Outside of loaf dark before inside is baked
I've been experimenting with a flour mix that is mostly whole wheat with some bread flour mixed in. This has required me to use much higher percentages than I normally would. 80% hydration feels more like 65% while I'm mixing and shaping. Because of this, my loaves have been having a hard time getting rid of that extra 80g of water for my 1080g loaf, and the last three have been underdone on the inside while the outside is getting extra dark.
At first I thought the darkness was due to the whole wheat, and the "underdoneness" due to incomplete proofing (my starter is still a little immature). But just today I had a beautifully proofed loaf which looked great at 15 minutes, but then at 35min it was dark enough that I felt like pulling it, even though I could feel that it was still pretty heavy. I dropped the temp and gave it an extra 10 minutes at 350F, which gave a decent final product, but I would have been happier with a little longer bake time.
So I was wondering if others have had this problem, and if so, what have they done to counteract it? Is it better to bake high-hydration loaves for longer at lower temperatures? If so, how does that work if you want to start in a 500F pot or cloche?
Any help or advice would be appreciated!
~Peter