The Fresh Loaf

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How to prevent a flying crust on a batter bread?

Abe's picture
Abe

How to prevent a flying crust on a batter bread?

This is a naturally fermented buckwheat bread. No starter. A brief outline of the recipe...

  1. Soak the buckwheat groats. 12-24 hours. 
  2. Blend into a batter.
  3. Ferment till bubbly. 12-24 hours. 
  4. Add whatever you like and portion out into a loaf pan. 
  5. Wait 30-60 minutes. 
  6. Bake. 

What you get is lovely naturally fermented buckwheat bread which is dense but not heavy. Something akin to a rye bread albeit a different flavour profile. 

All the breads I see have a modest rise with a nice unbroken dome. Or perhaps a bit cracked but nothing too drastic. My buckwheat batter breads seems to rise much more than those who have posted this recipe on-line and it bursts out through the top of the loaf. Don't get me wrong i'm not complaining about the bread rising too much. The crumb I always get seems less dense and has a lovely texture but is there a way to prevent the flying crust? It can't be scored and there's no shaping or much of a rise before it reaches the oven. Can it be something in the bake itself? This bread does not do well with steaming as it will form a white thick crust if one does that. Any ideas? 

P.s. Nobody ever advises if the oven is fan or no fan. The oven i'm using always has a fan and it can't be switched off. Do you think it's best to bake without a fan and if not possible to cover the top preventing the crust forming too quickly?

GaryBishop's picture
GaryBishop

Where do you buy the buckwheat groats?

Abe's picture
Abe

With a fascinating process. Healthy, light on the stomach and suits a gluten free diet. And what's more you don't even need a starter. You need organic whole buckwheat groats which you should be able to find in good supermarkets, like Wholefoods, or health food stores. There are many recipes on-line, all a variation on a theme. Soak, blend, ferment, bake. Once you have the hang of it it's very easy to not follow any particular recipe and go totally by feel without the need to measure the ingredients. When you have bought some I can explain in more depth. 

Here is another post I did on the same recipe. I've given measurements in the post for those who wish to follow it but I never weigh anything anymore. Never do it exactly the same way twice but it always works a treat. 

GaryBishop's picture
GaryBishop

Have you tried baking it in a pullman pan? That would eliminate any fan effects.

Abe's picture
Abe

But because this bread doesn't rise much 500g of buckwheat groats will make a smaller loaf than a 500g of wheat flour. So to fill the pullman and get a tall loaf i'll need to be using a heck of a lot of groats.

But that is a very good idea because when I tried it in a pullman, even though the batter was the wrong amount, it came out well. Might need to invest in a smaller pullman pan for breads like these. 

Thank you Gary. 

GaryBishop's picture
GaryBishop

Our local Whole Foods doesn't carry them, nor our co-op. But I see Wegmans has Bob's Red Mill buckwheat groats. https://www.bobsredmill.com/organic-raw-buckwheat-groats.html. I'll grab some and give it a try.

Abe's picture
Abe

When you have it give me a shout and i'll explain in greater depth, step-by-step. You might also wish to by some seeds to put into the loaf. Pumpkin, Sunflower, Sesame and Flaxseed go very well. But you can have it plain if you wish. This makes a tasty bread but really shines when toasted. 

mariana's picture
mariana

It's the same principle as with other leavened breads, soda breads, batter breads, pound cakes, banana breads, etc., Abe. They will form fissures in weak places and open up along those lines unless we score the surface and let the crust open prettily where we want it.

Denser breads can be scored with a clean sharp blade, one long line in the middle or a corner to corner cross, but batter breads are smoothed out on top and  scored with a greased blade (it does not have to be sharp, you can use a spatula). Do not worry about the line closing up after scoring the surface of the batter. Due to the fat inside it it will open up during baking.

Score along length of the loaf 1/4 inch (1 cm) deep with a knife or a scraper dipped in vegetable oil.

Abe's picture
Abe

Your advice never ceases to amaze me. I thought batter breads were impossible to score but...

