September 14, 2016 - 7:07am
Bread problem
I make homemade bread quite a bit using General Mills flour 53381 and have good results not the best but good. I tried the exact same recipe with Bread Flour and the problem was the crust was not hard it was kind of soft. The inside was fine but the outside was soft any ideas? I use Peter Rinehart's Italian Bread recipe with a Biga . Any suggestions?
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Do you try and get some steam into your oven when baking or do you bake in a dutch oven?
I use a pan and add water when i put the loafs in and i spray the walls every 45 seconds for the first 3 minutes . I have been using this recipe for a while now and i get a good crust with the 53381 flour just not with bread flour. I thought i would get the same crust with that flour.
Is a typical strength of a European Bread flour at 12.6% but you said you have had different results with bread flour. I'd be interested in the actual differences between the two.
I think spraying the oven every 45 seconds for 3 minutes is not going to increase the steam to such a level where you get great results. If the preheated pan at the bottom with water in it is not working then a few sprays isn't. Apart from baking in a Dutch oven it is very difficult to create steam and opening the door might be detrimental letting steam out. These are just my own ideas from personal experience. Perhaps some more professional baker on this site can help.
What I would do is make sure you're using the preheated pan correctly. I'd preheat the oven and pan then add the water allowing it to bubble before putting the dough in then keep the door shut. This will prevent the steam from escaping.
What I'd also do is keep the fan off until the oven spring is finished (but compensate for the lower temperature by turning it up) then when that is finished turn the fan on and the temperature down which will form a crust. I'd try to take out the steam tray once it isn't needed anymore to help with crust formation with a dryer oven. Do so carefully.
Just some ideas from a very novice baker.
I used to have the same problem until I started making my bread in a Dutch Oven with the lid on for the first 20 min and Oven at 4 00 f using the Chad Robertson from. Tartine bread book, you should try it!! Now my crust are crackling golden brown