Anyone else have this problem when making bread?

[Juniper]

I'm relatively new to the world of bread making and I have been experimenting with poolish. Not sure if this is normal, but the poolish gets really slimy. More importantly, however, that sliminess is really hard to clean off my mixing bowls (it leaves a tacky film on the surfaces of my bowls). I'm hoping there some magical solution to this, rather than me scrubbing like mad?

Thanks!

[Juniper]

As an update, I tried the poolish in a ceramic bowl and the residue came off the bowl much more easily than in the stainless steel bowls I was using before.

[Bada Bing]

Poolish is often quite properly very wet.

Make sure you're not trying to wash the bowl with warm or hot water. Cool water is better for soaking and for cleaning doughy bowls, because hot water can send the flour into the direction of a paste.

[Juniper]

Hmm... I do tend to rinse my stuff with very hot water. I wonder if that is the problem...

The poolish that I've favoured has been a 1:1 flour:water mixture. However, when I have experimented with other ratios, I get the same residue in my bowls.

I will try using different bowls and also cold water to rinse, to see what happens.

[roxlet]

There are many different recipes for polish. Maybe try a different one and perhaps a glass bowl instead of the stainless.

[LittleBee]

it could be a stainless steel bowl thing, as you suggest below... I always use the same ceramic bowl to make bread, poolish or no poolish, and never have the slimy film problem. Try a glazed ceramic or glass bowl, perhaps...

[travelerjjm]

I have not had this happen. It may be due to recipe or humidity in your area. What proportions are you using and how long are you letting it sit before using it? Are you covering it when you let it sit?

[terasec]

Am not familiar with poolish
But when making bread if dough is still tacky then probably could use more flour,
Also over working thus dough could also make it very tacky
Dough that sticks to the stainless steel bowl usually comes off with additional flour,
Or a good soak, if I don't clean the bowl right away, usually at a least fill it with water til i can clean it

[tonifi]

Wow...I grow bread sponge all the time, and I've never noticed residual slime in my stainless steel bowls. (I'm not sure that I've ever heard words quite as yucky as 'residual slime'...urk). Maybe you should do a little experimentation...try growing it in some pyrex? (A big measuring cup works great) and see if the sliminess is still a problem? Gluten always has a tendency to not want to wash off stuff, by it's nature it can cling, and resist cleaning with the usual sponge-swiping...but if I use hot water & a sponge with a little texture to it, I've never had it absolutely refuse to wash off.

[chowser]

I was thinking the same thing. I've never had problems w/ stainless steel either. Juniper, do you have a dough scraper? I started using one lately and was surprised at how clean it could get the bowl. A couple of ways to clean stainless steel is 1) use barkeeper's friend (the powder, I don't like the liquid as much) or 2) mr. clean erase sponges.

[ipsedixit]

Soak the bowls overnight.

[Juniper]

I've done that, but I still get a tacky film on my bowls. Does it have any thing to do with the fact I'm using stainless steel bowls? Would something like adding baking soda to the soak help?