The Apera PH60S meter you used has automatic temperature compensation, so there is no need to correct for the temperature. Your dough did indeed not change pH value overnight, presumably because it was too cold for the bacteria to make much progress.
That's what I thought too. At temperatures below 10ºC (50ºF), there is no bacteria activity, while yeast activity is present, but retarded. Therefore, there shouldn't be any additional lactic acid or acetic acid. But, it will take time for the dough to drop to those temperature levels. You can expect the acid levels to increase but taper off as the dough temperature drops below 10ºC (50ºF). So there should be a delta in the pH readings.
In case you are wondering 🤣. I already recorded the video before my eye surgery. This is the last one with glasses. I indeed look way smarter with them 🤣. And - TLDW, measure the pH with your regular recipe, then figure out your own pH values. Checking pH in the fridge is a huge help. This finally makes cold proofing reproducible 🤓
Congrats on the surgery. Can you post a list of features to look for in a ph meter suitable for sourdough ? In the vid, all you mentioned was a spear tip probe (for poking & measuring food, not liquids or surfaces), but i'm sure there is more to it than just that. Thx.
I just checked the specs on the Apera meter we both use and it has ATC function, which is automatic temperature compensation, so you don't have to use the compensation tool online.
Hi Hendrik! Great video, congrat! pH meters can be equipped with temp correction software. So one must check that! The effect of temp on fermentation is well known, so the rate at which the dough is cooled is essential to evaluate final dough pH.. and the location of the measurements is also vital. The dough surface cools faster, so theoretically the surface pH would be higher then the bulk pH. To get more precise pH I cool down the dough in the freezer for an hour (800g dough) and then I put it into the fridge so the pH does not change more than 0.1… this way you can keep the dough in the banetton until your desired baking pH value, recommended to be 4-4.1.. my meter comes with temp reader, too. It is more expensive but it repays itself over time!
Fantastic video. Especially the insight that the target pH is dependent on your starter microbiome. I imagine you need to be present throughout the fermentation to be able to test. I think the peak (and something you'll need to be doing commercially) will be to have tight thermal control of the entire process, so that you can time everything into a daily routine.
Thanks for the framework for it. A good and repeatable use of tech for those who want to try it. Experimenting, observing and keeping notes on your own bread will be the key.
Have you ever done an experiment where you took two starters with one in a covered container and the other with cheesecloth or something similar to allow oxygen? Since acetic acid likes oxygen and lactic acid can take it or leave it, I would be curious how the leaves would compare sour-wise and taste-wise
What I heard is that it is better to allow oxygen, because later on when you've made the dough it starts to form a skin on the outer layer. Because of this skin, the dough on the inside will start to ferment with no or less oxygen. Then you get a nice mix of both in the finished loaf. I don't really know what I am talking about though and I wasn't paying attention nor did I fact check. It just got in my head that some air is good for the starter. Apparently the size and shape of your starter container effects the amount of air it gets. Makes sense because of a greater or lesser surface area on top.
I got my ph meter today and I'm running at 4.8 after 6 hours of bulk fermentation. I made a similar bread the other day, but changed my hydration from 75 to 80 for this and my dough looks a lot more like yours! It's much easier to do coil folds. Hopefully better crumb.
So, I purchased the same pH meter and am getting ready to put my first loaves into the oven. I occasionally have issues with overfermentation so I'm hopeful that this method will help with that! Thank you for another great video!
Vielen Dank für deine super lehrreichen Videos! Über die letzten Tage habe ich meinen Standard-Starter umgestellt auf einen festen Starter (50%) und einen Flüssigstarter. Das Brot liegt soeben im Ofen und die Unterschiede sind bereits jetzt frappierend! Werde wohl beim festen Starter bleiben. :-)
So, how did you do the calibration of the meter? You didn't cover whether you even do a calibration of the meter. (I have the same meter and I calibrate against my filtered water assuming my filtered water has a PH of 7) It appears that the meter does not hold calibration once it's turned off. So, I calibrate before each measurement session. Also, this meter has automatic temperature compensation (ATC), so if you calibrate, it should account for temperature change---no 3rd party web calibrator needed.
Great science, but it appears that this device is rather expensive and the tip requires frequent replacement. Any suggestions on cost effect pH checking.
So what occurs is protease enzyme becomes more active in a pH environment lower than 4 and that’s why the dough deteriorates faster below 4 pH. Another thing that can throw your readings off is the amount of whole wheat that’s in your bread dough. That's called the buffering effect.
When I try higher hydration (65+) my dough never stops sticking to the mixer bowl. What am I doing wrong? I use various compositions of spelt and rye mostly whole meal with some seeds. Sometimes I add gluten for strength and elasticity.
How much gluten are you using? I find with rye bread I end up using 15g vital wheat gluten to 85g rye for every 100g flour to make sure the flour maintains about 15% gluten.
@@dominika3762 Best rule I've come up with is g = 100(d%-p%)/(v%-p%) where g is the amount of vital wheat gluten you want per 100g mixed flour, d% is the desired gluten percentage, p% is the percentage of gluten in the flour you want to use, and v% is the gluten percentage in your vital wheat gluten. I've found that desired is usually 15%, rye is 5%, and vital wheat gluten is 75% gluten, so g = 100(15-5)/(75-5) is about 15g gluten per 100g mixed flour.
@@the_bread_code but then I can't shape it, it just... Spreads, even after bulk fermentation and folding. And what is funny I can't score it, it's like dragging knife through glue.
Great video. And about a great tool. Not sure thebqife would let me spend that on a meter unfortunately. I have tried kneading my dough in a mixer but it just got stickier and stickier and just ended up being stuck to the bottom of the bowl. Hmm
Thats great, I got the cheap pH meter with no pointy tip. I might try it anyways to see what happens. I wonder if I could take a sample of the dough and put it in water then measure the change in the pH that way. Probably more trouble than its worth. It would take more time and effort to make a loaf than it does to eat a loaf...
