakeries, I'd definitely do that!
@@meggarbutt2828 I do. I find that it allows me to be consistent and bake good bread. I have a more science than art persona and I like using the data. I also use it to validate other factors. For example, I can measure how fermenting my dough at a higher or lower temp affects the pH level.
I have seen some bakers, who ferment only at room temp and not refrigerate it, stick the loaves in the freezer for 20 minutes to firm up the crust for scoring. I suppose both tricks do the same thing, huh?
Scoring at 45 degrees is only one option. Scoring depth is more important to oven spring. I score at right angles because I am not keen on ears, they can be too sharp in the mouth. Watching French artisan bakers they too often score at right angles. FWIW in French Bread schools they teach students to hold the lame with their thumb uppermost and then rotate it until their first knuckle is uppermost. That is the correct angle. Great video - Thanks.
@@meisievannancy Hi It's not possible to either post pictures or links here. The blade should be about 30 degrees off vertical. Or off perpendicular to the dough. For an ear you are trying to undercut the dough surface on one side. As I said, I don't like ears and so I score with the blade perpendicular to the dough and my cuts are about 1cm deep. The depth of the cut is very important. Too deep and the loaf will spread too much. Too shallow and you won't get enough bloom. Ears are a bit of a fashion thing. Many French bakers don't go for that. It seems to have traveled the world via You Tube with endless people doing Tartine style loaves where the loaf is scored at 2 o' clock. That was Chad Robertson's particular way of 'signing' his loaves. Again I have never seen a French baker score like that. I prefer to score on top, the loaf does not collapse outwards in the way a Tartine loaf does. FWIW Chad R. learned to bake in a small Boulangerie in France. His Tartine is a French bread, which is why I am referring to France here. The bread in this video is a Tartine loaf BTW. I think Bread Code does a great job of it. It's all about the results we each want from our loaves. There are no rules. So experimenting a little is very worthwhile. Currently I am doing a lot of triple cuts on the top of the loaf in the style of Pain L' Ancienne. Which is a typical lean French dough with between 10% and 20% whole rye flour. Those scores are done almost in line with the Battard a little like a baguette. It gives a very different bread compared to the single score. I hope that helps. Good baking to you. :)
@@kevinu.k.7042 thanks Kevin I did a long reply to you. It looks like it disappeared. But maybe it is just being reviewed. Or I used a dissallowed key word.
Is using parchment paper at high temperature really a good idea? On my silicon treated baking paper box it says to keep temperatures below 220° C. I find that _rubbing_ my pan/stone with a tiny bit of flour does the same thing at high temperatures: No sticking. At least not if the dough is dusted with flour before turning it onto the stone. Btw I find that turning off the oven while steaming for 15 minutes and baking at full temperature (230°) for 20 minutes gives more oven spring.
I use baking paper, and after several times in the oven, it does finally burn. I do something similar, put the bread in a very hot oven and add boiling water to my tray with stones in. Close the oven door and turn, oven off. I only do 10 minutes, I will try your 15 minutes. Question: You do not say if you have your oven on or off during your steaming? I assume it would be off, yes?
@@tommul6078 Yes, I keep my oven off during the initial steaming. I got the 15 minutes from the video it got the idea from and have been too lazy/risk adverse to experiment :-) It is in the burning of the paper that is the problem as I understand it. It is that harmful chemicals are released at too high temperatures. It is probably less harmful than smoking, but as I am a nonsmoker I still like to lower the bar further ;-)
Your trick with the flour works very well too! My parchment paper handles the 230°C quite well. After 10 bakes or so I tend to switch it. Both works as far as I can tell!
@@the_bread_code It isn't that the paper will stop working, but that high temperatures will cause the release of toxins if the paper is treated with PFAS. Hopefully PFAS is being phased out all over the world, but just in case it pays to go for the cheap option :-) Thanks for inspiring content btw :-)
It's directly baked out of the fridge. There is no need to wait! This trick best works for room proofed doughs. The fridge proofed ones already have a slightly drier surface as far as I can tell.
Hello Hendrik Thanks for the cool video! I am thinking about buying a PH meter. Do you have a tip which one is suitable for hobby bakers? Thanks and greetings
why bake it and take it out like that? if you want to dry out the skin, flip it, and put it back in the fridge for like 10 to 15 min to develop a little bit of a skin.