...batter breads are smoothed out on top and scored with a greased blade... Do not worry about the line closing up after scoring the surface of the batter. Due to the fat inside it it will open up during baking.

Would have never thought of that. That is a very helpful tip. Can't wait to finish this bread (just made it so i'd better tuck in) to try this out. 

Thank you!!!!! 

mariana's picture
mariana

It might also be an issue of dough hydration or thickness of the baked loaf (how tall it is), Abe. I've seen a variation of that recipe with a very smooth top, without any cracks whatsoever. And they have an ingenious way to control the final hydration of their buckwheat batter to achieve a thin ribbon consistency. 

What they do is to soak 

300g green buckwheat kernels in 600g water for 24 hours

then wash and drain the grains, add 1/2 cup (120g) water, and blend into a smooth dough. Add salt (1/2tsp) and let it ferment for another 24 hours until foamy and somewhat acidic. In other words, the 'slime' and funky smell are not really necessary, the groats can be washed before soaking and after soaking them and they would spontaneously ferment during soaking and afterwards just fine. 

Then you can bake it as is or add 1/4 tsp of soda or baker's yeast for softer and fluffier 'muffin-like' crumb, a tsp of sugar or a tsp of oil are optional, and then bake it for 30-40 min at 180C/365F. 

No seeds are added in that version, except on top, for they will thicken the batter, by absorbing some of its water, for example flaxseed sure will. 

This is how the entire process looks. 

A somewhat thicker batter (thick ribbon consistency) without additional leaveners for taller loaves. 700g green buckwheat groats, wash, rinse, soak in abundant water for 12 hours, drain and rinse. Add 300g water, blend, add 1 tsp salt, 1 Tbsp sugar, cover and let it ferment at room temperature for 18-24 hours untill fully risen.

Grease your loaf pans, pour batter as is into tins, smooth their tops, proof for 1hr, and bake at 190C. 1st hour covered with tin foil, then 30min without foil to brown the top crusts. It will have smooth tops and soft open crumb. It keeps fresh and soft for 4 days at room temperature.

 

Abe's picture
Abe

I used to do the higher hydration method but settled on the lower hydration as I preferred the results. And while I do warn of there sometimes being a funky aroma while it's fermenting it's just advice to allow others to know they aren't on the wrong track. I never get this funky aroma when I make this bread. I have settled on my own way of doing this recipe where I wash the groats first and add the salt into the batter before fermenting. Always get an excellent rise and no funky aromas. The 'issue' might just be the thicker batter. Not the end of the world as it always tastes great. 

Thank you for those two recipes which I will certainly check out. 

mariana's picture
mariana

Good to know, Abe. Funky smells make me uneasy, to tell the truth. Not for myself, I know what to watch for, but I would not recommend it to the newbies. Who knows what will grow there. 

Do you wash the groats before soaking or after?

I agree that salting the batter before letting it to ferment spontaneously is a wise move. I was even thinking about salting the soaking water, it might help with suppressing some of the spoilage microorganisms found in soil, etc., just a bit. 

Have you ever had mold growing on it?

I only linked the videos because one shows pink surface and another doesn't. Not every batch of buckwheat dough will develop that beautiful purple color on top as it sits fermenting. Do you get it with each batch? 

Abe's picture
Abe

I've tried this method a few ways and have found my method works well for me. The reasons why i've settled for these tweaks is as follows. 

1: I haven't always pre-washed the groats at least at the beginning when following recipes which didn't call for it (after all flour is ground groats and it's not washed) but I did find it took on a purplish hue when soaked. It's not bad or anything. It's just the characteristics of the buckwheat. I began washing it for cleanliness (wasn't happy about simply soaking them) and for aesthetic reasons. I either wash them or soak them first for about an hour and then rinse them a few times until it runs clear. After which I add fresh water. I do feel better about the method when it's washed, plus I am quite OCD when it comes cleanliness and finicky, and done from the start it's easier then after it's formed the gel. 

