Crust too hard and thick that almost causes gum bleeding
I'm a newbie to the bread making world. I decided to learn and make my own bread after I fell in love with a heavenly good multi-grain toast at a cafe. And I hope bread makers here could help me with my questions:
1. What can I do to avoid such a hard and thick crust? I've posted some pictures of this loaf at the end of this post.
2. Do I need a bread knife to slice the bread with regular/normal crust? If yes, please help me with which knife I should get. I got so lost when searching on Amazon.
Thanks a lot!
Here are some background information:
I've been feeding my starter for 35 days, with bleached APF and purified water. The alcohol smell sometimes is strong even I feed it once every 12 hours. But up to now, it rises to double the size at about 4-5th hour after feeding in temp of 70-75F. I tried to keep it at 70-75F in the day time when the temp is stable, and at night, keep it in a small cooler bag where I put two 17oz bottles filled with hot water. The temp usually holds around 80F in the first 4 hours and cool down overnight. In the morning when I open the cooler, it's almost like 60-65F, as it's still cold in my area.
When I thought my starter was strong to make the sourdough bread, I followed the instruction on this website: http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-sourdough-bread-224367. I tried to follow it as much as possible to avoid potential mistakes.
Except
1. I used half the amount because I only need one loaf. The amount listed below is already cut in half from the original recipe.
2. The crust is way too hard. And I do not have a bread knife. I had to use my heavy duty knife that was used to cut the pork bones. And still, it's a pain to slice/cut. I think I have plenty upper arm workout when I finally finish cutting one loaf.
3. I do not have a scale. So I used cup and measuring spoons.
Here are the ingredients and amounts.
For the leaven:
1/2 tablespoon active sourdough starter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour or bread flour
1/6 cup purified water
For the dough:
1/2 tablespoon salt
1 1/4 cups water
2 3/4 cups bleached APF
The following is what I did to bake this loaf.
- Make the leaven (overnight): I used my starter when it almost doubled the original size after 3 hours that I fed it, mixed it with APF and purified water, and leave it covered at room temp of 60F. The next morning, I found my leaven is not floating in the lukewarm water. I decided to add 0.66% of total APF (775 grams) instant yeast, which is about 2.5 grams. I dissolved the yeast in 1/4 cup of water.
- Dissolve the salt: Combine the salt and in 1/4 cup of the water for the dough in a small bowl. Set aside, stirring every so often to make sure the salt dissolves.
- Mix the leaven and water: Combine the leaven and the remaining 3/4 cup of water for the dough in a large mixing bowl. Stir with a spatula to break up and dissolve the leaven into the water.
- Add the flour and yeast: Stir the flour into the water and leaven with a spatula until no more visible dry flour.
- Rest the dough for 4 hours at about 70F. Dough was a little more than double size (Sign of over proofing?).
- Mix in the salt: Pour the dissolved salt over the dough. I used a spatula to scoop the side and kinda fold over to roughly mix the liquid with the dough.
- Begin folding the dough: Fold and stretch for 6 times every half hour and rest for 30 minutes in between.
- Let the dough rise undisturbed for 60 minutes in oven with high on. The dough looked larger than it did when I started.
- Shape the dough into loose rounds
- Rest the dough for 30 minutes in oven with light on
- Shape the loaves
- Transfer to the proofing baskets: Place it into the mixing bowl with clean dishwasher dusted with flour, upside down.
- Let the dough rise overnight in the fridge. About 12 hours later, I took the bowl out to the room temperature and waited for 1 hour. The original instruction says no wait to warm up. Maybe another step for over proofing?
- Heat the oven to 500°F: Place the Dutch oven with lid in the oven, and heat to 500°F for 25 minutes.
- Transfer the loaves to the Dutch ovens
- Score the top of the loaf
- Bake the loaves for 20 minutes
- Reduce the oven temperature to 450°F and bake for another 10 minutes.
- Remove the lids and continue baking for 25 minutes
- Bake another 15 to 25 minutes. Continue baking until the crust is deeply browned; aim for just short of burnt. It might feel a bit unnatural to bake loaves this fully, but this is where a lot of the flavor and texture of the crust comes in.
- Cool the loaves completely before slicing, or cutting in my case.
I have never heard of adding the salt after the first rise. Are you sure the recipe called for that?
