281353 Tue Nov 29 19:03:05 -0800 2005 9 31 Home Cooking 0 1496583 After a year or so of various bread making attempts, I've realized that I like breads made from very wet, hard to handle doughs. Correct me if I'm wrong, but these doughs seem to turn into soft, spongey bread with a nice crisp crust. My biggest question: is the only way to work with such wet sticky doughs to work fast and practice a lot? Or am I totally missing something? My dough yesterday was so wet that I would have been unable to knead it in the standard way without constantly adding flour or getting my hands covered in wet dough. Instead, I floured my counter and hands, then worked really quickly to shape it into a tight ball enclosed with a light layer of flour. Then I set it on a baking sheet for its final rise. It turned out fine, but I can't see how I'd ever use this dough to make anything other than a round loaf. I wish bread books would describe in more detail what dough texture you should get for each recipe. Some doughs are sticky to the touch but the dough won't come off on your fingers; others are impossible to handle without flouring your hands every ten seconds. Again, please correct me if no dough should ever be this sticky and I'm missing the point somehow. Tue Nov 29 19:03:05 -0800 2005 0 nooodles 1 1496617 I, too, appreciate the qualities of wetter bread dough. There are two things I do to minimize the amount of flour I have to add. First, I use a mixer to mix the dough (I have a Kenwood). The mixer allows me to avoid the temptation of adding yet more flour. Second, when the dough is finished in the mixer and I want to give it a few turns by hand and shape it into a ball, I spray the work surface and my hands with all-vegetable oil cooking spray, such as Pam. I find that the oil really keeps the dough from sticking to my hands and the countertop. I also find that a bench scraper is an invaluable tool for manipulating sticky dough, and getting every last bit of it scraped up. Hope this helps. Tue Nov 29 23:36:38 -0800 2005 1496583 0 La Dolce Vita 1 1496643 well ciabatta comes to mind as an alternative to a round loaf. After the first rise, scale and shape into rectangular packets of dough by folding in thirds. Take the left edge and fold into the center. Cover with the right edge and move packet to a floured towel. Let rise and just before baking stretch the packet into a long slipper shape. Wed Nov 30 06:57:51 -0800 2005 1496583 0 Food Tyrant 1 1496646 when making irish soda bread, which is quite sticky (though not a yeast bread), i find it helps to wet my hands with water before handling...and work quickly! Wed Nov 30 07:33:47 -0800 2005 1496583 0 hobokeg 1 1496667 I think this is where a machine really pays its way. Like a heavy duty mixer. But I knew someone who made excellent bread in this style using a bread machine for the mixing (not the baking). Wed Nov 30 10:00:58 -0800 2005 1496583 0 Aromatherapy 1 1496732 Lately I have been letting it rise/punch down/rise in a big bowl covered with a wet towel. Then I invert the bowl onto pizza stone, let rise a little more, then transfer stone/dough to oven. The texture of the half bubbles that were against the bowl is kind of like a ball of string, very rustic looking. Wed Nov 30 13:18:21 -0800 2005 1496583 0 rexmo 2 1496733 So you don't shape it at all, you just let it rise and bake? That would certainly make life easier. Do you find that this results in big air pockets in the center of the bread? I would love to get my bread more airy. You do take the bowl off before you bake, right? The bread's not baking on top of a pizza stone and under a mixing bowl, is it? Wed Nov 30 13:25:38 -0800 2005 1496732 0 nooodles 3 1496879 The crumb is more like a sandwich bread than, say a ciaobatta. Could be the recipe, a kefir sourdough starter, olive oil, sea salt, honey. Works pretty well for basic bread for hot out of the oven with butter, dipping, sandwiches, toast. It's become my default unless I'm trying for something specific. And yes, I do remove the bowl. Thu Dec 01 08:13:12 -0800 2005 1496733 0 rexmo 1 1496840 Try a proofing basket for the second or final raise...you can get them round or long shaped. Use a towel or cloth, dusted with flour. Just turn the shaped loaf onto your pan or peel and bake. I use a bread machine to knead the sticky dough. Wed Nov 30 23:39:06 -0800 2005 1496583 0 Jim H. 2 1496927 I guess what a few people are saying is that after the initial mixing (which I could do with my stand mixer or bread machine) I shouldn't really have to touch the dough at all. Just put it into an appropriately shaped bowl and let it do the final rise, invert onto my baking sheet, and pop in oven. Interesting...that would never have occured to me for some reason. Thu Dec 01 12:07:40 -0800 2005 1496840 0 nooodles