@@the_bread_code Well, it probably would have gone well except that when I opened my fridge I was shocked to see that my doughs had risen so much overnight. It made me so sad as I'd made a double batch which I normally don't do. I guess they'll be good for dipping in soup but not for sandwiches or toast. I haven't changed the fridge temperature or the dough temperature but for some reason they over proofed. I don't suppose you know why this could have happened?
hey I'm sorry your question wasn't answered. But your fridge and where you kept your dough was too warm. Or you put the dough in your fridge too late before it could retard. This happened to me as well. I always check before I sleep or when I wake up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. i had to emergency bake once. I'm sorry that happened@@Rexyspride
Hi, i was wondering if you could tell us what brands and kinds of flour you used for those two breads. I'm from germany as well and are yet to find a good brand...
Danke für die tollen Tips. Kannst du Mal was zum Mehl in USA und Deutschland sagen. Ich leben in South Carolina und das Mehl ist sehr unterschiedlich zu unserem in Deutschland. Hast du irgendwelche Tips or Tricks. 🙏
I just read all the comments and somebody beat me to this but I'm leaving it posted I'm wonder if you could create the same results using a heat gun or a strong hair drier to just heat/simi-toast/dry out a strip just where you're going to make the cut before putting it in the oven, this way you wouldn't have to deal with taking a hot stone out of the oven.
You can place in the dutch oven for 30 seconds uncovered. Then open the dutch oven and score! Or - you place on a tray next to the dutch oven. Take out the tray, transfer the dough to the dutch oven and then score. Hope this makes sense.
What if you were to use a hairdryer? That should also dry out the skin pretty fast. I've seen another TH-cam baker put his bread uncovered in the fridge, that is, without putting them in a plastic bag. I personally find this a bit inconveniant since the bread are giving away moisture and that creates more build up of ice in the fridge.
@@InjusticeHaterI think hair dryers are like bathroom hand dryers. The ones in bathrooms were found to pump out high concentrations of fecal particles. Hair dryers. The imagination goes... Yuch!
I have a question. You mention 50% size increase, and yet looking at your second mark, it looks more like 100% size increase. Could you please clarify? This would make a big difference.
Take this value with a grain of salt. The level depends on the flour you have at hand. Some flours can go up to 100%, others only max 25%. I'd recommend to experiment a bit on your own.
Hello, I always have hard time to convert from sourdough starter to dry yeast. In your video reads that is 1g for 100 grams of stiff starter. Is this right? Thank you. Saludos
@@the_bread_code Is looking very nice! But it seems much bigger than my Kenwood cooking chief and my Kitchen is too small for a bigger machine. unfortunately seems to be an overkill for my 2 loaf of bread the week and my Sonntagsbrötchen… ;) Would this machine technique mix a sticky rye dough for Schwarzbrot properly?
I like the idea, but I guess I don't see the 30s doing appreciably more than sitting in a well-floured banneton overnight already would. Also, as for your double-scoring messing up the ear, perhaps it was just the initial mis-scoring that messed it up, and your correction was not deep enough to fully correct the issue?
This technique mostly shines for room temperature proofed doughs, like baguettes for instance. And I agree, I like to give my dough a really proper rub with flour before placing it in the banneton. I like this even more than flouring the banneton.
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I use a large scalpel for scouring (because as a veterinarian I have lots of those around). What I have found helps with scoring is to spray the blade liberally with a non-stick cooking spray; it glides right through. This technique looks great, will have to try it. I'm guessing that if you use a dutch oven you could simply remove the heated dutch oven from the hot oven, place the bread in the dutch oven for 30 sec, score, then replace the dutch oven back into the oven.
I use a straight razor (because as a young fogey I have at least 2 hanging around)
That “don’t correct the scoring” tip was great, thanks!
This works. Have also seen loaves put in freezer for 15 minutes to firm the surface for scoring.
I've been thinking about this. It's an interesting idea.
I would be concerned about loosing the precious steam in my oven. Also domestic ovens are not very powerful. There would be heat loss too.
