Dough Tolerance and Open Crumb (Instagram Recap # 8)

With this series of Instagram posts I just wanted to share some thoughts on the relationship between dough tolerance and open crumb. Please keep in mind that these posts were strictly focused on a very narrow range of things to consider when seeking an open crumb. In other words, there is much MUCH more to open crumb than just dough tolerance. But I think this is a fairly neglected subject so I just wanted to expound on it a little.

Of note, the first post here wasn’t actually part of the series. But it was a bit of a prequel that led into the series, so I’ve gone ahead and included it with the rest. I think it rounds things out a bit better.

And a bit of a warning . . . these posts were also meant to help promote my book, so the last paragraph or two of each post is pretty much just a sales pitch. It gets a bit repetitive when the posts are all gathered together like this, so please feel free to skip all that when you come to it. I considered just deleting those paragraphs entirely from this post, but decided against it — I don’t want to set a precedent for editing these Instagram posts. If I go down that path it will destroy the archival nature of these posts that I’m aiming for (which is also why I don’t even fix the typos). So I guess we’re just kinda stuck with it as it is. If you’re not sure what these “Instagram Recaps” are all about, please see this post for clarification. Now on to the matter at hand . . .

Link to Instagram post (8/4/24)

First Rule of Open Crumb – – Open crumb is 80% fermentation and handling. Obviously, things such as flour type, gluten quality, and hydration are limiting factors to exactly how much openness you can possibly achieve – – they define the potential your dough has. But it is your skill with fermentation and dough handling that determine how much of that potential you will actually reach.

This is not a trivial distinction.

A baker with skilled hands and a keen eye for fermentation can finesse a more open crumb from a dough with lower hydration or poorer quality gluten than a less skilled baker can achieve with a wetter dough and higher quality gluten. Material matters, but skill matters more.

Here’s the conundrum – – an open crumb comes from a dough that’s well-risen (especially during bulk fermentation) and gently handled. And yes, the higher the hydration the more open it might *possibly* become. But wet proofy dough is notoriously difficult to handle. Inexperienced hands don’t play well with such a dough, and crumb suffers.

The problem is that the proofier the dough becomes, the lower its tolerance to handling gets. In other words, proofier dough is more delicate to the touch than less proofy dough. And higher hydration only aggravates the situation. So the wetter and proofier the dough, the greater the care must be taken when handling it – – and the greater the skill required to do so.

Now then, there are certain steps a baker can take to improve the dough’s tolerance to handling – – even a wet and proofy dough. And by improving the dough’s tolerance to handling you actually increase your margin for error when handling and shaping – – you have more wiggle room for mistakes.

But since I’m almost out of space, I’ll save that discussion for another day. Perhaps I’ll make a series on the topic if that’s something folks are interested in. But in the meantime, if you want to learn more then check out my book, “Open Crumb Mastery” (there’s a link to it in my profile). I go very deep into this subject (and many more). It’s not a recipe book. It’s a guide that provides you the foundational knowledge you need to develop mastery of the craft. It won’t dissapoint. 😎

Link to Instagram post (8/10/24)

Intro – – In a couple previous posts I discussed how to determine if your starter is active enough to make your typical Instagram-type open crumb sourdough, and how dough handling can be affected by the dough’s hydration and degree of volume rise.

Specifically, I pointed out that the wetter and proofier (more risen) the dough is, the lower its tolerance to handling will be (all else being equal), and therefore the more difficult it will be to handle. Dough that is difficult to handle is more likely to be damaged when handled. This damage (tearing and deflation) compromises the integrity of the dough and can lead to reduced openness in the crumb.

Consequently, it requires more skilled hands to handle wet and/or proofy dough (the kind of dough generally recommended for achieving the most open crumb) in order to avoid damaging it and ruining the crumb – – which would defeat the purpose of making a wet/proofy dough to begin with.

But I pointed out that there are certain steps you can take to improve your dough’s tolerance to handling, and that by doing so, you can give yourself a little extra margin for error if your dough handling skills aren’t quite up to par yet. That’s what this series is going to focus on.

