how to get more open crumb
I have been having this issue across all my lean sourdough breads. I am working towards achieving a more open crumb. I know taste wise this is fine and ppl got mad my last baguette post bc I wanted a more open crumb but I am more so asking so I can learn how to achieve that kind of crumb not just for taste. i hope you can understand 😭😭 I labeled my images as well as the desired crumb I am looking for
I am now making ciabatta with this formula:
400 g bread flour
345 g water
100 g starter
7 g salt
12 g EVOO
i mixed all ingredients together, rested 45 minutes, then performed 1 stretch-and-fold rested for 45 min then followed by 2 coil folds at 45-minute intervals. so bulk fermented at room temperature (~75°F) for around 3 hours total before transferring to an oiled container and cold fermenting at 38°F for ~48 hours. I meant to bake it earlier like after 12 hour cold fermentation but I didn’t have time until close to 48 hr later. Bake day I took it out of fridge for around 30 min and divided and rest for 30 min and then baked.
I’m struggling with getting a more open/lacy crumb in my sourdough ciabatta. My crumb tends to have a denser/spongier center with smaller alveoli, while the outer areas have larger holes. The bread is not dense overall and shows decent fermentation/translucency, but I’m not getting the large irregular internal holes I’m aiming for.
I’m trying to figure out what the likely limiting factor is:
am I building too much strength?
underproofing slightly?
degassing too much during divide/transfer?
not enough extensibility?
or possibly overhandling during transfer to the oven?
Would appreciate any feedback from people experienced with high hydration ciabatta or open-crumb sourdoughs.