One way to go is to finish the proof in the fridge, say the last 30 minutes of it. Chilled doughs are stiff and easy to score.
Some time back I switched from using a razor blade to a small finely serrated knife. It works exceptionally well with wet doughs especially is it is a little wet.
French bakers often use a small modelling knife with exchangeable blades.
Sorry to post twice here.
You do bake very well indeed. 👍
If the goal is to briefly dry the outer skin of the dough, could the result be accomplished by using a hair dryer to blow bot air over the dough ball for a minute? I truly admire your never ending curiosity about improving every phase of bread making. Thank you for all that you share with us.
I use the opposite technique wich works just as well: I place the dough in my garage fridge for an hour (its much colder than the kitchen one) or in the freezer for some 10 minutes. This makes the dough really stiff and super easy to score.
Yes, I put mine in the freezer for half hour or so before scoring
The stiff starter techniques that you recommend help me gain more control and consistency of my sourdough baking.
I was watching several videos about sourdough baking. Some told me to put the dough in the oven for 2-3 minutes before scoring it. Seems to be a helpful idea. I did not manage to bake a nearly goog bread. Watched your video with the 4 tipps for improving and will change the feeding of my relativly new starter. Hope it leads to nice spelt breads.
Thank you!!! Great video just got done watching several of them. I think you might’ve help me with my problems. I appreciate it very much.
if you want it to dry so it scores better, just put it the fridge for 10 minutes, then score, we bakers do this on a regular basis in france, it's not reinventing the wheel
I see those very arty people put it in the freezer for 1/2 hour before scoring. Also loses less gas apparently.
I like this idea
I've had success by scoring before the oven, but after 20 or so minutes I score again at the point where the already formed crust meets the "spring." Aim the blade so you cut almost parallel to the crust, but underneath it if that makes sense. It releases some of the yet to be fully cooked dough from beneath the crust and allows further expansion after the initial spring.
Interesting. I have seen people do this before too. In my case I reach maximum expansion in the oven already after 5-7 minutes or so. Then an additional score won't help that much.
I did this and it was crazy how much more spring i got
Hendrik you are harnessing the secrets of the bread making universe with your experiments!! Thank you for sharing them with us!
I’m so glad I watched this video!!! Super awesome and going to try once my oven preheats. I usually do a 6-min score - never done the 30 second bake then score. Wish me luck!! Your page is amazing!
You can go even further with this technique and let the loaf bake for 5-7 minutes, then score it. This will prevent the dough from flattening out to much if it's not that strong (e.g. when baking overproofed doughs)
Interesting idea! I found around 30 seconds to be the sweet spot. Else the bread has already risen too much and you no longer get an ear, there is no more room for vertical oven spring.
Oh I have to try that! I’m having a horrible time over proofing. I think that is what I am doing wrong. Sticky most of the time. But I’m new to it and it’s a learning experience.
I have now made 2 loaves using this technique and they have risen more than ever before. The first one I had in the oven for 2 minutes by mistake (bit it still worked) and the second loaf as only 1 minute. I have never had so much oven spring! Amazing loaves!! However I have also started adding 20 grams of gluten flour and also starting proofing at 55-60% fermentation instead of 100%. So these 2 things may also be helping.
Does this also mean you feed your starter and let it grow 55/60%? Then mixing/resting (hour or so) and then 55/60% proof, refridgerator or bake? Or let the starter after feeding double in size first?
2 minutes is perfect. Very crisp edges and perfect semi-dry crust for decorations with a small serrated knife was super crisp and amazing decorations.
This channel is absolutely phenomenal. Your explanation is so clear and you really deep dive into a subject. I learned a lot from your videos. I will definitely try this scoring technique and won't make the mistake you did ;)
As always, You teach us so much. Appreciate the work and will try this technique soon.
This sounds great. I'll try it on tomorrow's bread. I love the way you make dough balls. This has been a game changer for my pizza dough and as I work on sourdough.
Good luck! Keep me posted! Hope it goes well.
Wow! This is amazing. I just tried it and the bread is absolutely beautiful. You’re brilliant. 🙏
Really appreciate you also putting the ingredient list/recipe in the comments! Thank you!
