May 11, 2018 - 7:44am
rustic boule
ok, so I have been baking sourdough for about 8 months now and the bread is very good. The crust will not get as "crusty" as i want. It comes out looking nice and sounds crusty, but once it is cool it doesnt have as much crispness to the crust. If i put it back in the oven for 5 minutes when ready to eat it the crust will crisp back up. How do i get the crust to be crispy from the firt bake?
I have used steam for 5 minutes, 10 minutes, and 15 minutes. I have used a dutch oven then finished with top off. I have used dutch oven and removed the loaf and finished outside the dutch oven.
They weigh about 1000 grams at 80% hydration.
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Are you letting the bread cool completely and uncovered?
Yes, I have left it uncovered overnight. I have left it uncovered for an hour, and for 2 hours uncovered.
Hmmm. I'm stumped...
You could try leaving the baked bread in the turned off oven with the door cracked for 5 minutes or so after the bake is complete. It could be the moisture inside the bread crumb is migrating to the crust as it cools.
How do you store the bread?
Dan
Yes, I have tried that and I've tried lowering the temperature of the oven from 475 to 4:50 and cook it longer that doesn't work either.
This should be an easily solved problem. Let us know everything you can about the bake. The recipe/formula and the process/instructions.
Have you stuck a temperature probe into the center of the bread right after it comes out of the oven.
Dan
So, i hand mix at 80% hydration, then ferment for at least 10 hours. After, i form and place in banneton until finger test shows ready. Bake for 20 min in dutch oven, then remove from dutch oven and finish in open oven for 15 minutes. has a very nice crust and hollow sound when taped on the bottom.
thoughts?
Fresh out of the oven, the crust is crisp. As the bread cools, moisture in the crumb migrates to the surface, thereby softening the crust. As you have observed, a few minutes back in the oven dries and recrisps the crust temporarily.
Paul
Paul, I live near the Gulf of Mexico and we have constantly high humidity. I store the breads cut side down on an open counter. My crust is chewy, somewhat leathery. I like that.
When I think about it, my crust is not really crispy. I’m now thinking that the only way to have a crispy crust after the bread has cooled off from the bake, is to reheat heat in order to drive out accumulated moisture from the crust.
Is this correct?
Dan
Do remember that each reheat makes the entire loaf a bit dryer than it was, as well as the crust.
My personal preference is for a moist crumb, so I'll tolerate a chewy crust instead of trying to keep the crust crisp.
Paul
the bread does the same thing - as it cools the crust goes soft from the moisture left on the inside.
To combat this as best I can, I brush water all over the crust right before it goes into the steamy oven or DO, I bake the bread to 208 F - 210 F and then leave it on the stone, oven off, with the oven door slightly ajar for 5 minutes before cooling.
You will get great blisters on white breads, Lucy just gave her double duper, super secret, blister technique away, a bolder bake and a crisper crust. Still he next morning it won;'t be as crisp.