2: I began mixing in the salt thoroughly straight after blending for ease. We don't want to get rid of all the bubbles from the ferment but at the same time I wished to mix the salt in thoroughly. Tried adding in the salt before the ferment and it did just as well. No issues whatsoever. And I like to think it keeps bad bacteria at bay. 

I've never had mould growing on it nor bad smells. And I fully agree with you... the process at first made me uneasy but i've only had good experience with this method except for on time. It wasn't mould or anything like that but when I used to soak, drain and then add more water. Reason being that when the recipe says "drain" it's not exact. Some people might do a better job of draining than others and when one adds an exact measure of fresh water not everyone will end up with the same consistency. That's why I go by feel and keep it on the thicker side. So i'll wash the groats well, soak in enough water just to cover them (topping up after an hour or so after they have absorbed some of the water), then blend it altogether the next day. 

Good to know that other people have experienced the purplish hue as not everyone mentions this in a video. Thanks for those links, Mariana.

GaryBishop's picture
GaryBishop

I don't understand the function of moving the dough from the bowl to the pan after fermentation. Why not simply ferment in the pan? We see that adding the salt before fermentation is permissible and I imagine any seeds to be added could be pre-soaked or toasted if desired. 

I've finally got the groats and I'm toying with simply washing, soaking, washing, blending, adding salt and seeds and letting it ferment in the pan, possibly lined with parchment to avoid sticking, then into the oven to bake.

Shouldn't this work?

 

 

Abe's picture
Abe

You are dealing with a spontaneous fermentation. First of all you will want to make sure it does ferment. Once it's nice and bubbly then one can portion it out and do a shorter final proof with more of a success rate. You want it nice and active before going onto the final batter. It could also overflow so you'd have to bake much earlier and it won't be as fermented. This way one can ferment for a longer time and leave less to chance for the final loaf. I'm not saying it can't work but there are better ways of doing leaving less to chance. You'd also have to keep an eye on it for 12-24 hours. Probably best to follow procedure first before changing it.

GaryBishop's picture
GaryBishop

Yes, I like doing it as written the first time. 

I think the key difference between this and typical dough is the shaping/strengthening we do before proof. With this we are just pouring and hoping to not lose too much gas in the process. 

My 9x4x4 pullman holds 2.3L so 800 grams of dough should fill it less than half full. Seems unlikely to overflow. 

Abe's picture
Abe

A pan that fits 800g of wheat dough will be far too big for 500g of buckwheat batter. Initially the batter can rise quite a bit (for a batter) but after it's portioned out it's baked relatively quickly that's why it's best to get it well fermented first before portioning it out. And the pan should be filled by about 4/5ths. Filling it so much and then fermenting will be a disaster waiting to happen. Filling it less and then waiting for it to fill the pan and it will probably collapse in the bake. That's why it's better to ferment first and the fill the pan more. I reckon for 500g of buckwheat one will need a 1.5 litre pan. 

alcophile's picture
alcophile

Would docking the loaf like a dense rye work?

Abe's picture
Abe

Rather than a dense rye dough. So like scoring a wheat dough the docking in rye will stay and not close up. But now that Mariana has explained how to score maybe the same will apply to docking. I'm ok with scoring now that I know how to do it but perhaps Mariana will advise on this. 

Mini Oven's picture
Mini Oven

right after you shape it.  And like Mariana said, it may close up but the score will open during the bake usually where you want it to.  If the batter is thin, you can also drizzle a line of melted butter down the loaf as a score. :p

Abe's picture
Abe

That's a pretty neat way of scoring a batter loaf. Good to know! All these tricks of the trade. Check out the community bake. Thought i'd start one after this post. 

Imp...'s picture
Imp...

I don't know if the buckwheat groats from a Kasha package would work if someone can't find, or cannot afford them from a Whole Foods, etc. Kasha should be available at many chain grocery stores. I don't have a package to look at right now, but I'm fairly sure that's the only ingredient and they're whole. 

Abe's picture
Abe

and needs organic raw whole buckwheat groats to work. Have a look at the community bake which features this bread.