Bread bursting through slashes - help please!
Hi folks. Would appreciate some advice/troubleshooting, please.
Lately, my SD breads have been bursting through slashes or even the seam under the loaf. The bread still tastes fine, crumb reasonably even etc, but I'm puzzled as to why I keep turning out these malformed loaves. This never used to happen - it began suddenly, about 3 weeks ago. Every one of my last 5 or 6 loaves has been afflicted thus, regardless of the starter used, the recipe or dough composition, or shape (boule, or batard). I am using the same techniques I've been using for over a year, shaping the same way (a la Hamelman), with oven temps the same. What the...??!!
Can anyone suggest a reason for these apparently explosive oven events?
NB: I have another couple of pics of a batard I baked today that burst through one of three oblique slash marks. These pics include a crumb shot, so if that might help with a diagnosis, please let me know and I'll upload this further evidence!
Cheers
Ross