One thing to note – – I may not post this series consecutively (I don’t always have the time or inclination to write out a long and detailed post), but I’ll probably gather these posts and put them up on my website as a single collection.

Yes, I have a website – – trevorjaywilson.com

I’ve already put up several collections of Instagram posts discussing such topics as bulk fermentation, wholegrain, shape, height and volume, all about folds, and more. It seems a convenient way to highlight useful Instagram posts which typically just get lost in the gallery soon after posting. And there’s more than just Instagram posts at my website, so check it out if it’s new to you.

Anyway, I think Part 2 in this series will discuss more specifically about what dough tolerance actually is (there’s more than one kind of tolerance). Then from there we can begin covering the ways you can improve dough tolerance. So stay tuned! Cheers! 😎 #opencrumbmastery

Link to Instagram post (8/22/24)

Types of Dough Tolerance – – First off, let me be absolutely clear that when I refer to “dough tolerance,” I do in fact mean DOUGH tolerance. That is, I’m referring to dough as a whole. I’m not referring to gluten. Gluten is an important part of the whole, but there is more to a dough than just its gluten. And there are other components of a dough that can affect its tolerance.

But what exactly is dough tolerance?

Simply put, dough tolerance is a dough’s ability to resist damage to its integrity. The integrity of a dough can be damaged in a few different ways, and so there’s a few different types of dough tolerance we might consider: tolerance to mixing, tolerance to proof, and tolerance to handling.

Tolerance to mixing is a dough’s ability to resist damage from overmixing. This is not typically a concern for the home baker (nor even most commercial artisan bakers) since overmixing generally requires excessive high-speed mechanical mixing to reach the point of causing obvious damage. So I won’t discuss it here.

Tolerance to proof is a dough’s ability to resist damage caused by overproofing or overfermentation. As a dough rises, the accumulation of gas inflates the gas cells which become more delicate and prone to collapse (overproof). If you stray into the realm of overfermentation, acid eventually begins to degrade the gluten itself and the entire dough starts to disintegrate then liquify.

Tolerance to handling is a dough’s ability to resist damage caused from handling. Rough handling can tear the dough and collapse gas cells thereby causing deflation.

In practice, there is much overlap between tolerance to proof and tolerance to handling – – the things that affect one typically affect the other. And though there are some slight differences, we can basically just lump them together under the umbrella term “dough tolerance”. And that’s what I’ll do for the rest of this series unless I want to specify one or the other.

If you want to dig into this topic (and many more) deeper than I can go here, then check out my book, “Open Crumb Mastery” (there’s a link to it in my profile). It’s not a recipe book. It will teach you exactly what you need to know. Cheers!

Link to Instagram post (8/23/24/)

Why Dough Tolerance Matters – – Before I start getting into strategies to improve dough tolerance, I think it’s helpful to first explain why dough tolerance is so beneficial when seeking an open crumb.

As I mentioned in my previous post, dough tolerance is a dough’s ability to resist damage to its integrity. Damage done to a dough is a common cause of reduced openness in the final crumb. So it makes sense that if you’re seeking an open crumb, it’s best to minimize the damage you cause.

Dough tolerance provides a baker with leeway. The greater your dough’s tolerance, the greater your margin for error. A dough with good tolerance resists damage that you might inadvertently be causing if the dough had less tolerance. It will better preserve its integrity despite proofing or handling errors, and therefore better retain openness in the crumb.

This is important because the type of dough we most often work with when seeking highly open crumb – – wet, slack, high-hydration dough – – is precisely the kind of dough that is so easily prone to being damaged. If we want to maximize our chances at attaining an open crumb, then it’s wise to pursue those strategies which can improve a dough’s tolerance.

In following posts I’ll discuss what some of those strategies are, but if you want to pursue this topic in even greater depth then I recommend you look into my book, “Open Crumb Mastery” (there’s a link to it in my profile). It’s not a recipe book. It’s a guide to provide you with deep foundational knowledge – – the kind of knowledge that grants you true understanding.

It covers *in depth* all the topics you need to know in the pursuit of open crumb (and bread baking in general): fermentation, starter health and maintenance, hydration, mixing methods, bulk fermentation, fold types and scheduling, dough handling, shaping methods, dough tolerance, dough strength, building and organizing dough structure, and much more.

