Baking multiple loaves in a small home oven is a challenge I’ve been working through, and with each batch, I’m dialing in my approach. Today, I’m focusing on hydration, making adjustments based on my levain, and keeping the bake on track for the same day.
The Plan: Bake Today, Go Hot
This morning, I had 200g of levain ready to go, but it wasn’t a simple 50/50 mix—it was 3/7 flour and 4/7 water. That means I had to do some quick math to figure out my true hydration and adjust accordingly. The goal? 78% total hydration in my final dough.
Breaking Down the Hydration
What I had in my levain:
- Flour: 3/7 of 200g = 85.7g
- Water: 4/7 of 200g = 114.3g
What I wanted for my dough:
- Total flour (dough + levain): 885.7g
- Total water for 78% hydration: 690.8g
- Water already in levain: 114.3g
- Water to add: 576.5g
Final Dough Formula (for Two 700g Loaves)
| Ingredient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Bread Flour | 800g |
| Levain | 200g |
| Water | 576.5g |
| Salt | 18g |
This keeps things balanced while still pushing a high hydration level that will get me a more open crumb.
Mixing & Folding
With my levain fully active, I mixed the dough right away. I kept things simple:
- Mix at 10:00 AM, letting the flour and water sit for 30 minutes (autolyse) before adding salt and levain.
- First fold at 10:45 AM, then every 30 minutes for a total of 3 folds to build structure.
- Bulk fermentation took about 4.5 hours at room temp, finishing around 3:00 PM.
Shaping & Proofing
After bulk, I pre-shaped and let the dough rest for 20 minutes before a final shape. Since my fridge space is tight, I opted for a short room-temp proof (~1.5 hours) and planned to bake straight from the counter.
The Bake
Here’s where the small oven challenge comes in. I staggered the bakes to keep the heat high:
- Preheated oven at 4:30 PM to 500°F with my Dutch oven inside.
- First loaf in at 5:00 PM, covered for 20 minutes, then uncovered for another 20 minutes at 450°F.
- Second loaf in at 5:45 PM, following the same method.
The Result
The added hydration made shaping a bit trickier, but the final loaves had that thin, crackly crust I’ve been chasing. The crumb opened up nicely, and I’m feeling good about this balance. I might even push hydration a little higher next time—but for now, I’ll enjoy these.
Next Steps
- Work on loading multiple loaves at once in the home oven without dropping the temp too much.
- Try a cold-proof variation to see how it affects structure and fermentation.
- Keep refining my scoring technique now that I’m handling wetter doughs.
Onward to loaves #17 and #18!