S2-C14: Soft pan loaf on old dough
Fourteenth lesson of the soft wheat track: old dough as a source of flavor and structure in a soft pan loaf.
Recipe
Current recipe
For baking now: the final working formula, ingredients, steps, and baking worksheet.
Baking worksheet
Lesson block: soft pan loaf on old dough (pâte fermentée)
S2-C14 teaches how to count old dough without double counting flour, water, and salt. 25% of the flour goes into the old dough (100 g flour + 65 g water + 2 g salt + 0.2 g yeast), which matures 12–16 hours and then enters the final mix.
- Lesson question
- How to add old dough to the formula so that flavor and strength grow but there is no oversalting and no double counting of flour.
- Main variable
- Pâte fermentée: 100 g flour + 65 g water + 2 g salt + 0.2 g yeast mature 12–16 h at 18–22 °C. The final mix receives the remaining 300 g flour + 205 g water + 6 g salt + 6 g yeast + 167.2 g of old dough.
- Why this way
- Old dough (pâte fermentée) is a salted preferment: it already contains salt, so recalculating salt in the final dough is mandatory. Double counting gives 3.5% salt (instead of 2%), which will kill the yeast and make the bread salty.
- Expected flavor
- A deeper wheat profile than the S2-A1 baseline, with a light fermented note; crumb soft and elastic, golden crust, longer aftertaste.
- Learning format
- Multi-day plan: evening of Day 1 — assemble old dough, leave at 18–22 °C overnight; morning of Day 2 — final mix with the old dough, bulk fermentation, shape, proof, bake.
Theory
- Pâte fermentée differs from poolish and biga: it contains salt and has the same hydration as the final dough (not 100% like a poolish).
- Total baker’s percentages are counted against total flour (400 g), not against the final-mix flour (300 g); this rule is broken most often.
- Salt in the old dough is 2% of the old-dough flour (2 g per 100 g), not 2% of all flour; total salt 8 g = 2% of 400 g.
- Yeast in the old dough is 0.2% — the minimum for a slow overnight fermentation; more gives overshoot, less gives underripeness.
- Old dough is ready when it has risen 2–3x, the surface is domed with bubbles, and it falls back at touch.
- Old-dough aroma should be wheaty-fruity; sharp vinegar is a signal of overshoot and will give a sharp flavor in the final dough.
Checkpoints
- Old dough assembled in the evening, not the morning; 12–16 hours of maturation is the lower working bound.
- The working sheet records: total flour 400 g (100 + 300), total salt 8 g (2 + 6), total yeast 6.2 g (0.2 + 6).
- Before use, the old dough has risen 2–3x with bubbles on the surface.
- Dough temperature after the final mix 25–26 °C.
- At 24 hours, compare the slice with the S2-A1 baseline: flavor should be noticeably deeper, without oversalting.
Sensory
- Crust
- color, thickness, crunch, score opening, bitterness, toastiness
- Crumb
- moisture, elasticity, gumminess, chew, pore size and distribution
- Aroma
- separate crust and crumb aroma: floury, yeasty, milky, rye, malty, spicy
- Flavor
- sweetness, salt, acidity, flouriness, depth, aftertaste
- Score
- 0–10 plus one decision: repeat, increase fermentation, change flour, change bake, or close the lesson
What comes next
- If the bread is salty, check the math: it is possible that 8 g of salt was added to the final + 2 g in the old dough = 10 g total.
- If the effect is not readable, raise the old-dough share to 30–35% of flour or give it 14–16 hours of maturation.
- The next lesson S2-C15 tests seeds and grains as a path to texture and grain flavor.
S2-C14 brings old dough from the lean track into a soft pan loaf.
The lesson’s main question: can old dough give a soft bread flavor without a rough crust and density?
What We Study
- how to count old dough
- how old dough affects flavor
- how to avoid double counting of salt
- How to record the result so the next repeat changes one variable.
- How to tell a formula error from a process error.
Why This Lesson Is Here
After the boiling-water yudane it is logical to test a fermented component without sourdough acidity.
