Rye/Spelt loaf burning on top, not baked in the middle
Hi new guy to both bread baking, and this forum. Loving my new sourdough hobby and my family seems to approve too!
I have been trying a sourdough rye/spelt loaf pan bread recipe I got in a baking class at Central Milling I took a month or so ago. The bread is delicious but, each time I bake it the top gets burned and the inside is not done yet. Internal temp is below the target of 208 but the top is blacking. Could I cover with foil after the first half of baking? The recommended bake temp is 480 for 40-50 minutes. I baked one again two days ago and dropped the temp to 460 and the same result.
have a BluesStar range with the burner in the rear of the oven. I wonder if that is the problem. My other breads that I bake in a Dutch oven come out beautifully.
Mike
Just for reference a picture of my other loaves.
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How much rye is in it?
"... range with the burner in the rear of the oven. I wonder if that is the problem. My other breads that I bake in a Dutch oven come out beautifully. "
Sounds like you have a convection oven. If so, that is the likely problem. With the burner on the back wall of the oven, and no burner on the bottom, you have to use the convection fan, and that is drying out the bread.
So.... try covering the loaf with foil, for basically the whole bake, or at least for the first 1/2 to 2/3rds of the bake. You'll have to experiment.
But the prime suspect in over-cooking the top is the convection fan.
added note: Some convection ovens have a "Bread setting", but I'm not sure what that changes from a regular setting. Look it up in your oven manual. (If you don't have the printed manual, you can usually find them on line.) If the Bread-setting reduces the fan speed, that might help.
60% rye, 40% spelt. It is a convection oven but I dont bake with the convection fan on. Now, I do hear a fan come on when the burner fires up to maintain temp. So, I bet it’s just that amount of fan that is doing the damage. I will try to cover with foil. Thanks!
try double thickness of foil over the top. From here, the tops don't look too dark to me. Might also try baking at 425°F or 430°F. General rule is if the crust is too dark and the inside not baked, the oven is too hot. :)
I will follow your advice on covering the loaf.