I gained this knowledge over many years spent as a professional artisan bread baker. It comes from hands-on experience – – it is not classroom stuff. I learned this info the hard way, but you don’t have to. Give my book a chance, you won’t regret it. Cheers!

Link to Instagram post (8/24/24)

Dough Tolerance vs. Dough Strength – – Before we discuss ways to improve dough tolerance, I want to clear up any confusion folks might have about whether dough tolerance is the same as dough strength.

It is not.

There’s certainly a strong correlation between the two, and things that improve dough strength generally improve dough tolerance as well. But there’s one thing that does not. In fact, this one thing actually reduces dough tolerance while at the same time improving dough strength (up to a point).

I know that sounds counterintuitive, but it’s actually the distinction that marks the two as separate. What I’m talking about here is the increase in dough structure that comes with the accumulation of gas during fermentation. Let me explain….

Dough structure is built up as gas accumulates, and increased dough structure leads to increased dough strength (for reasons too lengthy to explain here). But at the same time, gas accumulation stretches and expands the gas cells which leads to increasing weakness and instability in the cell walls. This makes them more delicate and easier to damage.

In other words, it reduces their tolerance to proof and handling. Remember, dough tolerance is the dough’s ability to resist damage to its integrity; but gas cells become easier and easier to damage as they inflate – – just as a fully inflated balloon is easier to pop than one that is only partially inflated.

So no, dough tolerance is not the same thing as dough strength. Similar in many ways, but not the same. And understanding the difference will help you pursue the correct strategy rather than a mistaken one.

As for dough strength, that’s a very long and complicated topic. Much too long for Instagram. If you truly want to dig deep into dough strength (and related topics) then check out my book, “Open Crumb Mastery” (there’s a link to it in my profile). It’s not a recipe book. It’s a guide to help you fully understand how to build and manipulate dough structure in order to achieve an open crumb (and any other characteristics you want in your bread). It will provide you with insight and wisdom you won’t find anywhere else. Give it a chance, you won’t regret it. Cheers!

Link to Instagram post (8/25/24)

Developing Gluten – – The first strategy I want to discuss when it comes to improving dough tolerance is the matter of gluten development. As I pointed out in my previous post, even though dough strength and dough toletance are not the same thing, there is plenty of overlap between the two. And many things (though not all) that improve dough strength generally improve dough tolerance as well.

Well-developed gluten is one of those things. It improves both strength and tolerance. Naturally, flour that’s capable of forming more gluten is also capable of developing dough with more tolerance. But that’s not the whole story….

Specifically, how well and how *soon* you develop the gluten play a role. Most of us know what well-developed gluten is – – that is, gluten capable of forming a nice “windowpane”. Because of their slow rise, most sourdough breads have sufficient time to develop fully-formed gluten by the time they are shaped – – the time at which full gluten is most crucial. And so this leads to a couple different mixing strategies for sourdough bakers….

One strategy is just to mix to full development right from the start. This is more easily done with a mixer, though it can also be accomplished (with some effort) by hand as well. The other strategy (more common among hand mixers) is to just partially develop the gluten during the mix and then let it slowly finish forming on its own during bulk fermentation (possibly with the aid of some folding).

Both strategies are capable of making excellent bread with a nice open crumb, but when it comes to dough tolerance, the earlier the gluten is fully-formed, the more tolerant the dough tends to be. This is something I’ve personally observed over many long years baking (most of them spent as a commercial baker).

This leads to some considerations we might want to make when deciding on a mixing strategy, but since I’m running out of space I’ll continue this discussion in my next post. If you really want to delve further into this topic – – and all the other topics pertaining to an open crumb – – then check out my book, “Open Crumb Mastery” (there’s a link to it in my profile). It will enlighten you, I promise.

Link to Instagram post (8/26/24)

Developing Gluten (cont.) – – As a reminder, this series is specifically about dough tolerance as it pertains to open crumb, not about open crumb in general. You don’t need a dough with high tolerance to achieve an open crumb. But a tolerant dough can be very helpful in the pursuit. And it’s more beneficial under certain circumstances….

