Sponge and dough
Encyclopedia
The sponge and dough method is a two-step bread
making process: in the first step a sponge is made and allowed to ferment for a period of time, and in the second step the sponge is added to the rest of the ingredients; this is known as the final dough. In this usage, synonyms for sponge are yeast starter or yeast pre-ferment. In French baking the sponge and dough method is known as levain-levure. The method has similarities to the sourdough
or levain methods; however, unlike those methods that save some portion of the old starter or mother dough and "recycle" it into a refreshed starter, keeping the old culture alive for a number of generational cycles, the sponge is made from all fresh ingredients prior to being used in the final dough.
, part or all of the water
, and part or all of the yeast used in a recipe: any additional ingredients in the total formula are later added to the final dough. While the relative amounts of ingredients used vary between recipes, the method remains the same.
A generic example of a sponge and dough formula using bakers' percentages:
One significant decision the baker must make when designing such a formula, or adapting a direct or straight-dough formula or recipe, is to decide the sponge-to-dough flour ratio.
The sponge's fermentation time depends on its temperature
and that of the surrounding area, the ingredients used, and the percentage amount of yeast. It ferments in a humid environment at 74–78 °F (23.3–25.6 °C), where it will rise and expand to 4-5 times its original volume, when it falls it has reached 66-70% of its allotted time. Once the sponge is combined with the dough creating the final dough, the gluten is developed in the mixing or kneading process. It is then allowed to rest for some period of time, and it may be processed through further work and rest cycles before being proofed
then baked.
, texture and chemistry
.
The flavour that is created is dependent on the ingredients used and the fermenting yeast. Just like sourdough, the longer the ferment, the greater the taste difference.
Sponge doughs were used before bread improver
s were invented. Texture is partly a byproduct of the chemistry going on in the fermentation, which does several important things such as activate the different enzymes (protease
and amylase
) needed to leaven bread. Modern grain-harvesting practices have reduced the naturally-occurring enzymes that grains had in former times, a result of no-longer-used grain-storage processes, so today small amounts of enzymes are routinely added to flour by manufacturers, often in the form of malted barley or sprouted grain.
Proteases, dependent on their time of action and concentration levels, soften the gluten
in the dough, hydrolyzing peptide bonds, increasing dough extensibility which allows the protein matrix to stretch out as the mix expands, thus leading to increased baked volumes and better structure.
Bread
Bread is a staple food prepared by cooking a dough of flour and water and often additional ingredients. Doughs are usually baked, but in some cuisines breads are steamed , fried , or baked on an unoiled frying pan . It may be leavened or unleavened...
making process: in the first step a sponge is made and allowed to ferment for a period of time, and in the second step the sponge is added to the rest of the ingredients; this is known as the final dough. In this usage, synonyms for sponge are yeast starter or yeast pre-ferment. In French baking the sponge and dough method is known as levain-levure. The method has similarities to the sourdough
Sourdough
Sourdough is a dough containing a Lactobacillus culture, usually in symbiotic combination with yeasts. It is one of two principal means of biological leavening in bread baking, along with the use of cultivated forms of yeast . It is of particular importance in baking rye-based breads, where yeast...
or levain methods; however, unlike those methods that save some portion of the old starter or mother dough and "recycle" it into a refreshed starter, keeping the old culture alive for a number of generational cycles, the sponge is made from all fresh ingredients prior to being used in the final dough.
Method
A sponge ferment is usually a sticky process that combines part of the flourFlour
Flour is a powder which is made by grinding cereal grains, other seeds or roots . It is the main ingredient of bread, which is a staple food for many cultures, making the availability of adequate supplies of flour a major economic and political issue at various times throughout history...
, part or all of the water
Water
Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
, and part or all of the yeast used in a recipe: any additional ingredients in the total formula are later added to the final dough. While the relative amounts of ingredients used vary between recipes, the method remains the same.