Putting the loaf in a plastic bag after it cools will soften the crust.
You do need a bread knife and a scale.
Yes, it is what the recipe called for.
I will try the plastic bag. Thanks!
I've seen a lot youtuber making bread and haven't seen anyone mentioning the plastic bag tip. They sliced their bread like breeze. I've very confused.
chef's knife to slice my bread , it's the go to knife in my kitchen . As to the crust , looking at the photo , I can't see how it can be all that hard , crisp maybe , but not tough . But it is tough and the reason could well be the baking time , 20 minutes + 10 minutes + 25 minutes + 15 -25 minutes. equals far too long ,and the temperature , 500*F is far too hot .
That bread dried out in the oven . Too Hot and Too Long .
The crumb looks good , so your dough was good ,. Do that same mix again , and Do Not pre-heat the cast iron .
Raise the dough it as per normal , and when it is baking time , place it into the floured , or greased room temperature cast iron oven .
Pre-heat the stove to about 400*F , and hold at that heat for 15-20 mins , place the cast iron into the center of the oven , (with or with-out the lid , it matters little) , and bake for about 25 mins.
To see if its done , test with a metal meat skewer or knitting needle . Take it out if it is , give it 5 more if it is not .
Place the baked loaf on a wire rack , on the kitchen table , UNcoverd , until cold .
Eat at your pleasure .
I will try different oven temp next time. Thanks, PatMax.
I always thought my oven temp was not hot enough to start with. The first 2 loaves that I tried, I set one time at 475F and the other time at 500F only for 5 min before I put the dough in. They were both in for 15-20min with lid on, then 20 min with lid off. The inside seems not cooked through. And the crust was almost the same hard as this one.
Anything thought?
"To see if its done , test with a metal meat skewer or knitting needle . Take it out if it is , give it 5 more if it is not ." - I'm not sure if I understood it. Could you explain? Thanks.
BTW, the bread smells wonderful today. I just need to be very careful when biting on it otherwise my gum will be hurt..
using a metal knitting needle to figure out if my bread is done would work for me. I bake my breads to above 205F and often, when I take the reading at that temperature, there is still some dough that slightly sticks to the probe. I make sure to cool my breads completely before cutting as I know that the moisture needs to redistribute after baking. This needle trick certainly works for cakes, though!
with the dutch oven inside for about 45 - 60 minutes. I load the bread after slashing and bake 15 - 18 minutes with the lid on, usually dropping the temperature to about 225°c. remove lid then bake 20 minutes more. Internal temperature is usually 207°c by then. this is for loaves up to 800 gms approx. sometimes they need a minute or two longer but not for a normal loaf. Rye breads are another story and I can't comment. but for a white, or mostly white loaf, even a multigrain loaf this is enough.
Always allow to cool before cutting.
I have found lately that adding 10-15% spelt (white or wholemeal) has given me a wonderfully thin crust.
Happy baking
Leslie
If the test did not work , I would not be advising its use . It does work with bread , I do it often myself , that is why I recommend it . All of my advice is the fruit of my personal experience over 40 or so years of bread baking , and I hope that that is the same for all members of this forum .
Mooloaf , Wild Yeast dough ( sourdough ) , is best baked a lower temperature than commercial factory manufactured bread yeast . By lowering the temperature and monitoring the baking time , you will over time , establish the parameters within which your oven , your doughs , and your baking containers perform , be they cast iron camp ovens or tin pans etc.
Keep the process simple , you make a good dough , keep using that method , and bake with it . Stick the recipe book in a drawer for a while , along with all other books and recipes. Using the one you now know, try different loaf shapes , try baking without the cast iron pot for instance , a flat oven tray works just as well , compare the similarities and differences in the loaves . You have a kitchen oven that allows you to bake all manner of shapes and sizes .
Let loose , experiment , and most of all , enjoy it .
Not even 40 months. More like like 16 months... of baking bread by hand. No idea how long making it with a tweaked recipe in a bread machine... that could be more like 20-30 years. ;-)
Can You tell us what to look for with the knitting needle? I love to learn new things!
Bread , when cooked leaves the spike as clean as when it went in . Look for uncooked dough on the metal when the spike is withdrawn , and extend the bake time accordingly .
Please note that the thread author is not relying on a machine to process dough into bread . If your machine is not processing correctly , I suggest that you take it back and get a refund .