The Fallacy of the pH meter? This video had some great information in it. Thank you. I think there is a roll for pH meters for the curious, but I also think that they are a tool to solve dough, or natural leaven problems, rather than a guide to fermentation. This is how acidity measurements are used in professional settings. The LAB / Yeast balance in our leavens will shift depending on how we manage them. Crucially that includes the hydration, the temperature and the time between refreshments. The bulk fermentation temperature can also favour yeast activity, or LAB activity. Yeast produces much lower levels of acid (acetic in small amounts) than do LABS (acetic but mainly Lactic acids). If our leaven and the bulk ferment temperatures favour yeast over LABS then we get more CO2 produced and less acidity. When the LABs are favoured we will get greater acidity, faster and a comparatively slower CO2 rate. The CO2 rate is the major factor involved in bulk fermentation time along with the rate of gluten network development. Neither are tied to dough acidity levels. e.g. in extremis yeast only recipes which seldom fall below pH5.0 aand, FWIW optimum gluten strength is developed at around pH 5.0 - 6.5 which also happens to be the point at which yeasts are most active. Additionally the flour used, whole meal vs white will also impact on the levels of bacterial development and activity. Thus it is not possible to use dough acidity as a measure of gluten development unless we are looking at our own figures for our own stable leavens with a fairly standard recipe. I manage my natural leaven to keep my LAB activity lower because I do not want highly acidic, Sour, breads. It is the CO2 production and each doughs different ability to develop stronger or weaker gluten networks to retain that CO2 which governs bulk fermentation time, not the acidity. For this reason, and given the vast complexity of fermentation baking cannot be controlled by using instruments unless you go full on with LAB equipment to measure dough strength etc. Using our senses, sight, smell, taste, and feel, will always be the most important guides in our bread baking. Oh, and professional bakeries use titration to measure acidity. That accounts for buffered Hydrogen ions (acids) which pH meters cannot read. So even here the PH meter is only a rough guide. I was astounded that in three or four places in this video you had the arrogance to give advice to professional bakers who are trained and far better informed than yourself on this subject. I am sorry to be so blunt and do not mean this post to be aggressive. pH meters have become a fad / fashionable. They can be misleading and they are no substitute for having a good sense of how a dough is developing.
It is still another tool for home baker. Better than depending on 50 or 100 percent dough raise. He is using it in this form to not to drop the ph too low to damage the gluten. Relax a little
@@StagArmslower Please don't tell me to relax. That is just aggressive. You don't know me and you don't know my technical level. Ph meters are all but useless to the home baker. With commercial yeast, even with long cold fermentation the pH does not decrease so very much. pH with a natural leaven can fall to low levels, even to the the point where the yeast can no longer function. That takes very high levels of LAB activity which is not normally attained with usual practice. Because most of the acidity comes from LAB activity and not yeast activity, pH is a very poor guide to the degree of yeast fermentation and CO2 production that has taken place. Add to that something called buffering. A considerable amount of acid is absorbed by the dough and it is not available to the pH meter for reading. Thus a pH meter is not measuring the true acid content of the dough. Titration is the only way to know the true level of acids in a dough. Baking with wholemeal flours and white flours will give very different levels of buffering and thus different pH readings. pH meters and dough development is an ill informed RUclips fad. There is a role for them in bread baking. Such as checking the progress of two stage acidic leavens for Rye Baking. I've also seen professional bakers use them to finesse their natural leavens to make sure they do not become over acidic before adding them to the dough. The taste and smell of the natural leaven is far more useful to a home baker. We can taste the buffered acids that the pH meter cannot read. I cannot remember this video so well. So my reply might be a little off topic. But this information is correct. So please forgive any off topic content here. This RUclipsr's knowledge of bread technology is not so very good and that is me being exceptionally polite. His seemingly self assured tech. knowledge is not to be trusted. I read his early book release and it was full of misinformed and confused science. So much of it was simply incorrect. A very misleading text. As a 101 essay it would be a definite fail. RUclipsrs try to keep us engaged with flashing lights and whistles. I have seen so many of these come and go. Currently it is baking from a cold oven... Yes, that works... Tip, watch the videos... they often have trouble getting a good crust finish and they seldom give the final internal dough temperature so we never know if they have achieved full starch gelatinisation for their ubiquitous Tartine loaves. I have done it... most often they don't. It'll pass. I wish you good baking.
@@barnsleydalewinton Chill out yourself. I am a baker and I can't abide people like this who know fuck all pretending they can teach. Keep with this channel if you want to learn poor baking.
@@barnsleydalewinton Telling someone to chill out is aggressive. Your post also lacks any bread baking argument. I tire of people like this who can barely bake and who quote lot's of bread technology when they know very little and often get it wrong. They waste sincere home bakers time and effort. He is a programmer still learning to bake, I am a baker who tutors home bakers and who spends a lot of time correcting RUclips learned rubbish. Stay with this channel if your want to be misinformed.
Hey Vic. Hope this site helps: www.hamzasreef.com/Contents/Calculators/PhTempCorrection.php. I don't have the spreadsheet unfortunately anymore, only in the video :-)
I think you made a mis-statement at location 19:23. You removed the loaf from the frig and measured its PH. Little to no change occurred so you then presented an adjustment based on dough temperature. I have the same PH meter as yourself - that unit already measures the temperature of the test substance (dough) and properly displays the temp corrected PH. If you watch your meter - you did not wait long enough for the reading to stabilize - you temp display is jumping all around. I believe your statement that the actual PH is lower than the meter reading (actual closer to 4.0) is incorrect and that the actual PH is very close to what the meter is displaying.
Hey Joe. Great point, thanks! I did not know this feature existed. I should have read the manual 🤣. I think I need to turn it on somehow though. I will double check the manual again.
The Amazon description for the pH probe says that it has ATC (automatic temperature compensation), so why do you have to calculate the corrected value? Is it possible the bacteria go dormant at cold temperatures and therefore lack of acid production? Maybe its only the yeast active at lower temps?
Maybe I should have turned that on in the settings somewhere 😅. I'm super bad at reading manuals. When developing software I prefer 20 hours of programming over 5 minutes of reading the manual 🤣. On topic, yep. They go dormant. I suspect the pH wouldn't lower significantly compared to the one I measured.
That's exactly it. It was in the interview with the librarian. Yeast can ferment down to -2°C, but lactobacillus goes dormant, which is why a cold retard develops more flavour than acidity. It makes perfect sense.
There are two kinds of pH temperature compensation. 1. Automatic Temperature Compensation (ATC), which the Apera pH meter does, which compensates for the varying milli-volt output from the electrode due to temperature changes of the process solution and 2. Solution Temperature Compensation (STC), which corrects for a change in the chemistry (change in pH) of the solution as the temperature of the solution changes. The pH of a solution actually increases as the temperature of the solution decreases. So the meter reading is correct, but cannot be usefully compared to readings at other temperatures without some kind of compensation. The problem is that there is no single formula for solution compensation that will work for all solutions because the slope of the change in pH that occurs with a change in temperature depends on the chemistry of the solution. I have decided not to try to make such an adjustment, but to depend, instead, on my experience in establishing a correlation between dough pH readings at a specific temperature with the result of the bake.
Getting the dough-sample in vial: lubricate the rim with a drop or two of oil, and swing the dough to the bottom, as you would do to reset a mercury medical thermometer….. I am using a sligthly larger diameter graduated plastic cylinder, a rainwater meter “glass”, which makes it easier, but takes a lager dough sample….using 75g sample every time, the graduation (in mm water) makes it quick to evaluate development…. Also, I trust you can measure pH with the samle staying in the wider “glass”, as the pH-meter can reach the dough…… best rgds Henrik
Hendrick, I have the same pH meter (or the version with Bluetooth) and it does temperature compensate, so the number you read should already have accounted for temperature differences. In that case, your pH after the fridge would be the exact same as before the fridge, which is a bit puzzling to me. I contacted the manufacturer and they did verify that the meter autocorrects for temperature, is there maybe a setting that you have turned off? And as always, thank you so much for the amazing content!