Try doing this in the fridge instead of the oven. Brezen (Pretzels) are put into the fridge for half an hour or so after shaping. The point is to dry out the skin of the dough so it creates that nice shiny surface once you submerge them in lye and bake them. Fridges are generally very dry. If you place the shaped bread on a sheet in the fridge for let's say 20 minutes, you should get a similarly dried out skin without the hassle of a hot oven.
Just a thought for experiment - actually I'm going to try this on my next bake day.
But you have already kept the dough in the fridge (cold proof) before the oven- so the problem is already solved!!!
@@yvonnekorner3782 But there it's in the basket and usually covered so it doesn't dry out.
That's a good idea too. For this reason I don't cover my baskets in the fridge anymore.
@@the_bread_code But you only dry out the bottom since the surface you'll then score is still covered by the banneton, right? And: All your breads have great oven spring and ears (creating ee=ear envy), so where is the place for the this method? I am missing a comparison--dried out, not dried out.
If you use cold proofing just unwrap your bread 30 minutes before taking it out. You will dry it out a little. If there was good tension built up during shaping and you didn't overproof it will be awesome. Too much hassle with the hot oven. Similar result.
If you don't go for retardation in fridge. Just leave your basket uncovered during final proofing.
I think the biggest takeaway for new bakers is that growing a bit of skin can be helpful.
Interesting, I was told when I started making sourdough was to cook it in a Dutch oven for 5 mins, then score. I love the idea of putting a pan above the bread to trap the steam, I need to try this!
5 minutes was too much for me, it was already too stiff.
I have done this after 10 mins so maybe a little sooner / and also frozen them a bit too long I'm a beginner but had some lovely results but also just on my start of a journey! So many variables it's bonkers! I just want to hear you say that! ( don't worry it's just English for absolute madness ) I'm Sian and happy to be on this journey with you! I can't video! I just make a mess! A bit like my sour dough a month ago but after hours of TH-cam videos with you I'm getting better! 🤣🤞🤣🤣 thank you for the channel and helpful tips cracking help I like a flavour in my crumb but still lacking my open crumb but this week better and my starter has gone mad! Be back in the morning 🤞
Spray dough with water and rub gently u til all flour is gone and then use a blowdryer on hot for like 1 min and score, no oven heat loss no steam loss no hot stone
Hi! I just started my sourdough journey! And I just want to say THANK YOU for going so deep into technicalities of the sourdough and bread baking! I have a question about the flour you usually use and buy for bread: what protein number should be ideally used? Today I was making a dough out of 12g protein flour, and I went with 70% water, but it doesn't seem as humid as in your recipe. Ohhh, and how much time is usually needed between kneading and folding stages? Thank you very much in case you see this question! Love your videos! will keep on watching and bread-educating myself :)
Thank you very much! You can use every flour that you like. The higher the protein, the longer you can ferment. It makes it a bit easier. Folding I only do when the dough flattens out a lot.
Hmmm …. Breaducation! The Bread Code channel certainly has earned this description in the time he’s been on YT. I started with the “field trip” to the German flour mill and have learned continuously from every presentation. He has contributed to much happy bread success around the world!
Thank you for responding! I have baked my first loaf today! Yaay! The crumb shows the signs of underfermentation. Which happened cause I hesitated to leave the dough to rest in the room temperature after about 6 hrs from mixing overnight. Next time will be better! So fascinating!
I recently score my bread after keeping it in freezer for 30-60min before putting it into the oven and it gives me very good, and consistent results. It also gives much more time for decoration scoring.
Also tried similar method as shown in your video. I scored my bread again after 5 min of baking and cut looked very clean and estethic.
I'll have to try this. Seems a lot easier than dealing with a superhot stone or dutch oven.
Dear Hendrik! Thank you so much for sharing us your experience, so I just tried to follow your instructions but I'm not care enough, my dough was cold (right from refrigirator), so I would say - 30 sec. its not enough to dry dough surface for convinient and easy scoring in my case. So anyway thank you and I'll try again my next bread.
Great point. I didn't think about this 👍
this technique makes more sense than being weird, will definitely try it out!
That diving arm mixer hasn't been seen in decades. Where did you get that? I've seen huge versions for a large bakery but never for a home. I like the Swedish mixer Ankarsrum, it's only been around for over 70 years but it makes the Kitchen-Aide look sick.
