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9 tips for baking bread in the summer from Manuel Cortés

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9 tips for baking bread in the summer from Manuel Cortés

Summer is the most difficult time of the year for bakers. In raw materials, due to high temperatures, changes occur, and this entails adjusting the technology of baking bread, or rather its "adjustment" to new conditions.

Manuel Cortés offers:
1. Reduce the amount of yeast. If in winter an average of 20 grams of compressed yeast is used per 1000 grams of wheat flour, then in summer it will be 10 grams per 1000 grams of wheat flour.

2. Reduce the amount of spontaneous fermentation starter. The amount of sourdough needed to bake bread in the summer depends, among other things, on its pH. In hot weather, the acidity of the leaven can be higher than the calculated one. To prevent this from happening, immediately after adding the necessary raw materials for refreshing, place the leaven in the refrigerator at + 6C. While in winter - leave at room temperature.

3. The mass overheats during mixing:
- introduce only cold water with a temperature of +2 ... 4C; if even then the temperature of the dough does not drop below +26 ... 27C, replace cold water with flake ice (all or only part of it);
- chill flour before use;
- add salt in the middle of the batch, and yeast - in the last 4 minutes;
- use cold leaven.

4. In summer, due to high temperatures, bakers are forced to increase the dosage of improvers to the limit. To avoid this, Manuel Cortés recommends replacing some of the improvers with porch = pate fermente = masa madre.

5. Remember that flour moisture is often reduced in heat. In case of insufficient flour moisture during kneading, gluten develops poorly and, as a result, the bread ripens poorly, at the output it has a pale color and "poor" crumb.

6. Often, due to the fear of overheating the mass, the kneading time is reduced, which leads to incomplete development of gluten with all the ensuing consequences.

7. The incisions act as the Achilles' heel of bread during baking. In this place, gluten is weaker and it allows the mass there to swell faster and more, forming what we like so much, but, unfortunately, it is not always possible to achieve it at home. If at summer temperatures the proving time is excessive, the gas will stretch the gluten excessively, weaken and become brittle. The cuts in these conditions will turn out to be extremely deep (as from an excess of improvers) and they literally break the gluten. And this will inevitably lead to a loss of gas in the mass. As a result, we end up with ugly, uneven cuts, and, even worse, flat and unappetizing bread.

8. The author does not explain why, he simply recommends paying special attention to the dosage of steam when baking bread in the summer.
It is known that steam is used, among other things, to give a "festive" shine to bread and to slow down the formation of a bread crust, which cannot but affect the volume of the product, the quality of the cuts and the strength of this very crust.
If there is an excess of steam, it is recommended to open the latch (in our home case, slightly open the oven door) 5 minutes before the end of baking. The bread dries better and the crust is formed of the required thickness and strength.
With an excessive dosage of steam during baking, water moistens the mass to the limit in its weakest place - that is, where the cuts were made, and closes these very places. The result is a scarred bread, not scallop-like cuts. In this case, it is recommended to shorten the steam baking time.
With a lack of steam or its complete absence, the bread at the exit turns out dull, without shine, the cuts are "exploded", because in the place where they were made, the mass did not "soften" under the action of steam (or only fragmentarily), gas carbonico began to go out with "special cruelty" exactly where he found, so to speak, weak points. If this happens, remember to lengthen the steam baking time next time.

9. The baking temperature depends on the type of oven and the sugar level in the flour. This level is determined by the level of maltose. So, if the level of maltose is increased (about 2.3%), you need to bake, about 10 degrees below normal temperature. Otherwise the crust will be very dark in color. If the maltose level is low (about 1.7%), which means there is a lack of sugar, the baking temperature must be raised by the same 10 degrees, otherwise the bread will look pale and it will not bake well.

P.S. Manuel Cortés is the Spanish bakery champion and 1994 world bakery champion. He worked in the most prestigious centers in Barcelona and Madrid. He is currently the director of the Escuela de panadería Vapor Llonch (Sabadell) del Gremio de Panaderos de la Provincia de Barcelona.
14anna08
What is flake ice?
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Quote: 14anna08

What is flake ice?

Have you seen “fish on ice” refrigerated display cases in supermarkets? They use flake ice. Or else they say flake, granular, cube ice

9 tips for baking bread in the summer from Manuel Cortés
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Dear bakers, especially very young ones!

It's time for very warm weather, and sometimes even heat! It's summer, however!

Please read this topic "9 tips for baking bread in the summer"so that it would not be excruciatingly painful for not turning out bread in the oven or bread maker!

We monitor the temperature of the dough during kneading and proofing!

We monitor the quality and quantity of dough proofing!

Good summer bread to you!
MariV
Summer? Where is it? At night +13, and during the day +20. Rain - every day! Where is summer ??

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