So useful. Thank you. Question: The pH meter you use does have automatic temperature calibration. The web page you displayed to correct the pH says it's for meters without ATC. Could you explain why you needed to do that?
That morning pH result is very strange / interesting. First, that probe (which is the same one I have) does automatic temperature compensation. Maybe ATC can be turned off in settings? Second, my pH falls overnight by at least .3 and often much more. My refrigerator temp (measured) is 3°C/38°F. The dough temp in the morning is 4°/39°F. And finally, are you verifying the pH reading of your probe regularly by verifying it against the 4.00 reference solution? Mine is frequently off by quite a lot due to crud on the probe. I wash it in plain water after every reading then dip it in distilled water before putting the cap back on that’s filled with 3M KCL storage solution. And yet I often have to do that again before getting an accurate reading.
how do you get a 90% hydration mix have such strength and non-stickiness after the very first mix? Feels like my dough is never like that, and in fact gets worse as time passes most of the time.
It would be really cool to have all of this on paper as well. With your recipe ingredient weights, oh value targets, oven tempatures etc. Be super helpful :)
Recipe is at 4:06. Starter ph should be 4.5 to 5.1; target dough ph between 5 an 5.2 is good practice, according to Gerald Reed (1965), but can be around 4 in French breads as said by John Maselli and Susan Pomper (1960). Baking temperatures should start high, around 250°C, and after 25-30 minutes decrease to around 230-220°C. Transporting these recipes to Excel or the like takes a bit of effort, but ends up being super helpful. ;)
Hi tks for the tutorial. I have gluten intolerance. I can take sourdough bread made with bread flour. But all the receipes advise to add whole meal flour. Is buckwheat flour advisable to use in sour dough bread or pizza. Both are my favourites. Tks in advance
So you wait until the dough doubles to read the PH which means you do not really need the PH meter, in fact if you have a proper container for the bulk fermentation you do not need the probe. Then you do not trust the PH meter but rather use the online tool to calculate the variation of the PH due to fridge temperature etc. it looks to me you only need a thermometer to make sure about the temperature of the fridge here. Sorry I just would like to understand what is the benefit of having a PH meter and this video is just telling me that I do not need it. please correct me if I am wrong. Maybe the best use of the PH meter is to make sure the PH does not go below 4 or whatever during final proofing after shaping.
Great video. I purchased the ph meter that you have. I think that is a great scientific approach to know when your dough is fermented and it is easy to be consistent. For proofing, most people use the finger poke test. But that doesn't work that well in cold dough. How did you determined yours was properly proofed? You seemed to use the reading as a resultant and not a determinate. Can ph levels help determine the optimal level of proofing in the dough?
How often do you calibrate your pH meter? With that pointy attachment can it read water as well or do I need to get the ball attachment as well? I am making only Pizza, I am sure this will be a game changer :) thanks for the great videos!!!
Great experiment. I’m going to use a PH meter as well. One question. You measure the temperature after overnight proofing. Why do you use 9 Celsius/Centigrade as your PH meter input as your PH meter gives you the exact temperature when you measure? It’s says: 12.8 C. The output is almost the same 4.04 vs 4.10 but still. If you want to be precise….
Grüß Gott Sir, this video is really helpful, I have the exact the same probe as yours, I'm looking for a precise way to make consistent sourdough bread due to I'm going to manage a 1-man-team sourdough-micro-bakery, and the product consistency is really important. Based on your experiences, at what PH value range of your starter that you would consider to add it to the main dough, my idea is to add starter to the main dough when the PH value of the starter reaches the same value as final proofed dough (in you case some where between , 4.0 to 4.2), what is your opinion? thank you.
Bravo you did it the video using pH meter for your sourdough bread I hope Apera have paid you enough You certainly sold it to me And you deserve being paid wonderfully I heard you're about to create your own delivery bakery fantastic ... I have now worked with my ANOVA precision oven and I can tell you it seems to work Because of its steam feature and accurate temperature control...unless you can design a better one...could you please do a video on the aforementioned oven, thank you in advance...
I think that I have come up with a general rule of hydration based on the protein content of the flour. 5.33 times the protein content of flour to get the percent hydration. In my case I have flour with 13% protein so 5.33 x 13 give me 69.33% hydration. I came up with this from your recipe using flour with 15% protein and 80% hydration. 80/15 = 5.33
Actually, since Hendrick's starter is so liquid, he says that the hydration of this dough is 90% rather than 80%. So the multiplier would be 6.00 rather than 5.33. So 6 x 13 is 78%. I don't know if this formula will always work, but 78% looks about right to me. See also The Bread Code videos on how to test various flours to determine the optimum hydration level.
I bought a ph meter (ebay £6!) and my starter measures 3.5. I thought it was too acid. I fed it yesterday, having discarded all starter apart from 50ml. I topped up with 400ml of flour and water. Has my starter gone wrong? Too much bacteria, too little yeast? Can I repair it? Thanks!!
I know that a spear tip pH meter would be ideal. However, I already have a good Aptera bulb pH meter, including pH standards and storage solution. Is there a way to use a bulb pH meter to measure dough pH?
Hendrick, I noticed you didn’t autolyse the flour for the bread in this video, and instead kneaded it well to develop the gluten structure. Is this your current best practice suggestion? Thanks!
Question, so the dough went in the fridge for 14 hours and after conversion of the pH you ended up with 4.04 rather than the 4.22 when it entered the fridge. How do you know this pH is optimal for baking and that the dough is ready? Are we attempting to get as close to 4.00 as possible?
Great question. I don't know that this is the ideal value. I just used my regular process and then those values work for my setup :-). Hope that makes sense!
Yep. That's a good strategy too. Your dough is just a big starter. However maybe your starter has more or less water, that could modify the pH. I typically experiment and test different pHs and then find out one that works for me. Your microbes are different. 4.2 could be a good starting point!
One of the considered best books for sourdough is called "PH 4.1 Science and craftsmanship of yeast dough" by Giambattista Montanari. It's a pity it is only in Italian and there is no english translation yet. I see now why this number is not random 😂
Probably a dumb question. But what is the difference between your PH "spear" meter which can be used for food and soil and a soil "spear" PH meter which is much cheaper.
Can anyone with a PH Meter help me to figure it out how to calculate how much lemon ml are needed to make the PH of 100/1000 ml of water around 4.0-4.5? closer to 4.5 is better but not over 4.5, By the way, Seedless lemon works the same? looks like the ones with seeds are more acidic. The idea is to use lemon to make any water quantity to have a PH of 4.0-4.5
Great video! I love the pH meter but trying to decide if I can part with that $$$ :-) One question: those glass vials you used for the sample- do you have a source for that? Thanks in advance, Matt
@@simplybeautifulsourdough8920 Thank you that works! Shot glasses I have! I also download a printable ruler that I could tape on the side of the glass for precise measurements of the rise.