Higher dough tolerance provides you with higher margin for error when it comes to proofing and handling. So any circumstance in which you have more concern for proofing and handling is a reason to pursue making a more tolerant dough. A few off the top of my head….

— You’re a less experienced/less skilled baker. Inexperienced eyes make more proofing errors, inexperienced hands make more shaping and handling errors. If you’re a newer baker, a more tolerant dough will be most beneficial.

— You’re working with wet slack dough that will be shaped. Wet slack dough usually requires more handling in order to build sufficient strength to hold a nice shape. The more you handle a dough, the more opportunity for handling errors. This is less of a concern for ciabatta and similar wet dough breads that are not typically shaped and require less handling.

–You’re seeking a lacy honeycomb crumb. This type of crumb usually requires softer/wetter dough and pushing bulk fermentation almost to the dough’s limit – – a tricky combination. A more tolerant dough will help you walk this fine line.

Well, I took a little bit of a detour with this post, but it’s still helpful to keep all this in mind before you even begin mixing your dough. If you have reason to suspect you might want a more tolerant dough, it’s good to get at it right from the start. In my next post, I’ll pick up where I left off yesterday regarding strategy.

If you really want to explore these kinds of topics in depth, then check out my book, “Open Crumb Mastery” (there’s a link to it in my profile). It’s not a recipe book. It covers everything you need to know when seeking an open crumb (and much more). It will provide you with foundational knowledge and true understanding. No more guessing. You’ll know what to do and why to do it. Give it a chance, you won’t be disappointed.

Link to Instagram post (8/28/24)

Folding – – Folds help improve dough tolerance in a few different ways….

1) They help develop the gluten if it wasn’t fully developed during the mix. The sooner gluten is fully developed, the better the dough tolerance tends to be. So if you still need to finish developing the gluten after mixing, I recommend frequent folding during the first couple hours of bulk fermentation. Every 30 minutes is a good place to start.

2) They organize the dough structure. The more well-organized the dough, the more tolerant it tends to be. What is dough organization? That’s a complicated topic for such limited space, but in short, it’s the layers that are built into the dough while folding, and the more even arrangement of the gas cells that result. If you want a more well-organized dough then the more folds the better (up to a point, of course). And the type of fold matters as well – – coil folds like you see here organize a dough more effectively than other types.

3) They generate tension. The more tension you build into a dough, the more tolerant it tends to be. Again, some folds are better in this regard than others. Coil folds typically generate more tension than the usual stretch and fold. Tension is a powerful tool for improving dough tolerance (and strength as well), but since space is limited, I’ll explain more about this topic in my next post.

If you really want to dig deeper into topics such as dough tolerance, dough structure, dough organization, dough tension, and MUCH more, then check out my book, “Open Crumb Mastery” (there’s a link to it in my profile). It’s not a recipe book. It’s a guide to show you all the variables that affect the bread making process, and teach you how to manipulate them to achieve any quality you want in your bread; such as (but not limited to) an open crumb.

If you still feel a bit in the dark about what methods you should use, when you should use them, and why; my book will clear up the mystery for you. The knowledge comes from many years of hands-on experience working as a professional artisan baker. It’s not classroom stuff. I learned it the hard way, but you don’t have to. Give it a chance, you won’t regret it!

Link to Instagram post (8/29/24)

Folding for Tension – – This is the 5th fold for this dough. If you want to see the sloppy mess it was at its 1st fold then see my previous post. Now then….

As previously mentioned, folding builds tension into the dough. Tension is a stabilizing force. It creates inward compression which counters the outward expansive force of inflation from fermentation. This helps brace the gas cell walls thus improving tolerance to proof. Similarly, it provides resistance to external forces (such as the touch of the baker’s hand) which might cause damage, thus improving tolerance to handling.

Every fold creates tension, but tension dissipates over time. The more structure a dough has, the longer it retains tension. Sructure is built as dough accumulates gas, so folds early in bulk release tension quicker than folds later in bulk. With this information you can strategically time your folds in order to improve dough tolerance – – a strategy I call “proofing under tension”. I’ll discuss this strategy in my next post.