Theory
Old dough already contains flour, water, salt, and yeast. It cannot be added on top of the formula without a recount, or salt, water, and fermentation will all change.
| Mechanism | Practical takeaway |
|---|---|
| Main variable | old dough as a salted preferment |
| Fermentation | Judge readiness by dough state, not by the timer |
| Bake | Check doneness by temperature and crust state |
| Cooling | Assess the crumb after stabilization |
How This Would Be Taught in a Strong School
| Class block | What the student does | What is assessed |
|---|---|---|
| Formula | Recalculates grams and percentages | No double counting |
| Mix | Records temperature and development | Dough not overheated |
| Fermentation | Decides by state | No blind clock-watching |
| Shape | Repeats the shape without random flour | Geometry and seam are clear |
| Bake | Uses a probe thermometer | No underbake or overdrying |
| Sensory | Separates flavor, softness, and defects | Conclusion leads to the next version |
S2-C14 Lab Protocol
| Control point | What to record for pâte fermentée (old dough) | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Setting the old dough | 12–24 hours before mixing: 100 g flour + 65 g water + 2 g salt + 0.2 g yeast | salt inside makes it a salted preferment |
| Old-dough fermentation | 1–2 h at room t°, then 12–24 h in the refrigerator (4–6 °C) | cold gives complex aromas, slows the yeast |
| Morning check | volume doubled, bubbles, sour fermented smell | a sharp vinegar note means overshoot |
| Warming the old dough | take out of the refrigerator 30–60 minutes before mixing | cold dough blocks the final-dough yeast |
| Before final mix | 167 g old dough + 300 g flour + 205 g water + the rest | split flour/water: 100 g and 65 g already in the old dough |
| Adding the old dough | tear into 5–6 pieces by hand before adding | a large piece will not disperse |
| After mix | dough temperature 25–26 °C, light fermented aroma | confirm the old dough dispersed |
| After fermentation | rise 1.5–1.8x, soft bread aroma | old dough = wheat flavor, not sour |
| After cooling | slice: soft, with pronounced wheat flavor and light fermentation | main effect — deep wheat flavor |
Advanced Technological Map
First prepare the old dough, hold it in the refrigerator, then add it to the final dough in pieces.
Formula
Flour, water, salt, and yeast in the table are counted for the whole recipe, including the old dough. Working addition to the final mix: 167.2 g old dough + 300 g flour + 205 g water + 6 g salt + 6 g yeast + sugar and oil.
| Ingredient | Grams | % to flour |
|---|---|---|
| Strong white bread flour | 400 g | 100 |
| Water | 270 g | 67.5 |
| Old dough | 167.2 g | 41.8 |
| Sugar | 20 g | 5 |
| Vegetable oil | 20 g | 5 |
| Salt | 8 g | 2 |
| Fresh yeast | 6.2 g | 1.55 |
Schedule
The exact schedule is set by the working sheet. What matters is not absolute time but the alignment of three things: dough state, temperature, and the step goal. If the dough runs faster or slower, change the wait time, not the formula.
Practical Technique
Tear the old dough in water, add flour and the other ingredients, and run the soft pan loaf by state.