Bernardi My Miss Baker: th-cam.com/video/G0nVQy-L3Bk/w-d-xo.html
It's a "My Miss Baker" mixer!
I am so grateful that you made htis video. I'm a great cook, but decidedly a novice when it comes to breadmaking.
Keep going - it only takes a few hundred loafs of trial and error and you'll finally end at consistently great bread. It's worth it.
You will get there!
@@the_bread_code Used your 30-second-pre-bake techinique on some sourdough 5 hours ago. Got the best oven spring of any bread I've made yet! Thank you!!
Say, I might do a video about my experience as an amateur baker, where I give credit to you for teaching me this technique. If I make said video, could I please have your permission to include a clip from this, to demonstrate where I got the idea from, please?
I use an old school strait razor for as a bread lame. Works great
Do you shave with it too? It's risky considering how much $$ and effort people put into maintaining their straight razor.
@@l26wang I have one for shaving and one for bread. Admittedly the bread one is just a no-name amazon special that I wouldnt use on my face, but still works for bread fine.
Hendrik, thanks. Another way to get a really good dough surface after proofing overnight in the fridge is using Semola in the basket. In fact, this was my game changer because the surface is very dry and can easily be scored.
Gonna try this cause my scoring game is not the best!
You are brilliant!! I learn so much from you!! Thank you!
The easiest for me is to use a long super sharp knife - I just bought a set and discovered it actually works better than the lame. Only question is, once it inevitably dulls, if I'll be able to sharpen it as good as the factory.
Such a great video and a serious game-changer! Thank you for this (and your book too!) ~ Gina
Have you ever used Vital Wheat Gluten in your Formula in your starter, or ingredients for making a Dough
Thanks
Vielen Dank - having you tried going longer than the 30 seconds you've done in this video? I only ask, because I am curious with opening the oven door and letting the heat out - do you think that effects anything and would it be better to go longer than 30 seconds, to allow the oven to come back up in temp? I usually cook mine in a dutch oven and not on a stone - do you think this would still work for me? I will be trying this with my next dough, I was just wondering if you tested it. Thanks for all your experimenting. Biss bald.
I'm using mid size torch for few seconds to dry surface before scoring with oiled blade.
Your kneading machine is fantastic. It's like the old ones. Where can one find these?
It's called the Bernardi My Miss Baker.
@@the_bread_code by the way I have the same Bosh mixer you have (!) and I love it !!
thank you for what you doing , i started to do my bread after see your work . once again , thank you ;)
My pleasure!
Hello, I just found you and got your book, what an amazing amount of informations for us bread baking fanatics! Thank you! I have a question and I’d very much appreciate your input. Is it true that the method you suggest for creating steam only works for electric ovens? My oven is a gas one and I’ve heard that the steam scapes through a vent in that kind of ovens?
I put my dough, in the banneton, in the freezer for ten minutes before turning it out onto parchment and scoring it. Big difference.
Can confirm, this is a great trick too.
Definitely worth a try, Thanks👍🏻
Guten morgen! Will the original bacteria ever be lost by changing the original flour over time? Thanks for all the videos by the way.
Great question. Nope - they won't. Once they are established they are very very strong. If you are interested, page 23 in my book could be interesting (www.the-bread-code.io/book.pdf)
Hi, thank you for the awesome videos and research! What is the glass dome you use in the oven? I want to get one!
Have you thought about using your pH meter to know when to stop the bulk fermentation instead of using the visual rise in your small jar?
is that what you do? sounds like a game changer!
Might be a good idea, but it's also a bit too complicated. I found that his method with the little sample in the jar works reasonably precise to give you an idea. Bread baking isn't much more of an art than it is science - you just have to develop the feel for the dough. Took me 3 years to finally have consistently great breads and it was a lot of trial and error. Now knowing what makes a great bread and being able to see and feel those stages in the dough is what makes it easy to bake good bread all the time. I usually measure my ingredients, but I've gone without scale when camping and the results were just as good - I just know when the dough is right, you can feel it. Of course that takes time and tools sure help but ultimately you need to develop a feeling for the dough.