Well well we'll. So the secret number is around 4.3! OK. Did ask you regarding that. And by the way how is your sight now? I hope everything panned out well.
@@the_bread_code since we both use 400 grams of flower and you use 320 grams of water for flour of 15% protein. My flour is 13% I took 15/320= 0.05 then 13/0.05 = 277. So I use 277 grams of water with my flour. I had been using 275 grams of water just as what seem to work. I wonder if knowing the protein content of flour this type of math would help get the right hydration for bread.
I think there are way too many variables involved in this to make an accurate guide. For example I have no 13% protein flour available, after 7 hours bulk fermentation I have sticky soup, after 100% increase I have sticky soup. So you can't recommend to use your exact process to figure out the right pH value for someone else's dough. You also use a liquid starter that I imagine contains much more bacteria than yeast and therefore I wonder how that even works out for you. Obviously it does, according to your results, but I'm 100% sure I could not reproduce those same results. I also never use 100% white flour and with addition of whole grain rye everything changes...
Greetings! I am very curious about lactic acid production in my starter when it is consistently going dormant every week as I store it in the fridge between uses. My pattern has been dictated by crazy Texas heat and humidity, but also by my desire to maintain a usable starter on a feed once- or twice-per-week basis method. My starter definitely has creamy notes and is so active at feeding time that it has overflown my jar on several occasions. However, how do I know if I am also cultivating lactic (perhaps specifically Lactococcus?) acid? I love learning these things with you all and so appreciate the experiments you are willing to do and share! Thank you!
420, huh? Did you mix up wheat flour and weed flour again? In the winter you can ferment at 69 degrees Fahrenheit, then you will get the nicest bread ever!
I need to check my pH at doubling. I’m using strong white flour. I’ve been using Lazlo’s 4.4 pH, but as you point out, that might not be the right number for me.
Sourdough fractional factorial DOE Five factors in a 2^(5-3) = 8 loaves -Starter: 75% vs 100% hydration -Autolyze: Yes vs. no -Machine knead (KitchenAid) 8 minutes vs. four folds plus lamination. -Bake temp. 455 vs 430 -Covered time with five sprays of water: 15 vs. 20 minutes. Constants: Kitchen temp: 75° F Refrigerator temp: 39° F 350 g white flour from Janies mill, 15% protein. 80% hydration 2% salt 10% starter at pH of 4.2 Dough temperature: 84° F?? Round boule, eight inch. With rice flour. Single lame slice across top Refrigerate to pH of 4.3 Cast iron dutch oven on parchment and wheat bran Final internal temp 206° F. Effects: Volume: cubic cm color (color scale) Height (mm) What else?
Great; info, method, bâtard en video! My “Nonna Angelica” (A Century Old Lievito Madre from Napoli) travels with the rest of the family, and I feed her together with the Cats and dog. In Dutch we have A saying; “Meten is weten” (To measure is to know) A Bread-ingeneer Nerd without Glasses!? 🤓 You will look more like Brad for sure!😘 Glut speed from the Netherworld KJ
I keep thinking your are complicating a very simple process. After all sourdough bread making goes back over 6,000 years. Those ancient bakers didn't have all these gadgets or even temperature controlled ovens and still made wonderful bread. I know you are trying to reduce some of the art of bread making into some sort of formula but I think you're simply going to frustrate yourself. The reality is that bread making is much like playing an instrument. You can read all the books available and listen to those who know how to play it, but the only way of mastering that instrument is though practice and patience. Bread making is very similar.
The Apera PH60S meter you used has automatic temperature compensation, so there is no need to correct for the temperature. Your dough did indeed not change pH value overnight, presumably because it was too cold for the bacteria to make much progress.
That's what I thought too. At temperatures below 10ºC (50ºF), there is no bacteria activity, while yeast activity is present, but retarded. Therefore, there shouldn't be any additional lactic acid or acetic acid. But, it will take time for the dough to drop to those temperature levels. You can expect the acid levels to increase but taper off as the dough temperature drops below 10ºC (50ºF). So there should be a delta in the pH readings.
In case you are wondering 🤣. I already recorded the video before my eye surgery. This is the last one with glasses. I indeed look way smarter with them 🤣. And - TLDW, measure the pH with your regular recipe, then figure out your own pH values. Checking pH in the fridge is a huge help. This finally makes cold proofing reproducible 🤓
You can always wear the 0 glasses 😄not the correction glasses and look smarter 👍
Congrats on the surgery.
Can you post a list of features to look for in a ph meter suitable for sourdough ? In the vid, all you mentioned was a spear tip probe (for poking & measuring food, not liquids or surfaces), but i'm sure there is more to it than just that. Thx.
I just checked the specs on the Apera meter we both use and it has ATC function, which is automatic temperature compensation, so you don't have to use the compensation tool online.
Hi Hendrik! Great video, congrat! pH meters can be equipped with temp correction software. So one must check that! The effect of temp on fermentation is well known, so the rate at which the dough is cooled is essential to evaluate final dough pH.. and the location of the measurements is also vital. The dough surface cools faster, so theoretically the surface pH would be higher then the bulk pH. To get more precise pH I cool down the dough in the freezer for an hour (800g dough) and then I put it into the fridge so the pH does not change more than 0.1… this way you can keep the dough in the banetton until your desired baking pH value, recommended to be 4-4.1.. my meter comes with temp reader, too. It is more expensive but it repays itself over time!
Hey laszlo, thank you for your detailed advice. do you have a link for your 2in1 ph-meter?
Fantastic video.
Especially the insight that the target pH is dependent on your starter microbiome.
I imagine you need to be present throughout the fermentation to be able to test.
I think the peak (and something you'll need to be doing commercially) will be to have tight thermal control of the entire process, so that you can time everything into a daily routine.
Thanks for the framework for it. A good and repeatable use of tech for those who want to try it. Experimenting, observing and keeping notes on your own bread will be the key.
Have you ever done an experiment where you took two starters with one in a covered container and the other with cheesecloth or something similar to allow oxygen? Since acetic acid likes oxygen and lactic acid can take it or leave it, I would be curious how the leaves would compare sour-wise and taste-wise
What I heard is that it is better to allow oxygen, because later on when you've made the dough it starts to form a skin on the outer layer. Because of this skin, the dough on the inside will start to ferment with no or less oxygen. Then you get a nice mix of both in the finished loaf. I don't really know what I am talking about though and I wasn't paying attention nor did I fact check. It just got in my head that some air is good for the starter.
Apparently the size and shape of your starter container effects the amount of air it gets. Makes sense because of a greater or lesser surface area on top.
