Keto bread - small problem
Hello everyone, I've dived into the world of bread making and so far I'm enjoying it!
As the title suggests I have been trying some keto bread recipes and most are great but not similar to a normal sandwich bread from the store. I found one that uses yeast and actually rises and I've been mastering how to make bread at the same time, but in the end last night I was left with a very nice looking loaf but rubbery though crust.
The recipe I am following is https://www.reddit.com/r/keto/comments/650xr6/fp_i_am_excited_to_share_with_you_the_best_low/
at first i was having problems with the rise, so i purchased the Saf instant yeast as suggested and this seems to have fixed that issue. When the loaf was not rising the taste and texture was very good.
With last nights loaf cooled for 10 minutes, it was easy enough to cut a slice and the crust didn't seem that rubbery, only once it was cooled it seemed to be worst. When it was hot I tapped the top and it seemed hard. Now cooled its soft.
Before i try again I wanted to make adjustments but was not sure what could of caused this, here are a few items that I think could of caused the issue,
- Would over kneading cause this rubbery crust?
- Cooking temperature too high?
- Didn't let the loaf cool
I've included a picture of the loaf (sorry some reason the forum is rotating it)
It would be interesting (and helpful) to see how thick the crust was, in profile. I would presume that the rubberiness would come from the vital wheat gluten. If you have ever had seitan (meat sub. made with vital wheat gluten) you would know what I mean. Hard to tell if reducing the gluten and compensating with either more ground flax or another low carb flour would change the rubberiness. You could try dusting the top of the loaf with something that would absorb some of the moisture on the surface of the crust-ground flax? My thought was if the surface of the crust was drier than it would tend to crack/crunch more. Or you could try going the other way and wrap it in a clean dishtowel when you take it out of the oven so the crust stays very moist as it cools.
Some thoughts.
I will post a picture later when i get back home. the crust of my other loafs that did not rise had not turn rubbery at all. The crust of the last one that rose well was hard and crusty at first, i could always change the ratio of the vital wheat gluten and the flax to see if less might be better.
I forgot to mention, not sure if its of any importance, i toasted a few slices and it was just like bread, no chewy rubbery feeling at all.
Here is the picture of the loaf
That loaf is not bad looking for what it is made of. I do have a couple ideas-a picture always helps.
As for the rubberiness, I have a few thoughts:
1. It might help to bake it for just a few minutes more to dry it out a little more. However, with these ingredients, may dry out VERY quickly with more baking, so be aware.
2. Let it cool to warm and then wrap in a clean cotton dishtowel or even paper towels for 12-24hrs to keep the crust humidified as the moisture in the loaf distributes.
3. When you put the dough in the baking pan, dust with a bit of vital wheat gluten, wheat bran, oat bran or ground flax. This dry powder will absorb a bit of moisture before and during the bake to crisp up the crust. I'm not sure if it will help or not.
I also notice the loaf tends to sag as the crumb is so flexible, esp. when it is hot out of the oven. A technique borrowed from angelcake and pannettone makers would probably work for that. With both those items, the cake/loaf is hung upside down in the pan until it is cooled. These are items that cling to the side of the pan and won't fall out when turned upside down. The crumb (which is so weak and flexible when hot) cools and hardens so that when it is removed from the pan it can support its own weight and stand tall. Perhaps a strong magnet on the bottom of the pan and finding a metal surface to suspend it from? If the pan has a lip or handle extending out, just upend it over 2 cans on either end. I have also just put pans on their side right out of the oven and then turned it to the other side every few minutes til cool.
So a few ideas for you. Vital wheat gluten, xanthan gum and ground flax are all inherently rubbery and used to creat support in baked goods so there may not be a lot that can be done to decrease the rubberiness a lot but you may be able to find the best balance for your taste.
Happy baking!
gary
Thank you for all the help, I have finally made this bread and it taste great and the crust was not rubbery.
I did cook it 5 minutes more, sprinkled some ground flax on top of the loaf when i put it in the pan, leave the loaf cool on the counter over night (9 hours). I think the leaving it cool part is the critical part of all this.
One thing i noticed, when i took the loaf out of the oven i had left it in my silicon pan, 2 hours later i noticed it was keeping the moisture against the sides and bottom so i took it out and left it on a cutting board on the counter.