This works excellent. I have a whole chapter on this in the book. Page 80, managing fermentation using a pH meter. The problem - it's super expensive. For someone just starting a good 200$ meter is just a very big investment. For large bakeries, I'd definitely do that!
@@meggarbutt2828 I do. I find that it allows me to be consistent and bake good bread. I have a more science than art persona and I like using the data. I also use it to validate other factors. For example, I can measure how fermenting my dough at a higher or lower temp affects the pH level.
07.09.23 it is page 72 to 73@@the_bread_code
Can the first 30 seconds be done in the uncovered Dutch oven? Then simply cover the Dutch oven after scoring?
Yes 👍. That should work too.
Thank you- I’ll try it!
Dieser Kanal ist die perfekte Ehe zwischen Brotwissenschaft und Brotkunst. 👍
Danke!
I have seen some bakers, who ferment only at room temp and not refrigerate it, stick the loaves in the freezer for 20 minutes to firm up the crust for scoring. I suppose both tricks do the same thing, huh?
Probably, because a freezer is very very dry. So not only does the cold firm up the dough, but it also dries out the skin.
Like Uwe said. This works too!
Scoring at 45 degrees is only one option. Scoring depth is more important to oven spring. I score at right angles because I am not keen on ears, they can be too sharp in the mouth. Watching French artisan bakers they too often score at right angles.
FWIW in French Bread schools they teach students to hold the lame with their thumb uppermost and then rotate it until their first knuckle is uppermost. That is the correct angle.
Great video - Thanks.
I am trying to visualize that. Could you provide a picture. I can't figure it out as per your description.
I think I figured it out but the if you are right handed then the blade would face right and it would be backward to slice IMO. Any suggestions.
@@meisievannancy Hi It's not possible to either post pictures or links here.
The blade should be about 30 degrees off vertical. Or off perpendicular to the dough. For an ear you are trying to undercut the dough surface on one side.
As I said, I don't like ears and so I score with the blade perpendicular to the dough and my cuts are about 1cm deep. The depth of the cut is very important. Too deep and the loaf will spread too much. Too shallow and you won't get enough bloom.
Ears are a bit of a fashion thing. Many French bakers don't go for that. It seems to have traveled the world via You Tube with endless people doing Tartine style loaves where the loaf is scored at 2 o' clock. That was Chad Robertson's particular way of 'signing' his loaves. Again I have never seen a French baker score like that. I prefer to score on top, the loaf does not collapse outwards in the way a Tartine loaf does. FWIW Chad R. learned to bake in a small Boulangerie in France. His Tartine is a French bread, which is why I am referring to France here.
The bread in this video is a Tartine loaf BTW. I think Bread Code does a great job of it.
It's all about the results we each want from our loaves. There are no rules. So experimenting a little is very worthwhile. Currently I am doing a lot of triple cuts on the top of the loaf in the style of Pain L' Ancienne. Which is a typical lean French dough with between 10% and 20% whole rye flour. Those scores are done almost in line with the Battard a little like a baguette. It gives a very different bread compared to the single score.
I hope that helps. Good baking to you. :)
@@meisievannancy No, not back slicing. That idea is not working for you. Try 30 degrees from the vertical.
@@kevinu.k.7042 thanks Kevin I did a long reply to you. It looks like it disappeared. But maybe it is just being reviewed. Or I used a dissallowed key word.
Is using parchment paper at high temperature really a good idea?
On my silicon treated baking paper box it says to keep temperatures below 220° C.
I find that _rubbing_ my pan/stone with a tiny bit of flour does the same thing at high temperatures: No sticking. At least not if the dough is dusted with flour before turning it onto the stone.
Btw I find that turning off the oven while steaming for 15 minutes and baking at full temperature (230°) for 20 minutes gives more oven spring.
I use baking paper, and after several times in the oven, it does finally burn. I do something similar, put the bread in a very hot oven and add boiling water to my tray with stones in. Close the oven door and turn, oven off. I only do 10 minutes, I will try your 15 minutes. Question: You do not say if you have your oven on or off during your steaming? I assume it would be off, yes?
@@tommul6078
Yes, I keep my oven off during the initial steaming. I got the 15 minutes from the video it got the idea from and have been too lazy/risk adverse to experiment :-)
It is in the burning of the paper that is the problem as I understand it.
