Fruit Bread too soggy troubles
Hi there,
I am new to this website and can't wait to get some baking in. I have only just started baking bread for my family and enjoying it greatly.
I made my 2nd loaf of a fruit bread which was better than the first but still had some problems with it.
It was baked for 30min on a 425F oven with the top beautifully brown and giving a lightly hollow sound. I took it out and mum and I tried it and loved its beautiful lightness.
Upon slicing a further slice later on we discovered that the inside was still had a slightly moist ('gooey'). It tasted ok but the inside was not quite done.
Should I reduce the oven temp and lengthen the time? Or should I cover the bread with foil so the bread cooks evenly? Or should I bake smaller loaves? I am only very new at this so any tips would be great!
I can provide the recipe here if it helps.
Thanks,
Emily
That happened to me when I first started so I bought an instant read thermometer and no more problems. Most breads need to be 190-200F internal temp to be done. It really made that part less anxiety provoking.
As for the oven temp, it does depend on what the bread is made with-is this a whole wheat? AP flour?Other grain? IS it a sweet bread? Does it have oil or butter in it? Give us a recipe or at least an ingredient list and a general description so you can get the best recommendation for your bread.
Thank you for your prompt response. I have read about using an instant read thermometer and will look into getting one.
The ingredients list for the recipe is as follows:
3.5 cups AP Flour (+ extra for kneading)
.5 cup WW Flour
2.25 cups water
1 tsp salt
1.5 tbsp Sugar
1 tbsp Oil
1 packet yeast
250gm fruit (I used a mix of chopped apricots, sultanas and raisins)
Cinnamon and Nutmeg
1. Soak fruit in warm water for 10min. Drain thoroughly.
1. Add 1/4 cup water, 1/2 tbsp sugar and yeast and let sit for 10min.
3. In a bowl add 2 cups water, oil, salt and remaining sugar
4. Mix 3 cups of flour slowly, stiring to remove lumps.
5. Add yeast/sugar mix and combine well.
6. Add remaining flour
7. Knead for 8 min. Knead drained fruit into dough
8. Cover in plastic wrap and let rise in 80F area until doubled (approx 1 hours)
9. Punch down, divide in half, round up and cover. Let dough rest 10-15min.
10. Shape into loaves and place in greased sheet pans. Cover with damp towl and let rise until doubled in size.
11. Bake in 425F oven for 30 to 35 minutes for round loaves, 15 to 20 minutes for long, thin loaves.
How does oven temp range with the use of different flour/flour mixes? I have read something about the weight of the dough/batter.
Yes, easily done after the first 10 minutes into the bake. If the crust is lovely brown but the inside is not baked through, the oven is too hot. Turn down to 400° to finish the bake adding on approximately 10 to 15 minutes. Cover with foil only when the loaf is too brown half way into the bake to prevent further browning.
How was the browning on the bottom of the loaf?
So you recomend that I bake at the 425 for the first 10 min, turn to 400 at 10min and let run through to 25 min? This will be in the oven for the same time period but will it allow for the inside to bake through?
I apologise for all my newbie questions!
The loaf was beautiful on the outside and the crust was supurb. There was no browning on the bottom of the loaf. It was that beautiful golden colour with a nice soft texture.
Ovens tend to take a while to cool down so you can probably preheat the oven to the recommended cooking temp and as soon as you put the loaf in, lower it by about 35-50 degrees. This way you get the proper oven spring and still get to stretch out the cooking time. Regardless of recommendations that anyone on this forum makes, the only way to figure out what will really work is to try it. Just make sure you write a note on the recipe after its figured out. Evey oven is dfiferent, every ingredient is different and every baking condition is different so play around till you get it right. Your original ideas were all appropriate so go with your gut.