The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

My bread has fallen and it can't get up...

fsu1mikeg's picture
fsu1mikeg

My bread has fallen and it can't get up...

Hi, I hope this is the right forum to ask a question...

I am pretty new to bread baking, so I get stumped pretty easily.  I have been making Dreikornbrot (three seed bread) from the Local Breads recipe.  First time it came out pretty nice, but I decided it could've used a couple more minutes in the oven.  I used my first rye starter and it didn't even look ready (it was pretty stiff, unlike the "porridge-like" description from the book).  Nevertheless, it made a nice bread.  On subsequent refreshes, the starter looked perfect.  It was creamy and rose and developed the holes just like in the picture.  But the bread that resulted from those seemingly perfect starters didn't come out as good as the first try.  The dough rose great, but was much stickier and harder to handle during the forming stage.  The resulting bread tasted ok, but the roof sort of caved in after it was taken from the oven.  I assume this is because the dough was too moist and and the structure was too weak to keep it's shape?  Do I need to adjust the flour upwards to account for the more liquidy starter that I'm using?  Was the starter more correct in the stiffer form than the "porridge-like" form that Leader described?  I'm just a little perplexed and disappointed, because I love the bread and I want it to come out of the tin with the perfect "dome", and not a sinkhole.  Thanks in advance.

PaddyL's picture
PaddyL

I've seen loaves of non-sourdough collapse if they've been allowed to rise too much before baking.  Or you might not be leaving the bread in long enough to bake through.  If it's darkening too much on top, you could tent it with foil and leave it in a little longer.

Mini Oven's picture
Mini Oven

How long did you bake it and at what temperature? 

Mini O

fsu1mikeg's picture
fsu1mikeg

...and baked it at 400F for 39 minutes.  The baking time called for between 35-45 minutes.  The first time I took it out at 35 and it was nicely risen, but I decided it could have used a couple more minutes to be a little darker and crisper.  So I adjusted it to 39 the subsequent two tries.  It came out nicely browned and crisp, but the top collapsed.  Other than baking an extra 4 minutes, the only other difference was the rye starter was more liquid and bubbly than on my first attempt.  I thought that was how the starter was supposed to be, but then I wondered after the resulting bread collapsed on me, plus was so sticky when trying to form it into the loaf tin.  I do think I let it proof a bit longer the last two times, so that may be the problem.  I wanted it to rise to near the top of the tin, but that may be too much.  Other than that, I can only think that the dough is too moist.

fsu1mikeg's picture
fsu1mikeg

Just thought I'd update my latest attempt at making dreikornbrot (I erroneously called it volkornbrot in the initial post)...

I proofed it just under an hour this time and it did not fall.  It looks about as good as I think I can expect.  Slightly domed and very light and moist crust.  I didn't add more flour to the dough, but did use more flour on the counter and on my hands during the forming stage.  It was much easier to handle and get into the tin.  I might even go a little longer yet in the baking, since it probably could've been a little darker and firmer (I went 39 minutes).  Today I'm trying the German farmhouse rye.  Hopefully it will come out just as good.

Paddyscake's picture
Paddyscake

Yikes, you just jogged my memory!! I grew up in Connecticut and there was Dreikorn Bread company from Massachusetts. Their bread was more like "Wonder Bread".
Any other New Englander's remember this brand?

Sorry to get off the subject, a jogged memory is a terrible thing to waste  :  )