Sourdough bread is one of the most difficult to make, especially for beginners.
And, it turns out, adding a bit of vinegar can make for an overall bouncier loaf.
Mixing and proofing your dough requires an adept eye to assess when its ready to bake.
Im not saying, Why not go out and buy a sourdough loaf?
Thats not a low-effort-bread-baking-trick; thats just grocery shopping.
(For this measurement, a single loaf recipe has about 14 to 16 ounces of total flour.)
I like to add the vinegar only after the dough has begun mixing.
Once its a shaggy consistency, sprinkle in the vinegar.
The first trial had one and a half teaspoons of vinegar added to the mixture.
The results were fascinating.
How vinegar effects gluten
Bread baking is a practice in observation.
I just didnt know how much it would take to get there.
The answer is: about a tablespoon.
I started noticing changes during the proofing stage.
The first proof was about 30 minutes quicker than with the first loaf.
During the second proof with shaped dough, I noticed small fissures all around the outside.
This was particularly distressing because a taut skin is crucial to a well-formed loaf of bread.
This skin allows the loaf to rise upward instead of outward, so you get a nice tall loaf.
It also makes it easier to handle as you escort it to the oven.
Despite these changes, I rode it out.
The finished second bread had a stronger sour flavor, as expected.
It also had an incredibly bouncy, well-risen crumb.
My boyfriend and I marveled at the buoyant texture and slightly sour flavor.
If the first loaf was good, this one was excellent.
However, looks-wise, the loaf was a monster.
It had suffered a major blow-out at the bottom, despite my scoring across the top.
Im not an amateur baker, and this isn’t my first loaf.
The higher measurement of vinegar had started to break down my gluten web connection.
This is why adding some to pie crust can keep it from becoming tough.
Its also why the crumb of the finished loaf had extra sponginess and loft to it.
However, there’s a limit.
The more vinegar you add, the more structure you lose.
Thatdoesntmean you cant add a tablespoon for a strong sour taste.
It just means you might need to provide a little support.
Turns out, these itty bitty shards aggravated the situation by poking more holes into my weak gluten crust.
Better yet, I could bake the bread in a loaf pan for sourdough slices.