It is that harmful chemicals are released at too high temperatures. It is probably less harmful than smoking, but as I am a nonsmoker I still like to lower the bar further ;-)
Your trick with the flour works very well too! My parchment paper handles the 230°C quite well. After 10 bakes or so I tend to switch it. Both works as far as I can tell!
@@the_bread_code
It isn't that the paper will stop working, but that high temperatures will cause the release of toxins if the paper is treated with PFAS.
Hopefully PFAS is being phased out all over the world, but just in case it pays to go for the cheap option :-)
Thanks for inspiring content btw :-)
Thanks for another amazing video! Do you wet your hands when you fold the dough?
That's a good trick yep! It depends a bit on the dough. If it's not that sticky you can do without water. If it's sticky, water will help.
What is that kneading attachment you use in the stand mixer? I've only ever seen dough hooks used in them.
It's called a 2 arm immersion kneader. But every normal stand mixer will do!
Dude... you are so good. Thank you
What if you freeze the dough for 30 minutes before the bake? Scoring becoming equally easier, right?
That looks terrific!
Nice bread inside and a small baguette cut diagonally, bravo
What is the wait taken out of the fridge to bake time? I never hear any input on that. Are you baking cold dough?
It's directly baked out of the fridge. There is no need to wait! This trick best works for room proofed doughs. The fridge proofed ones already have a slightly drier surface as far as I can tell.
Where can I get your glass stolp you show in you video’s to cover you bread during first stage baking?
Hello Hendrik
Thanks for the cool video!
I am thinking about buying a PH meter. Do you have a tip which one is suitable for hobby bakers?
Thanks and greetings
i've been missing you brotha
On one of you other experiments with oven temperature I think you said 220C worked best. Here you have 230C. Which one is the one?
why bake it and take it out like that? if you want to dry out the skin, flip it, and put it back in the fridge for like 10 to 15 min to develop a little bit of a skin.
Well I know what I’m doing tomorrow! Thanks for the awesome tip my friend.
My pleasure! Hope it goes well.
@@the_bread_code Well, it probably would have gone well except that when I opened my fridge I was shocked to see that my doughs had risen so much overnight. It made me so sad as I'd made a double batch which I normally don't do. I guess they'll be good for dipping in soup but not for sandwiches or toast.
I haven't changed the fridge temperature or the dough temperature but for some reason they over proofed. I don't suppose you know why this could have happened?
hey I'm sorry your question wasn't answered. But your fridge and where you kept your dough was too warm. Or you put the dough in your fridge too late before it could retard. This happened to me as well. I always check before I sleep or when I wake up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. i had to emergency bake once. I'm sorry that happened@@Rexyspride
Very interesting. I shall have to try this. Thirty seconds sounds very short. I'm thinking maybe one minute.
Drying the surface of the bread will help but what about wetting the blade of the lame instead?
What if you were to hit the dough with the air from a hot hair dryer?
Haha. That would be an interesting idea indeed!
Can I know what type of stones you use?
Hi, i was wondering if you could tell us what brands and kinds of flour you used for those two breads. I'm from germany as well and are yet to find a good brand...
did you make ancient spelt/rye flour yourself in the past?
Danke für die tollen Tips. Kannst du Mal was zum Mehl in USA und Deutschland sagen. Ich leben in South Carolina und das Mehl ist sehr unterschiedlich zu unserem in Deutschland. Hast du irgendwelche Tips or Tricks. 🙏
Hey guys, hoyou attach your blade to the stick?
It's so much easier to just put your dough in the freezer for 30 minutes while your oven is preheating. Then it's very easy to score !
Thank you for the great ebook. Downloaded it today. Will be having a good study to improve my baking skills.
Beautiful. I have subscribed.
I just read all the comments and somebody beat me to this but I'm leaving it posted
I'm wonder if you could create the same results using a heat gun or a strong hair drier to just heat/simi-toast/dry out a strip just where you're going to make the cut before putting it in the oven, this way you wouldn't have to deal with taking a hot stone out of the oven.
I love the idea. Heat gun or maybe a blow torch.
How to make this with a Dutch oven??? Please tell!!