Diagnosing Errors
| Symptom | Cause for pâte fermentée dough | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Oversalted bread | full salt dose added to the final formula without counting the salt in the old dough | the old dough holds 2 g salt; the final mix should be only 6 g, not 8 g |
| Sharp vinegar flavor | old dough overshot (more than 24 hours in cold storage) | maximum 24 hours in cold storage; 48 hours is the edge of acidity |
| Old dough did not disperse in the final mix | cold (from the refrigerator) or one big piece | take out an hour before mixing; tear into 5–6 pieces |
| Flat bread | yeast in the old dough died (stored too long) | maximum 48 hours in the refrigerator, then discard |
| Flavor did not change | old dough is young (less than 8 hours total) | minimum 12 hours from setting to use |
| Double counting of ingredients | the journal shows 270 g water and 400 g flour but forgets that part is in the old dough | the real final mix: 300 g flour + 205 g water + 167 g old dough |
| Dry bread | lost too much water during baking | drop temperature by 5 °C, bake 5 minutes longer |
How to Assess the Result
| What to assess | Good sign |
|---|---|
| Shape | matches the lesson goal |
| Crust | does not become bitter or interfere with softness |
| Crumb | stable after cooling |
| Flavor | linked to the main variable |
| Repeatability | clear what to change next time |
Grading Rubric
| Criterion | 0 points | 1 point | 2 points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Old-dough preparation | set less than 8 h ago or more than 48 h | 8–12 h | 12–24 h with a cold phase |
| Salt accounting in the old dough | salt not counted (double dose) | partially counted | strictly 6 g in the final mix, total 8 g per recipe |
| Old-dough temperature when added | straight from the refrigerator (4 °C) | cool (10–15 °C) | room t° (18–22 °C) |
| Old-dough breakup | whole chunk into the water | 2–3 pieces | torn into 5–6 pieces |
| Old-dough volume | less than 25% or more than 50% of flour | 30–35% | about 40% (167 g per 400 g flour) |
| Final bread aroma | sharp acidity or flat | wheaty with light acidity | deep wheaty + complex fermented nuance |
| Freshness at 24 h | dry | soft | soft + aroma preserved |
Control Questions
- Is the old dough set 12–24 hours before mixing?
- Does the old dough contain salt (it is a salted preferment), exactly 2 g?
- Is the old dough held in the refrigerator at 4–6 °C for at least 8 hours?
- Was the old dough taken out 30–60 minutes before mixing and warmed to room t°?
- Is salt in the final mix 6 g (not 8 g) — accounting for the old dough’s salt?
- Is yeast in the final mix 6 g (not 6.2 g) — accounting for the old dough’s yeast?
- Is the old dough torn into 5–6 pieces before adding?
- Is the old dough’s smell fermented, without sharp vinegar?
- After cooling is the flavor deeply wheaty, not flat?
Lesson Conclusion
The lesson is closed if the old dough added flavor and structure without oversalting and without a dense crumb.
Theory Sources
- Modernist Bread: are biga, poolish, and sponge interchangeable? — source for proportions, technique, or lesson diagnostics.
- King Arthur Baking: our favorite sandwich bread — source for proportions, technique, or lesson diagnostics.
- King Arthur Baking: yeast bread primer — source for proportions, technique, or lesson diagnostics.
Ingredients
| Component | Grams | Baker's % |
|---|---|---|
| Strong white bread flour | 400 g | 100% |
| Water | 270 g | 67.5% |
| Sugar | 20 g | 5% |
| Vegetable oil | 20 g | 5% |
| Salt | 8 g | 2% |
| Fresh yeast | 6.2 g | 1.55% |
Ingredient details
Strong white bread flour
- Split
- 100 g into the old dough, 300 g into the final mix
- Author's brand
- MukaMuka 13.5% protein (mukamuka.ru)
- Alternatives
- Aleyna Vivapol 12-13%, King Arthur Bread Flour 12.7%
Water
- Split
- 65 g into the old dough, 205 g into the final mix
- Author's brand
- Tap water through Barrier Iron x2 filter
- Alternatives
- any filtered or bottled drinking water
Sugar
- Author's brand
- White sugar, no specific brand
- Alternatives
- any white sugar; for brown — Mistral demerara
Salt
- Split
- 2 g into the old dough, 6 g into the final mix
- Author's brand
- Pink Himalayan salt
- Alternatives
- sea or table salt (avoid iodized)
Fresh yeast
- Split
- 0.2 g into the old dough, 6 g into the final mix
- Author's brand
- Lux (Voronezh) fresh or Ayrek (homemade)
- Alternatives
- any fresh yeast in 100 g pack
Conditions and equipment
Conditions
- Status
- S2-C14: published learning lesson
- Learning block
- old dough (pâte fermentée) in a soft pan loaf
- Constraint
- do not add sourdough and do not change the flour type
- Lesson-closure state
- The lesson is closed if the old dough is counted in the total salt balance and the change in the final bread's flavor and aroma is recorded.
