August 9, 2018 - 4:06am
Sourdough under-baked ?
My Sourdough comes up regularly nice and dark and crusty, but inside it seems damp and under-baked.
Not wanting the crust to be burnt, would it help next time to reduce the oven temperature significantly and increase the baking time.
But how much lower, and how much longer ?
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I'd rather reduce the dough quantity.
I bake at 240° for 20-30 mins loaves of ~350 grams and the result is always good
- aim for an internal loaf temperature of 95C for straight doughs. If your bake is too bold by the time you have reached this temp, reduce your oven temp; also check for direct heat from a top oven element?
As a rescue on the hoof, if getting too dark, but not up to internal temp, you could also cover the top of the loaf with ali foil to reduce browning.
Premature browning can also be caused by the presence of sugars - either intentionally added or by malt addition or malt present in flour.
Lance
... 10 mins at 245C then 10 mins at 225C then coast (oven off) for 5 mins for 4 X 500g freeform loaves. Always works for me
As a beginner, I have had this problem, too. I have come to the conclusion that 100% whole wheat losves require longer cooking, at least in my oven. I have to bake loaves of about 950g for about 1 hr 50 mins. I start with a high temp of 250C for 10 mins, then reduce to 230 for 30 mins, then 185 for 1 hour. I leave the loaves in a turned-off oven for 20 mins. This seems to be the only way I can avoid a gummy residue on the knife when slicing the loaf the next day. I'd be very interested to read about the experiences of more expert whole-wheat bakers.