You can place in the dutch oven for 30 seconds uncovered. Then open the dutch oven and score! Or - you place on a tray next to the dutch oven. Take out the tray, transfer the dough to the dutch oven and then score. Hope this makes sense.
I get my razor blade wet right before scoring and it seems to help a lot.
What kind of stones does he use in the oven?
What if you were to use a hairdryer? That should also dry out the skin pretty fast. I've seen another TH-cam baker put his bread uncovered in the fridge, that is, without putting them in a plastic bag. I personally find this a bit inconveniant since the bread are giving away moisture and that creates more build up of ice in the fridge.
I also wanted to ask about the hair dryer. Think I need to try for myself.
Thanks Hendrik! I am struggling with Brötchen-Scorimg, might help.
@@InjusticeHater Yes. This will fix your Brötchen scoring.
Great idea! I will try this, maybe also a blow torch.
@@InjusticeHaterI think hair dryers are like bathroom hand dryers. The ones in bathrooms were found to pump out high concentrations of fecal particles. Hair dryers. The imagination goes... Yuch!
Why does a stiffer starter extend the fermentation time?
The temperature for the first 30 seconds, is your baking temperature?
Yes! No steam. I add this a bit later.
@The Bread Code thank you 😊
Can you say something more about that glasstube please, dimensions etc? My sourdoughs are going well but I'd love to use an analogue method
A shot glas will do well. Anything you can find with cylindrical shape.
what is that glass dome?
I have a question. You mention 50% size increase, and yet looking at your second mark, it looks more like 100% size increase. Could you please clarify? This would make a big difference.
Take this value with a grain of salt. The level depends on the flour you have at hand. Some flours can go up to 100%, others only max 25%. I'd recommend to experiment a bit on your own.
Hello, I always have hard time to convert from sourdough starter to dry yeast. In your video reads that is 1g for 100 grams of stiff starter. Is this right? Thank you. Saludos
Yes! Just go very low with yeast. That's the key. You will get all the benefits of a slow fermented dough.
In the oven do you use top and bottom heating with no fan or just bottom heating?
Fan blows out the steam, don’t enable it unless you have dutch oven.
That might be the nicest loaf of whole wheat ive ever seen
Just wondering what bread mixer is that
Bernardi My Miss Baker!
@@the_bread_code thanks
Does sourdough bread need sugar & olive oil … besides flour / salt / water .. ?
you can check out his sourdough for beginners video!
I wish I had seen this half an hour ago! LOL! Oh well! Better late than never! 😆
Next time!
You could use a hairdryer instead of baking the bread for 30 seconds, it would work just as well
What mixer do you have?
Was going to ask the same!
It's called the Bernardi My Miss Baker: th-cam.com/video/G0nVQy-L3Bk/w-d-xo.html
Good to see you back! Great video, thanks!
Great video, Hendrik!
Glad you liked it! Saw your scoring video with the different lames a few minutes ago. Great content!
@@the_bread_code Thanks! Loved that one. I always wanted to test it out.
Is it possible to get a physical print version of your book?
Hopefully one day!
What Brand is this machine at 1:25 ?
It's the Bernardi My Miss Baker: th-cam.com/video/G0nVQy-L3Bk/w-d-xo.html
@@the_bread_code Is looking very nice! But it seems much bigger than my Kenwood cooking chief and my Kitchen is too small for a bigger machine. unfortunately seems to be an overkill for my 2 loaf of bread the week and my Sonntagsbrötchen… ;) Would this machine technique mix a sticky rye dough for Schwarzbrot properly?
Huh, I never made the connection of the dough's shine to its smoothness and therefore stickiness. Also, tray with rocks, genius.
My pleasure! You can read more about it on page 75 in my book (www.the-bread-code.io/book.pdf)
I like the idea, but I guess I don't see the 30s doing appreciably more than sitting in a well-floured banneton overnight already would. Also, as for your double-scoring messing up the ear, perhaps it was just the initial mis-scoring that messed it up, and your correction was not deep enough to fully correct the issue?
This technique mostly shines for room temperature proofed doughs, like baguettes for instance. And I agree, I like to give my dough a really proper rub with flour before placing it in the banneton. I like this even more than flouring the banneton.