Equipment
- Pan
- Emile Henry Petit Moule Cake 1.1 L (ceramic, 22×9,5×6,5 cm) or a similar-volume metal 9×5 inch pan
- Mixing
- planetary mixer with a hook, or hand mixing with recorded time and temperature
- Bake
- home oven, probe thermometer, cooling rack
Nutrition: how to eat this bread
Bread nutrition facts
Per 100 g of bread
264 kcal
protein 7.7 g · fat 4.1 g · carbs 48.2 g
Per slice (50 g)
132 kcal
protein 3.9 g · fat 2.1 g · carbs 24.1 g
Automatic calculation from USDA + Skurikhin database for the baked loaf after evaporation. Numbers are approximate: 1) the database covers ingredients, not finished dough; 2) bake water loss is assumed at 10% — actual loss depends on crust, time, and pan. Add 5–10% in calorie trackers if needed.
Bread is a source of starch and energy. Its nutrition depends on flour, fermentation, salt, enrichment, serving size, and the rest of the plate.
- Digestion
- More whole grain, fibre, and fermentation usually mean longer satiety. White flour eaten alone is generally digested faster.
- Helpful or harmful
- Bread is not poison or medicine by itself. Overall diet matters; current guidance prioritizes whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and pulses.
- Amount
- For most learning tastings, 1–2 slices, about 30–80 g, is enough depending on loaf density.
- Best pairings
- Pair with protein, vegetables, and moderate fat; avoid making it a large standalone portion with sweet drinks or sweet spreads.
How to eat
- Taste the bread plain for learning, then eat it as part of a balanced plate.
- Slice dense rye thinner; with soft white bread, make sure softness does not automatically increase the serving.
Limits
- Wheat and rye breads contain gluten.
- For medical conditions, adjust bread type and serving size with a clinician or dietitian.
Instructions
-
Old dough
Mix old dough: flour, water, salt, and a small share of yeast.
-
Maturation
Hold the old dough in the refrigerator until the next day.
-
Mix
Combine the preferment with the final ingredients and mix to a soft dough.
-
Bulk fermentation
Carry on until noticeable rise, gas, and a lively surface.
-
Shape
Shape a log and place in the pan.
-
Final proof
Proof to puffiness and slow finger-poke return; check height and surface stability.
-
Bake
Bake by the working-sheet regime to the target internal temperature.
-
Cool and assess
Cool completely, slice, and record the conclusion by the lesson's main variable.
For readers who want to understand why the formula changed.
S2-C14 hypothesis
Old dough with 25% flour will give flavor and strength if water and salt are recalculated without double counting.
Iteration analysis
01 One variable matters more than a beautiful formula
- Observation
- Old dough easily produces a double count of salt and water.
- Hypothesis
- Old dough with 25% flour will give flavor and strength if water and salt are recalculated without double counting.
- Decision and why
- Count the old dough inside the overall formula.
- Conclusion
- soft pan loaf with deeper flavor and no oversalting
02 The working sheet must match the formula
- Observation
- Ingredients, stages, and schedule are written so that the working sheet matches the formula.
- Hypothesis
- If the formula and the sheet diverge, the tasting conclusion loses meaning.
- Decision and why
- Added formula math, schedule with relative times, and comments at each step.
- Conclusion
- The formula, working sheet, and tasting conclusion must stay linked by the lesson's single variable.
Version history
- v1.0May 24, 2026in development
- Problem
- S2 needs a lesson on old dough as a soft pan component.
- Change
- Created the S2-C14 lesson: soft pan loaf on old dough.
Questions
Why does S2-C14 sit in this place in the course?
After the boiling-water yudane it is logical to test a fermented component without sourdough acidity.
Can several parameters be changed at once?
No. The lesson is built around one variable; other changes belong in a separate version.
What counts as the main result?
Compare the aromatic profile with the S2-A1 baseline: record whether depth and a slight maturity appeared in the flavor. Check that the final dough is not oversalted (the old dough already contains 2 g of salt). If flavor did not deepen, raise the old dough share to 200 g or extend its refrigerator hold to 18 hours.