A generic example of a sponge and dough formula using bakers' percentages:
| adapted from Young and Cauvain's Table 2.3 | |||||
| Sponge | & | Dough | = | Final | |
| % | % | Dough | |||
| Flour | 65 | + | 35 | = | 100% |
| Water | 40 | + | 25 | = | 65% |
| Sugar | 0 | + | 6 | = | 6% |
| Milk solids | 0 | + | 3 | = | 3% |
| Fat | 0 | + | 3 | = | 3% |
| Yeast | 2.4 | + | 0 | = | 2.4% |
| Salt | 0 | + | 2.3 | = | 2.3% |
One significant decision the baker must make when designing such a formula, or adapting a direct or straight-dough formula or recipe, is to decide the sponge-to-dough flour ratio.
The sponge's fermentation time depends on its temperature
Temperature
Temperature is a physical property of matter that quantitatively expresses the common notions of hot and cold. Objects of low temperature are cold, while various degrees of higher temperatures are referred to as warm or hot...
and that of the surrounding area, the ingredients used, and the percentage amount of yeast. It ferments in a humid environment at 74–78 °F (23.3–25.6 °C), where it will rise and expand to 4-5 times its original volume, when it falls it has reached 66-70% of its allotted time. Once the sponge is combined with the dough creating the final dough, the gluten is developed in the mixing or kneading process. It is then allowed to rest for some period of time, and it may be processed through further work and rest cycles before being proofed
Proofing (baking technique)
Proofing , as the term is used by professional bakers, is the final dough-rise step before baking, and refers to a specific rest period within the more generalized process known as fermentation...
then baked.
Purpose
The sponge method is used for 3 different reasons: tasteTaste
Taste is one of the traditional five senses. It refers to the ability to detect the flavor of substances such as food, certain minerals, and poisons, etc....
, texture and chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
.
The flavour that is created is dependent on the ingredients used and the fermenting yeast. Just like sourdough, the longer the ferment, the greater the taste difference.
Sponge doughs were used before bread improver
Bread improver
Bread improver has been a common ingredient in bread since the early 1950s, and is used to speed up bread production.- History :Before the 1950s, bread had been made virtually the same way since it was first discovered. Using sourdoughs, and sponge and dough methods, bread would take up to a day to...
s were invented. Texture is partly a byproduct of the chemistry going on in the fermentation, which does several important things such as activate the different enzymes (protease
Protease
A protease is any enzyme that conducts proteolysis, that is, begins protein catabolism by hydrolysis of the peptide bonds that link amino acids together in the polypeptide chain forming the protein....
and amylase
Amylase
Amylase is an enzyme that catalyses the breakdown of starch into sugars. Amylase is present in human saliva, where it begins the chemical process of digestion. Food that contains much starch but little sugar, such as rice and potato, taste slightly sweet as they are chewed because amylase turns...
) needed to leaven bread. Modern grain-harvesting practices have reduced the naturally-occurring enzymes that grains had in former times, a result of no-longer-used grain-storage processes, so today small amounts of enzymes are routinely added to flour by manufacturers, often in the form of malted barley or sprouted grain.
Proteases, dependent on their time of action and concentration levels, soften the gluten
Gluten
Gluten is a protein composite found in foods processed from wheat and related grain species, including barley and rye...
in the dough, hydrolyzing peptide bonds, increasing dough extensibility which allows the protein matrix to stretch out as the mix expands, thus leading to increased baked volumes and better structure.
Products
Many bread recipes call for a sponge method, especially traditional French breads. Some examples of breads that use the sponge method:- BriocheBriocheBrioche is a highly enriched French pastry, whose high egg and butter content give it a rich and tender crumb. It is "light and slightly puffy, more or less fine, according to the proportion of butter and eggs" It has a dark, golden, and flaky crust, frequently accentuated by an egg wash applied...
- StollenStollenA Stollen is a loaf-shaped cake containing dried fruit, and covered with sugar, powdered sugar or icing sugar. The cake is usually made with chopped candied fruit and/or dried fruit, nuts and spices. Stollen is a traditional German cake, usually eaten during the Christmas season, when called...