Any man that carries his starter everywhere with him gets my sub. 👍
I got my ph meter today and I'm running at 4.8 after 6 hours of bulk fermentation. I made a similar bread the other day, but changed my hydration from 75 to 80 for this and my dough looks a lot more like yours! It's much easier to do coil folds. Hopefully better crumb.
So, I purchased the same pH meter and am getting ready to put my first loaves into the oven. I occasionally have issues with overfermentation so I'm hopeful that this method will help with that! Thank you for another great video!
Hey Amy! I also have issues with overfermentation... did the ph meter help you to get the fermentation on point or do you still have issues?
Easy way to get the tester in the sample jar is to wet the jar before you put it in and pour out any excess. Slides in much easier.
Vielen Dank für deine super lehrreichen Videos! Über die letzten Tage habe ich meinen Standard-Starter umgestellt auf einen festen Starter (50%) und einen Flüssigstarter. Das Brot liegt soeben im Ofen und die Unterschiede sind bereits jetzt frappierend! Werde wohl beim festen Starter bleiben. :-)
Super 🙏🏻. Das freut mich. Der einzige Nachteil könnte eventuell der Geschmack sein 😋
So, how did you do the calibration of the meter? You didn't cover whether you even do a calibration of the meter. (I have the same meter and I calibrate against my filtered water assuming my filtered water has a PH of 7) It appears that the meter does not hold calibration once it's turned off. So, I calibrate before each measurement session. Also, this meter has automatic temperature compensation (ATC), so if you calibrate, it should account for temperature change---no 3rd party web calibrator needed.
Great science, but it appears that this device is rather expensive and the tip requires frequent replacement. Any suggestions on cost effect pH checking.
So what occurs is protease enzyme becomes more active in a pH environment lower than 4 and that’s why the dough deteriorates faster below 4 pH. Another thing that can throw your readings off is the amount of whole wheat that’s in your bread dough. That's called the buffering effect.
Thank you!!!! Understanding the why... I completely understand breadmaking now!
When I try higher hydration (65+) my dough never stops sticking to the mixer bowl. What am I doing wrong? I use various compositions of spelt and rye mostly whole meal with some seeds. Sometimes I add gluten for strength and elasticity.
How much gluten are you using? I find with rye bread I end up using 15g vital wheat gluten to 85g rye for every 100g flour to make sure the flour maintains about 15% gluten.
@@matthewgiallourakis7645 I'm not sure, I usually just put some xD
But I will try your 15g to 85g :)
@@dominika3762 Best rule I've come up with is
g = 100(d%-p%)/(v%-p%)
where g is the amount of vital wheat gluten you want per 100g mixed flour, d% is the desired gluten percentage, p% is the percentage of gluten in the flour you want to use, and v% is the gluten percentage in your vital wheat gluten.
I've found that desired is usually 15%, rye is 5%, and vital wheat gluten is 75% gluten, so g = 100(15-5)/(75-5) is about 15g gluten per 100g mixed flour.
That's the rye flour. It's normal for rye flour. There's not much you can do about it.
@@the_bread_code but then I can't shape it, it just... Spreads, even after bulk fermentation and folding. And what is funny I can't score it, it's like dragging knife through glue.
Great video. And about a great tool. Not sure thebqife would let me spend that on a meter unfortunately. I have tried kneading my dough in a mixer but it just got stickier and stickier and just ended up being stuck to the bottom of the bowl. Hmm
How do I know what my ph value should be for my bread? Aim for 4.2?
Thats great, I got the cheap pH meter with no pointy tip. I might try it anyways to see what happens. I wonder if I could take a sample of the dough and put it in water then measure the change in the pH that way. Probably more trouble than its worth. It would take more time and effort to make a loaf than it does to eat a loaf...
Did it work?
The Fallacy of the pH meter?
This video had some great information in it. Thank you.
I think there is a roll for pH meters for the curious, but I also think that they are a tool to solve dough, or natural leaven problems, rather than a guide to fermentation. This is how acidity measurements are used in professional settings.
The LAB / Yeast balance in our leavens will shift depending on how we manage them. Crucially that includes the hydration, the temperature and the time between refreshments.
The bulk fermentation temperature can also favour yeast activity, or LAB activity.
Yeast produces much lower levels of acid (acetic in small amounts) than do LABS (acetic but mainly Lactic acids). If our leaven and the bulk ferment temperatures favour yeast over LABS then we get more CO2 produced and less acidity. When the LABs are favoured we will get greater acidity, faster and a comparatively slower CO2 rate. The CO2 rate is the major factor involved in bulk fermentation time along with the rate of gluten network development. Neither are tied to dough acidity levels. e.g. in extremis yeast only recipes which seldom fall below pH5.0 aand, FWIW optimum gluten strength is developed at around pH 5.0 - 6.5 which also happens to be the point at which yeasts are most active.
Additionally the flour used, whole meal vs white will also impact on the levels of bacterial development and activity.
Thus it is not possible to use dough acidity as a measure of gluten development unless we are looking at our own figures for our own stable leavens with a fairly standard recipe.
I manage my natural leaven to keep my LAB activity lower because I do not want highly acidic, Sour, breads. It is the CO2 production and each doughs different ability to develop stronger or weaker gluten networks to retain that CO2 which governs bulk fermentation time, not the acidity.
For this reason, and given the vast complexity of fermentation baking cannot be controlled by using instruments unless you go full on with LAB equipment to measure dough strength etc. Using our senses, sight, smell, taste, and feel, will always be the most important guides in our bread baking.
Oh, and professional bakeries use titration to measure acidity. That accounts for buffered Hydrogen ions (acids) which pH meters cannot read. So even here the PH meter is only a rough guide.
I was astounded that in three or four places in this video you had the arrogance to give advice to professional bakers who are trained and far better informed than yourself on this subject.
I am sorry to be so blunt and do not mean this post to be aggressive. pH meters have become a fad / fashionable. They can be misleading and they are no substitute for having a good sense of how a dough is developing.
It is still another tool for home baker. Better than depending on 50 or 100 percent dough raise. He is using it in this form to not to drop the ph too low to damage the gluten. Relax a little
@@StagArmslower Please don't tell me to relax. That is just aggressive. You don't know me and you don't know my technical level.
Ph meters are all but useless to the home baker.
With commercial yeast, even with long cold fermentation the pH does not decrease so very much.
pH with a natural leaven can fall to low levels, even to the the point where the yeast can no longer function. That takes very high levels of LAB activity which is not normally attained with usual practice.
Because most of the acidity comes from LAB activity and not yeast activity, pH is a very poor guide to the degree of yeast fermentation and CO2 production that has taken place.
