September 28, 2009 - 5:36pm
Bread soft and moist...why does it break apart?
Yesterday I baked a loaf of bread using spelt flour. It tastes great and is soft and moist with a decent crust. Today I had some with my lunch and noticed it broke apart a bit. It is soft and definitely not dry...is there something to add to prevent this from happening? It is the spelt loaf off the Arrowhead Mills spelt flour bag.
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Try adding a little bread flour to it. Or don't let it rise so high the next time before baking. Spelt is sneaky like that, it likes to rise beyond itself. Technically, I don't know the term. Hard to believe but it is great for lightening up heavy breads. Adds stretch without adding gluten. Great in cakes and pancakes too!
Mini
I agree with Mini. Spelt flour is low on gluten so the foundation of your bread is pretty weak. It's sometimes difficult to balance the protein in any formula to get the perfect texture that you're trying to achieve. It might be easier to control the gluten if you use high gluten (23% protein - you can usually buy that stuff in bulk at the super market) in very small controlled amounts to strengthen the formula a little at a time until you've found the key to structural integrity..
it is average.
Spelt tends to be overproofed long before it appears to be just because it just keeps stretching. Shortening the proofing time will improve the crumb. Also eliminating any butter or oil is also worth trying.
Mini
what do you think about adding a little vital wheat gluten to tighten it up?