April 10, 2017 - 8:52am
Crust on Hamelman's Rustic Bread not crunchy/crispy??
On to my 5th Hamelman formula. Tried the Rustic Bread last night and while everything seemed to go according to plan, the crust ended up not crispy/crunchy as I like and expected.
Of all the breads I've tried so far (Pain Rustique, Country Bread, Vermont Sourdough, Vermont Sourdough with Wheat), all had a beautiful crisp, crackling crust. I used the exact same technique - preheated stones in the oven at least 30-45 minutes, pre-steam with a few ice cubes, full steam with 1 cup boiling water, bake according to his recommended time.
The color on the crust was beautiful, but the texture was much softer/chewier than I expected.
Great sages - what could have gone wrong?
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We need more information before we can give an opinion. What was your oven temperature and how long was it in? What was the hydration? Most important, what was the interior temperature of the bread and the bread shape?
Ford
Oven temp was 450 - was in for 35 minutes. Hydration I don't recall off the top of my head but I think around 70% or so. Bread was shaped into round loaves (used baneton). I don't know the interior temp of the bread - I've never taken the temp when I pull it out of the oven before - am I supposed to do that too?
i just took a course with him at King Arthur. He bakes his bread for a long time. Not burnt, but for longer than i would've thought. Especially with high hydration breads. He has a theory that breads reach temperature at 3/4s of the way through it's baking cycle, and needs that last 1/4 to properly dry out/set.
Something else you can do at home, if you're worried about burning your bread, is to turn off the oven at the end of your bake, but keep your bread in, and stick a wooden spoon in the oven door to keep it ajar. Let it sit in there for another 15 minutes. (I always have to warn people when i do this, though, because it really heats up the stovetop knobs)
about the bread getting too dark so I pull it a minute or two before the recommended time (my oven runs hot). I think that may be it if I'm honest.
Might it have been a cooling problem? Or exposed to steam for too long?
because as usual I can't stop the family from cutting into at least 1 loaf within 30 minutes of coming out of the oven (grr!) but this morning the non-cut loaf still had the same texture/feel of the crust that the one that was cut into has. I wondered about the steam, although I used the exact same technique for each of my 4 previous loaves with no issues whatsoever.
Measurement of the interior temperature of a loaf is the best way to judge whether the loaf is done, Here is a dissertation on the subject.
http://blog.kingarthurflour.com/2017/04/07/using-a-thermometer-with-yeast-bread/?utm_content=ec170409a-easter-recipes&go=EC170409A_B1&trk_msg=4JUFNPCT...
Now get a thermometer, and good baking!
Ford
but I do it in loaf pans as we use it for sandwiches and toast. This does not get the same kind of crust that sourdough breads that are free form do. I did bake some rolls and a loaf that I let rise in an oblong proofing basket and neither of those had super crunchy crusts. I think it's a function of a yeast bread as opposed to a levain one.