Add to that something called buffering. A considerable amount of acid is absorbed by the dough and it is not available to the pH meter for reading. Thus a pH meter is not measuring the true acid content of the dough. Titration is the only way to know the true level of acids in a dough. Baking with wholemeal flours and white flours will give very different levels of buffering and thus different pH readings.
pH meters and dough development is an ill informed RUclips fad. There is a role for them in bread baking. Such as checking the progress of two stage acidic leavens for Rye Baking. I've also seen professional bakers use them to finesse their natural leavens to make sure they do not become over acidic before adding them to the dough.
The taste and smell of the natural leaven is far more useful to a home baker. We can taste the buffered acids that the pH meter cannot read.
I cannot remember this video so well. So my reply might be a little off topic. But this information is correct. So please forgive any off topic content here.
This RUclipsr's knowledge of bread technology is not so very good and that is me being exceptionally polite. His seemingly self assured tech. knowledge is not to be trusted. I read his early book release and it was full of misinformed and confused science. So much of it was simply incorrect. A very misleading text. As a 101 essay it would be a definite fail.
RUclipsrs try to keep us engaged with flashing lights and whistles. I have seen so many of these come and go.
Currently it is baking from a cold oven... Yes, that works... Tip, watch the videos... they often have trouble getting a good crust finish and they seldom give the final internal dough temperature so we never know if they have achieved full starch gelatinisation for their ubiquitous Tartine loaves. I have done it... most often they don't. It'll pass.
I wish you good baking.
Yeah, chill out dude
@@barnsleydalewinton
Chill out yourself.
I am a baker and I can't abide people like this who know fuck all pretending they can teach.
Keep with this channel if you want to learn poor baking.
@@barnsleydalewinton Telling someone to chill out is aggressive.
Your post also lacks any bread baking argument.
I tire of people like this who can barely bake and who quote lot's of bread technology when they know very little and often get it wrong.
They waste sincere home bakers time and effort.
He is a programmer still learning to bake, I am a baker who tutors home bakers and who spends a lot of time correcting RUclips learned rubbish.
Stay with this channel if your want to be misinformed.
Where can I get a copy of the PH temperature Correction Calculation and Mr. Jan Pieter Ph spreadsheet?
Thank you
Hey Vic. Hope this site helps: www.hamzasreef.com/Contents/Calculators/PhTempCorrection.php. I don't have the spreadsheet unfortunately anymore, only in the video :-)
@@the_bread_code Thank you Your videos very helpfull
"Don't let the oven get above 230C" as the oven dial is set to 240C.
I normally use a thermometer to measure the oven temperature :-)
I think you made a mis-statement at location 19:23. You removed the loaf from the frig and measured its PH. Little to no change occurred so you then presented an adjustment based on dough temperature. I have the same PH meter as yourself - that unit already measures the temperature of the test substance (dough) and properly displays the temp corrected PH. If you watch your meter - you did not wait long enough for the reading to stabilize - you temp display is jumping all around. I believe your statement that the actual PH is lower than the meter reading (actual closer to 4.0) is incorrect and that the actual PH is very close to what the meter is displaying.
Hey Joe. Great point, thanks! I did not know this feature existed. I should have read the manual 🤣. I think I need to turn it on somehow though. I will double check the manual again.
Thanks Joe, I was thinking I read that in the manual and would need to look it up. You saved me some effort.
The Amazon description for the pH probe says that it has ATC (automatic temperature compensation), so why do you have to calculate the corrected value? Is it possible the bacteria go dormant at cold temperatures and therefore lack of acid production? Maybe its only the yeast active at lower temps?
Maybe I should have turned that on in the settings somewhere 😅. I'm super bad at reading manuals. When developing software I prefer 20 hours of programming over 5 minutes of reading the manual 🤣. On topic, yep. They go dormant. I suspect the pH wouldn't lower significantly compared to the one I measured.
That's exactly it. It was in the interview with the librarian. Yeast can ferment down to -2°C, but lactobacillus goes dormant, which is why a cold retard develops more flavour than acidity. It makes perfect sense.
There are two kinds of pH temperature compensation.
1. Automatic Temperature Compensation (ATC), which the Apera pH meter does, which compensates for the varying milli-volt output from the electrode due to temperature changes of the process solution and
2. Solution Temperature Compensation (STC), which corrects for a change in the chemistry (change in pH)
of the solution as the temperature of the solution changes.
The pH of a solution actually increases as the temperature of the solution decreases. So the meter reading is correct, but cannot be usefully compared to readings at other temperatures without some kind of compensation. The problem is that there is no single formula for solution compensation that will work for all solutions because the slope of the change in pH that occurs with a change in temperature depends on the chemistry of the solution.
I have decided not to try to make such an adjustment, but to depend, instead, on my experience in establishing a correlation between dough pH readings at a specific temperature with the result of the bake.
Getting the dough-sample in vial: lubricate the rim with a drop or two of oil, and swing the dough to the bottom, as you would do to reset a mercury medical thermometer…..
I am using a sligthly larger diameter graduated plastic cylinder, a rainwater meter “glass”, which makes it easier, but takes a lager dough sample….using 75g sample every time, the graduation (in mm water) makes it quick to evaluate development….
Also, I trust you can measure pH with the samle staying in the wider “glass”, as the pH-meter can reach the dough……
best rgds Henrik
Hendrick, I have the same pH meter (or the version with Bluetooth) and it does temperature compensate, so the number you read should already have accounted for temperature differences. In that case, your pH after the fridge would be the exact same as before the fridge, which is a bit puzzling to me. I contacted the manufacturer and they did verify that the meter autocorrects for temperature, is there maybe a setting that you have turned off?
And as always, thank you so much for the amazing content!
The Ph should not change in the fridge because only the yeast is active, not the bacteria.
So useful. Thank you. Question: The pH meter you use does have automatic temperature calibration. The web page you displayed to correct the pH says it's for meters without ATC. Could you explain why you needed to do that?
PS - I am going to miss your glasses.
That morning pH result is very strange / interesting. First, that probe (which is the same one I have) does automatic temperature compensation. Maybe ATC can be turned off in settings? Second, my pH falls overnight by at least .3 and often much more. My refrigerator temp (measured) is 3°C/38°F. The dough temp in the morning is 4°/39°F. And finally, are you verifying the pH reading of your probe regularly by verifying it against the 4.00 reference solution? Mine is frequently off by quite a lot due to crud on the probe. I wash it in plain water after every reading then dip it in distilled water before putting the cap back on that’s filled with 3M KCL storage solution. And yet I often have to do that again before getting an accurate reading.
Thanks. I didn't know this existed 🤣. I'll check and enable it in the settings. That's a really useful feature.
@@the_bread_code Also check out this video discussing the importance of the "Slope Value" ruclips.net/video/vSGySmfIytU/видео.html
The Ph should not drop much in the fridge due to less bacteria activity.
how do you get a 90% hydration mix have such strength and non-stickiness after the very first mix? Feels like my dough is never like that, and in fact gets worse as time passes most of the time.
