January 8, 2015 - 10:24am
IF Thermometer
What is the best way of telling the internal temperature of a sourdough loaf? Probe thermometers will create holes in the loaf. Any Ideas? Also There is quite a difference in prices for thermometers that seem to have the same capabilities.
Thank You
Jim
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I'm getting back into baking after a long absence. I used Gold Rush Products starter and it worked pretty well. Has anyone used the
Ed Woods International Sourdough starters and are they much better. The prices for the latter are much higher.
Thank You
Jim
You do get a little hole in your bread, but it isn't too bad unless your checking over and over again.
I use the thermapen and I think it is great. While a lot of them look like they have the same capabilities, it is the little details that really make a difference.
thermometer and yes you get a small hole but its not a problem. Mine has both celcius and farenheit which is great as lots of recipes use farenheit but here in NZ we use celcius. a win all round. Takes the guess work out of deciding when internal temperature has reached the desired level.
good luck and enjoy your baking.
The big difference between a cheap digital thermometer, and an expensive on, is speed. The high-end Thermapen thermometers can give you an accurate temperature in right around one second. Less expensive thermometers can take 10-15 seconds. You really don't want to be holding a thermometer in a 500 degree oven for 10-15 seconds. Not to mention that leaving the door of the oven open that long is costing you heat, and thus extending cooking times.
After I made several loaves using a pizza stone and steam at 500dF, I stopped checking the internal temp. I could consistently hit 205dF internal temp after 20 minutes of baking.
The only "test" I perform now is to flip the loaf and tap the bottom listening for the "hollow sound."
I wouldn't use an infrared thermometer, they depend on a phenomena called "emissivity" ... basically all materials emit different amounts of infrared radiation depending on their emissivity. So it is possible you'll get 2 materials that have the same actual temp but the IR "thermometer" will tell you they have different temperatures because they're emitting different amounts of IR radiation.
If you really want to measure the temp, I'd suggest a meat thermometer and putting it into the loaf in an inconspicuous place.
-Dave