If you want to become a more strategic baker – – rather than just a recipe follower – – then check out my book, “Open Crumb Mastery” (there’s a link to it in my profile). Sound strategy requires sound knowledge. It requires awareness of ALL the variables and how they interact with one another. My book provides that. It’s not a recipe book. It’s a guide to teach you the foundational knowledge you need if you want to bake intelligently and strategically.

The information in my book comes from years of hands-on experience as a professional artisan baker. It’s not classroom stuff. And it’s not something you’ll find with a google search, or even by digging through your bread books. My book is unique in that helps you to develop a “baker’s mind”. Not only does it teach you the variables, it shows you how to apply that information strategically in order to achieve whatever characteristics you want from your bread (such as open crumb, but much more as well).

I learned this knowledge the hard way, but you don’t have to. Give my book a chance, you won’t be disappointed. Cheers! 😎 #opencrumbmastery

Link to Instagram post (8/30/24)

Proofing Under Tension – – See my previous post first so this one makes sense. Oh, and the reel doesn’t relate to this topic, I just needed something to post. So then….

Proofing under tension simply means that the dough is kept tense while it undergoes bulk fermentation. You do this with frequent folding. As mentioned before, folding builds tension, but tension slowly releases over time. If you fold the dough before it has released all its tension from the previous fold, that remaining tension is added on top of the tension created by the current fold.

If you do this over the course of multiple folds, you build much more tension into the dough than you would if the folds had been spaced further apart. So the goal is to space your folds close enough together to prevent the dough from completely relaxing (losing all tension) between folds.

The more structure a dough has, the better it retains tension. So folds should be closer together early during bulk (before much structure has been built) and can be spaced further apart later during bulk (when there’s more structure to retain the tension).

Tension helps stabilize a dough, so a dough holding plenty of tension tends to be more stable than one holding less tension. This stability improves the dough’s tolerance to proof and handling, thus allowing for increased inflation capacity and reduced susceptibility to damage from handling errors, both of which help in the quest for open crumb.

That was the short version. And there’s a few caveats and other considerations, but space is limited. If you want to fully understand this topic in all its complexity and depth then check out my book, “Open Crumb Mastery” (there’s a link to it in my profile). It goes MUCH deeper into this topic and many more. It’s not a recipe book. It’s a guide that provides the foundational knowledge required to be an intelligently strategic baker.

It will provide you with information, insight and wisdom that you won’t find anywhere else. It will teach you all of the variables and how they interact so you know what to do, when to do it, and why. I learned this stuff over many years as a professional baker. You won’t be disappointed. Cheers!

Link to Instagram post (8/30/24)

Final Thoughts – – The point of this series was to explain what dough tolerance is, and how it relates to achieving an open crumb. Of course, dough tolerance can affect more than just crumb; just as there is more that affects crumb besides dough tolerance.

What’s great about a tolerant dough though (as far as crumb is concerned) is that it can better withstand damage caused from handling errors, and that it has a greater capacity to rise before overproofing and deflating.

To obtain a highly open crumb often requires a dough that is very well-risen. The dough should be be highly inflated, the gas cells full of air. A dough with high tolerance to proof is capable of such a rise.

But highly inflated dough is also more delicate to the touch; easy to damage and deflate. So if that dough is also tolerant to handling, then your chances of damaging it while handling go down and your chances of attaining an open crumb go up.

Dough tolerance gives a baker more room for error. This is particularly helpful for newer bakers, but even the very experienced mess up from time to time. Improving your dough’s tolerance is one way to smooth the process and get more consistent results.

Now then, the topic of dough tolerance is just one of a large number of important subjects a baker should understand. My book, “Open Crumb Mastery” covers that and MUCH more. There’s a link to it in my profile. It’s not a recipe book. It’s a guide to teach you all the variables involved and how they interact so you’ll understand what to do, when to do it, and why.

It provides insight into dough structure and crumb that you won’t find anywhere else. And MUCH more. It’s a glimpse into the mind of a professional baker, and it will help you to think like one yourself. If you still feel a bit unclear about the mysteries of bread baking, my book will clear it up for you. Give it a chance, you won’t be dissapointed. Cheers! #opencrumbmastery