Lots of kneading and the right flour 👍
It would be really cool to have all of this on paper as well. With your recipe ingredient weights, oh value targets, oven tempatures etc. Be super helpful :)
Recipe is at 4:06. Starter ph should be 4.5 to 5.1; target dough ph between 5 an 5.2 is good practice, according to Gerald Reed (1965), but can be around 4 in French breads as said by John Maselli and Susan Pomper (1960). Baking temperatures should start high, around 250°C, and after 25-30 minutes decrease to around 230-220°C.
Transporting these recipes to Excel or the like takes a bit of effort, but ends up being super helpful. ;)
My starter was 5.05 before being mixed into the dough, I fed 1 - 2.5 - 5... I had done the same ratio the day before... is that bad?
Hi tks for the tutorial. I have gluten intolerance. I can take sourdough bread made with bread flour. But all the receipes advise to add whole meal flour. Is buckwheat flour advisable to use in sour dough bread or pizza. Both are my favourites. Tks in advance
So you wait until the dough doubles to read the PH which means you do not really need the PH meter, in fact if you have a proper container for the bulk fermentation you do not need the probe. Then you do not trust the PH meter but rather use the online tool to calculate the variation of the PH due to fridge temperature etc. it looks to me you only need a thermometer to make sure about the temperature of the fridge here. Sorry I just would like to understand what is the benefit of having a PH meter and this video is just telling me that I do not need it. please correct me if I am wrong. Maybe the best use of the PH meter is to make sure the PH does not go below 4 or whatever during final proofing after shaping.
Great video. I purchased the ph meter that you have. I think that is a great scientific approach to know when your dough is fermented and it is easy to be consistent. For proofing, most people use the finger poke test. But that doesn't work that well in cold dough. How did you determined yours was properly proofed? You seemed to use the reading as a resultant and not a determinate. Can ph levels help determine the optimal level of proofing in the dough?
How often do you calibrate your pH meter? With that pointy attachment can it read water as well or do I need to get the ball attachment as well?
I am making only Pizza, I am sure this will be a game changer :) thanks for the great videos!!!
Hi Hendrick
Finally I bought one. Need more tips because it's a new area !
Would a pH meter work for a non-sourdough bread? I'm not sure how much sourdough differs from other breads
Only for sourdough. For regular bread the pH wouldn't lower that much as you mostly have yeast and no bacteria.
Great experiment. I’m going to use a PH meter as well. One question. You measure the temperature after overnight proofing. Why do you use 9 Celsius/Centigrade as your PH meter input as your PH meter gives you the exact temperature when you measure? It’s says: 12.8 C. The output is almost the same 4.04 vs 4.10 but still. If you want to be precise….
Good point! I probably should have waited a little bit longer :-)
My starter after about 3 hours it smells a little sweet and PH is 3.29 is that OK to use my starter
Hii thanks for show how use the ph meter! Can you share plis the Link to buy this model??
So the cold-proofed bread ph reading is accurate right from the pH meter.
I think that is a good idea to check the relation between ph value and volume increase at different temperature for bulk fermentation 😉
Aren't you suppose to measure that ph at 4:20, or something like that?
420 is the magic bob marley number 🤣
Grüß Gott Sir, this video is really helpful, I have the exact the same probe as yours, I'm looking for a precise way to make consistent sourdough bread due to I'm going to manage a 1-man-team sourdough-micro-bakery, and the product consistency is really important.
Based on your experiences, at what PH value range of your starter that you would consider to add it to the main dough, my idea is to add starter to the main dough when the PH value of the starter reaches the same value as final proofed dough (in you case some where between , 4.0 to 4.2), what is your opinion?
thank you.
Bravo you did it the video using pH meter for your sourdough bread I hope Apera have paid you enough You certainly sold it to me And you deserve being paid wonderfully I heard you're about to create your own delivery bakery fantastic ... I have now worked with my ANOVA precision oven and I can tell you it seems to work Because of its steam feature and accurate temperature control...unless you can design a better one...could you please do a video on the aforementioned oven, thank you in advance...
Would you say the ph level is more important than the temperature of the dough..?
I think that I have come up with a general rule of hydration based on the protein content of the flour. 5.33 times the protein content of flour to get the percent hydration. In my case I have flour with 13% protein so 5.33 x 13 give me 69.33% hydration. I came up with this from your recipe using flour with 15% protein and 80% hydration. 80/15 = 5.33
Actually, since Hendrick's starter is so liquid, he says that the hydration of this dough is 90% rather than 80%. So the multiplier would be 6.00 rather than 5.33. So 6 x 13 is 78%. I don't know if this formula will always work, but 78% looks about right to me.
See also The Bread Code videos on how to test various flours to determine the optimum hydration level.
Hi Hendrik, what was the flour, what was the room temp?
I used the mulino padano star flour. Room temperature was around 24C.
was that travertine castle in Funchal?
Yes!
@@the_bread_code Ive been there great city!
I bought a ph meter (ebay £6!) and my starter measures 3.5. I thought it was too acid. I fed it yesterday, having discarded all starter apart from 50ml. I topped up with 400ml of flour and water. Has my starter gone wrong? Too much bacteria, too little yeast? Can I repair it? Thanks!!
As calibration, my bottle of vinegar measures 2.2.
hello, my starter is eating the gluten in my bread! what can i do??
That's normal. Try to make a stiff starter, it will help with more yeast fermentation.
From what I know, acetic acid is far more sour than lactic acid and you said that it is the other way around
4:20 indeed does its magic…
I know that a spear tip pH meter would be ideal. However, I already have a good Aptera bulb pH meter, including pH standards and storage solution. Is there a way to use a bulb pH meter to measure dough pH?
My starter after 24hours is at 3.1PH is that ok or through away? Or apply 1:10:10 or higher ?
Wow. That's very low in terms of pH. I'd aim to use it at around pH of 4.2ish
Hendrick, I noticed you didn’t autolyse the flour for the bread in this video, and instead kneaded it well to develop the gluten structure. Is this your current best practice suggestion?
Thanks!
Yep. This and using less sourdough starter to slow down the whole process.
Question, so the dough went in the fridge for 14 hours and after conversion of the pH you ended up with 4.04 rather than the 4.22 when it entered the fridge. How do you know this pH is optimal for baking and that the dough is ready? Are we attempting to get as close to 4.00 as possible?
Great question. I don't know that this is the ideal value. I just used my regular process and then those values work for my setup :-). Hope that makes sense!
I think my fridge is too cold. Will that affect things?
It will only very quickly slow down your fermentation. Nothing to worry!
Do I wait until the dough is at the same ph as my starter?
Yep. That's a good strategy too. Your dough is just a big starter. However maybe your starter has more or less water, that could modify the pH. I typically experiment and test different pHs and then find out one that works for me. Your microbes are different. 4.2 could be a good starting point!
