The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Crazy lop-sided oven spring - What can I do?

JWK1's picture
JWK1

Crazy lop-sided oven spring - What can I do?

Hey All,  I'm in a rent trailer for the present time and have to use an old, horrible, bottom-of-the-line gas range from the 80s.  I'm just making sandwich loaves with about 30% WW and Bread Flour, both KA.  Everything is working fine, great oven spring, but the oven spring is only on one side of the loaf.  It really is crazy looking.  There is about 3 inches of spring on one side and nothing on the other.  Other than this, the bread comes out great.

Presently I'm pre-heating the oven at 400, put the bread pans in, then turn it down to 350 for the bake.  I've tried starting at 475, 450, in the hopes that the gas wouldn't have to come on too soon and perhaps make a more even spring.  Nothing works.  I've even tried just pre-heating to 350.  All that happens then is not as much oven spring, not enough browning of the crust, but still that lop-sided spring.

Anyone have any ideas?

Lazy Loafer's picture
Lazy Loafer

If you are not scoring the loaf, try scoring it quite deeply right down the centre of the loaf. And rotate it halfway through the bake. It sounds like it might be trying to 'unroll' (assuming you've rolled the dough during shaping to put it in the pan) and springing as close to the seam as it can get.

yozzause's picture
yozzause

A picture  is worth a thousand words if you can load a pic it will be of great assistance

pul's picture
pul

Most probably your oven is not distributing the heat evenly and causing one side to spring more than other. Perhaps you should turn your tin loaf 30% into the baking time and see what happens.