Bread

The recipe I’ve been following throws the starter, flour and water in together then auto lyse?

At the mixing stage there won’t be gluten development so it won’t have structure. The gluten develops with kneading and the action of the starter or yeast.

The issue is different flours are more or less thirsty. So recipes may not work for the ingredients you are using. You could hold back the 50ml water and incorporate it after autolyse when you knead the dough and when you are doing the stretch and folds.

Ahh yeah, I've heard of autolyse with starter. I'd usually call this the bulk fermentation but I guess if you've not developed gluten yet it could be termed as such.

Sorry misread your post, so you'd added 400ml of the 450. Again, not sure what percentage of the flour weight that is, but trust your senses, as dj says different flours will react differently in terms of how much water they can hold. If it looks like it's about to go sloppy I would wait until you start kneading to see if you want to add a bit more. Given the time of autolyse (with starter or without) it might be able to absorb a bit more.

As dj says you'll get a pancake until you develop gluten, either by kneading or folding

The bit that confusing me is kneading a sloppy dough just seems to lead to a sloppy dough again

It’s a handling thing. The autolyse starts gluten development. Once you get a knack for kneading you help stretch the gluten which takes up more water. However too light a touch does nothing and too heavy the gluten is torn not stretched and doesn’t take up water. That is my layman’s understanding.

It’s a fucking mine field.

On the 4th fold. Might even bake it today

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It needs to be shaped (once the dough passes a window pane test)and left to do the final rise. I tend to let the final prove take place for 8-20 hours before baking.

Today’s effort, 70% white, 20% whole meal, 10% rye. Premix the flour and water for 30 minutes then add salt, sugar, yeast then knead in the bowl. 2nd proof in a banneton before baking in a pre heated Pyrex casserole dish in lieu of a Dutch oven. Not sure the glass holds the heat well enough but the first 20mins with the lid on was like cooking with steam. Another 20 minutes with lid off and out of dish to finish. Seam side up and a press down across the whole width.

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Let it prove for 4 hours and baked it. Best one I’ve baked so far.

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Not much loaf spring, it’s still pretty flat too

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This week's No Knead loaf. Great ovenspring and no faff.

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It looks like it was baked upside down,the banneton lines appear to be on the bottom.

Is that wholemeal?

I don’t have a Dutch oven yet so have improvised.

Sheet of metal and a wok. I hold the banneton with the hot wok over the top. Flip the loaf into the wok then sheet metal on top.

Mostly white flour with some granary.

I’m trying to get to the local farm shop for flour but it’s quite a journey for one bag of flour

You'd be better off just baking uncovered on the hot metal plate than putting it in a wok, in my opinion. I'd imagine the fact that the bread is essentially being cooked upside down won't help with your rise as it will want to fall into the curve of the Wok.

Or even just on the hot metal plate with some boiling water poured into the bottom of the oven to get steam

Even better

I added more water this time as you suggested, which took it to 90% hydration. Got more oven spring, but sill, not 100% there. Still struggle with scoring clean lines

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Any thoughts on this for a Dutch Oven?
Dutch Oven

Problem is there isn’t enough surface tension to stop it flopping into a pancake so the wok hold it in place

I’ve been thinking about getting one of these

https://www.johnlewis.com/john-lewis-partners-vitreous-enamel-self-basting-roaster-with-lid/p2185366

Dough is too wet then. Try dropping to around 70% hydration and seeing what results you get