One of the considered best books for sourdough is called "PH 4.1 Science and craftsmanship of yeast dough" by Giambattista Montanari. It's a pity it is only in Italian and there is no english translation yet. I see now why this number is not random 😂
Probably a dumb question. But what is the difference between your PH "spear" meter which can be used for food and soil and a soil "spear" PH meter which is much cheaper.
The non-spear ones are designed for liquids and are hard to get into the dough so the measuring device makes contact in the right way
@@jroemling Thanks but I think maybe you misunderstand me. I am talking about soil pH meters with the spear probe not "non-spear" soil meters. Thanks
Gluten Tag Keir. There are no dumb questions. Just like Jochen said, it makes measuring a lot easier!
Can anyone with a PH Meter help me to figure it out how to calculate how much lemon ml are needed to make the PH of 100/1000 ml of water around 4.0-4.5? closer to 4.5 is better but not over 4.5, By the way, Seedless lemon works the same? looks like the ones with seeds are more acidic. The idea is to use lemon to make any water quantity to have a PH of 4.0-4.5
Great video! I love the pH meter but trying to decide if I can part with that $$$ :-) One question: those glass vials you used for the sample- do you have a source for that? Thanks in advance, Matt
In the USA I found mine at a Hobby Lobby.. I think around $2.00 each.
Where do you get the sample jars? Thks!
I don't know where he gets his, but I use a shot glass. 🥃
@@simplybeautifulsourdough8920 Thank you that works! Shot glasses I have! I also download a printable ruler that I could tape on the side of the glass for precise measurements of the rise.
@@SuperJaXXas Glad I can help! I just mark it with a dry erase marker. When it's twice as high I know my dough is ready.
@@SuperJaXXas Sorry! That was me- Different channel!
Hendrich, great video. Apera make several PH meters - could you let us know which one you are using?
Thank you! Apera PH60s
Well well we'll. So the secret number is around 4.3! OK. Did ask you regarding that. And by the way how is your sight now? I hope everything panned out well.
Thanks Bala! All good here with my sight. Enjoying life without glasses! Hope you are great too.
What is the protein content of your flower?
It depends on my flour. The one I used here was around 15%
@@the_bread_code since we both use 400 grams of flower and you use 320 grams of water for flour of 15% protein. My flour is 13% I took 15/320= 0.05 then 13/0.05 = 277. So I use 277 grams of water with my flour. I had been using 275 grams of water just as what seem to work. I wonder if knowing the protein content of flour this type of math would help get the right hydration for bread.
Does the ph meter help with whole meal and whole rye bread, I would like you to make a video with the whole rye sourdough brad with ph meter.
Great idea. I took a note!
Fantastic! Thank you 😊
No worries about degassing your dough with at pointy thing??
That is the coil method. This is not a stretch and fold.
I think there are way too many variables involved in this to make an accurate guide. For example I have no 13% protein flour available, after 7 hours bulk fermentation I have sticky soup, after 100% increase I have sticky soup. So you can't recommend to use your exact process to figure out the right pH value for someone else's dough.
You also use a liquid starter that I imagine contains much more bacteria than yeast and therefore I wonder how that even works out for you. Obviously it does, according to your results, but I'm 100% sure I could not reproduce those same results. I also never use 100% white flour and with addition of whole grain rye everything changes...
Greetings! I am very curious about lactic acid production in my starter when it is consistently going dormant every week as I store it in the fridge between uses. My pattern has been dictated by crazy Texas heat and humidity, but also by my desire to maintain a usable starter on a feed once- or twice-per-week basis method. My starter definitely has creamy notes and is so active at feeding time that it has overflown my jar on several occasions. However, how do I know if I am also cultivating lactic (perhaps specifically Lactococcus?) acid?
I love learning these things with you all and so appreciate the experiments you are willing to do and share! Thank you!
Where can I get such a ph spear meter?
That one is from Apera instruments. I linked it in the description :-)
420, huh? Did you mix up wheat flour and weed flour again? In the winter you can ferment at 69 degrees Fahrenheit, then you will get the nicest bread ever!
🤣 well the most creative ideas come when you enjoy 420 wheat flour.
Why do you need PH of the dough
Gluten Tag Jim. Excellent question! The pH shows how far your fermentation process has progressed. The lower the pH the more you have fermented.
The 4:20 Sourdough.
😂 it can't be coincidence
I need to check my pH at doubling. I’m using strong white flour. I’ve been using Lazlo’s 4.4 pH, but as you point out, that might not be the right number for me.
I think I will pass on this…these gizmos are too expensive…my bread is ok without them! 😉
Sourdough fractional factorial DOE
Five factors in a 2^(5-3) = 8 loaves
-Starter: 75% vs 100% hydration
-Autolyze: Yes vs. no
-Machine knead (KitchenAid) 8 minutes vs. four folds plus lamination.
-Bake temp. 455 vs 430
-Covered time with five sprays of water: 15 vs. 20 minutes.
Constants:
Kitchen temp: 75° F
Refrigerator temp: 39° F
350 g white flour from Janies mill, 15% protein.
80% hydration
2% salt
10% starter at pH of 4.2
Dough temperature: 84° F??
Round boule, eight inch. With rice flour.
Single lame slice across top
Refrigerate to pH of 4.3
Cast iron dutch oven on parchment and wheat bran
Final internal temp 206° F.
Effects:
Volume: cubic cm
color (color scale)
Height (mm)
What else?
just saying, László is Hungarian and we dont say it like that, more like Laslo.But no problem. László name is really popular is Hungary
I want sourdough bread now...
420 is my magic number, I always bake with 420 in my ph lol
You're the Q of sourdough - here's your pH meter Mr. Bond.
Great; info, method, bâtard en video!
My “Nonna Angelica” (A Century Old Lievito Madre from Napoli) travels with the rest of the family, and I feed her together with the Cats and dog.
In Dutch we have A saying; “Meten is weten” (To measure is to know)
A Bread-ingeneer Nerd without Glasses!? 🤓
You will look more like Brad for sure!😘
Glut speed from the Netherworld
KJ
😂 😂 😂 thanks 🙏🏻. That must be a very nice sourdough you got there.
@@the_bread_code Yes I. got it from A friend A Neapolitana culinair journalist.
Sooo your sourdough is a pothead? 420 is the marijuana number (in case you don't get that joke, Hendrick)
I keep thinking your are complicating a very simple process. After all sourdough bread making goes back over 6,000 years. Those ancient bakers didn't have all these gadgets or even temperature controlled ovens and still made wonderful bread. I know you are trying to reduce some of the art of bread making into some sort of formula but I think you're simply going to frustrate yourself. The reality is that bread making is much like playing an instrument. You can read all the books available and listen to those who know how to play it, but the only way of mastering that instrument is though practice and patience. Bread making is very similar.
Wow normal English again!
😂 wait until I make the next German recipe.