The Fresh Loaf

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Help? achieving a soft crust like asian bread

Baking Enthusiast's picture
Baking Enthusiast

Help? achieving a soft crust like asian bread

Hello there guys

i've been practicing my baking skill these past months and now i'm stucked in this situation where i want to create a super soft crust (almost no crust) bread like asian bread style.

currently i have two main problems

1.my bread always end up with a pale crust.i used beaten egg (whole) and evaporated milk as a glaze and i have tried to increase the amount of sugar to 15 % of the flour but it still wont do.
if i put my tray on the upper deck, my bread crust will get brown but only the top part of the bread (the side part is still pale)

2.even if the top part is getting brown color,it was not soft at all.it was stiff. but the  side part of the bread crust which has a pale color was soft

i've read some articles that in order to soften the crust,i should lubricate butter on top of freshly baked bread,but it doesnt help much

 the other article said to cover the bread with a slightly damp towel.but i think instead of making the crust softer,it makes my bread much denser and heavier

3. this is a little bit out of track,but im really curious about how commercial bakery manage to keep their bread still soft for 1-2 days
    mine will get stiff at several hours after baking.any thoughts on that?

im looking forward to your response

thanks !

 

Mini Oven's picture
Mini Oven

fresh from the oven sitting on the cooling rack.  I just cut off a pad of butter (1 teaspoon) and hold it on the loaf with a pastry brush as I move it around to cover the crust.  Then let it fall down the side if anything is left.  As the loaf cools the butter traps steam in the crust and it softens.

To get a browner crust, leave it in the oven longer, 5 more minutes perhaps.  Or turn your oven up just a tiny bit, it could be the oven's too cold.  Come to think of it, you give several hints that the oven is not up to temperature.  Dried out bread, pale crust, stiff crumb.  Got an independent oven thermometer?

Baking Enthusiast's picture
Baking Enthusiast

thanks for your reply

i've tried brushing butter on top of freshly baked bread.it helps to soften but not as soft as in bakery.

i dont have oven therm right now,going to buy one soon

the problem is,if i want to get a brown color for my crust, i have to move the tray to upper deck of the oven or increase the temp of the oven

and when i do that,my bread will only get a brown color on the top site,and he brown crust is quite stiff.

does this mean the problem lies in my oven? 

dabrownman's picture
dabrownman

Japanese style white bread crust I make Japanese white bread with eggs, cream and sugar but also with yeast water instead of yeast or SD, bake at 25 F degrees  lower temperature and brush milk on it when it comes out of the oven.  If I want it paler too then we cover the loaf with foil.  Soft crust is never a problem but if you want a crispy crust on this bread - it must be impossible.

Baking Enthusiast's picture
Baking Enthusiast

hi there

thanks for your reply

i have replaced my oven with a better one,lower the temp a bit

and the result is good !

i can get soft crust with a nice brown color

but there's a minor problem with my bread,many people said that brushing freshly baked bread with butter helps to create a softer crust by sealing the moist,it does indeed,
but i think the moist sealing will effect my crumbs too?because i feel like my bread getting a bit denser after i brush a butter on top of freshly baked bread. 

any thoughts?

 

 

 

dabrownman's picture
dabrownman

with Non Fat Milk instead of butter and see if that is more to your liking,

Baking Enthusiast's picture
Baking Enthusiast

hi there

i've tried using milk instead of butter and it doesnt make much difference

i think the problem is i didnt let my my dough rise for a sufficient time before baking

i will try to prolong the final rising time !