The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Artisan baking enigma

caritimo's picture
caritimo

Artisan baking enigma

Hello everyone,

Hoping someone can help me solve my baking problem. 6 years of baking bread twice a week with generally great results, but I've had this problem relatively often:

- my loaves looks great on the outside, great crust, nice elastic crumb BUT

- I get a large "bubble" under the top crust which can be various square inches in area, spreading just under the surface of the top of the loaf.

Anybody else encountered this?

I usually bake in a dutch oven but it's also happened with baking on a pizza stone. My dough is usually high hidration (over 70%, typically 73-74%). Oven is heated to 230C, then I lower the temperature to 200C.

Thanks for any insight!

Tim

Ford's picture
Ford

This subject has been discussed by others more knowledgeable about this problem than I.  I have perused the subject and think you might get some pointers from the discussions.  In the upper right side of this page is a search box.  Search under the subject of flying crust.  I hope this is helpful.

Ford

caritimo's picture
caritimo

Thanks for the tip Ford, I had no idea it was called Flying Crust!

I have already read many posts - I would say I'm probably either overproofing or not forming the loaf probably.

Tim

Fatmat's picture
Fatmat

I have heard if this problem referref to as lazy baker's beds. The same thing happened to me for a while. My conclusions were that the holes were the result of under developed gluten, over relaxed gluten, too much water and too high an oven temperature resulting in violent initial oven spring. 

My thought is that a hard crust forms quickly that rips away from the main body.

Just a theory and I'm quite happy to accept that I could be talking nonsense.

Of interest... I have noticed that it doesn't seem to happen when I have left loaves to finish rising in the fridge.