The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Bread not getting to temperature

cholme's picture
cholme

Bread not getting to temperature

I am having a little trouble with a white bread recipe.  I want to bake a typical sandwich loaf with super soft crust, one that my kids will like for sandwiches.  I have a recipe that works well, but when I try to bake it to 190 or 200 Deg the crust gets too dark.  It actually get dark around 160deg and I wind up taking it out... which makes it stale prematurely. 

Here are the details.

4.5 cups flour 

2 cups water

1tsp active dry yeast

1 tsp salt

1 tbls honey

375deg - 25 min + 18 min covered with foil

Antilope's picture
Antilope

Bread will brown starting at an oven temperature of 325-F. The main reason to use higher temperatures is to speed up cooking or to make a crispy, crunchy crust. Baking bread is a balance. You want the crust to be browned and the interior to be done at nearly the same time to prevent too dark a crust or a dry interior.
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Mini Oven's picture
Mini Oven

Try lowering the shelf in the oven.  Also turn on your oven and notice if the lower coil heats up.  Place the pan on the shelf and look where the rim of the pan is located.  To start, it should be in the exact middle of the oven.  Move the supporting rack until the pan rim (top) lines up to the middle.  Most often the bottom shelf.  

Get an oven thermometer and stand it inside the oven so you know when the oven has reached baking temperature.  Do not put an unprotected, uncovered  loaf in the oven during pre-heating, the temperatures can be too hot (High) and burn the loaf before the thermostat levels out the oven temperature.  

Are you putting anything on the loaf surface before baking that helps it brown faster?  butter? oil?  

cholme's picture
cholme

Thanks so much.  I don't know why I started with the oven that high in the first place.  I lowered to 325˚ F and lowered the tray a bit.  Worked like a charm.  I think I will try it at 350˚ next time though... I think I overcompensated a bit.

Thanks so much for the input.