Football loaves.. not domed. What's up with that?
Hey all!
I'm working with sourdough, having recently gotten into it. My luck changed for the better these past few weeks and I'm doing fairly well, but my loaves aren't coming out quite the right shape, I think. I'm forming all round boules, but instead of a nice dome shape, they're all stretching out tight and puffing up.. sort of lifting the whole loaf off the baking stone and standing up on a small pedestal, almost. These loaves look a lot like ufo's or footballs now, instead of domed boules. I think it might have something to do with my slashing tech. not enabling them to rise up and outward.. instead, it keeps the skin tight and makes them puff up all around, equally. Do you think that's it? I'm really sort of nervous when it comes to scoring.. i'm afraid to really cut in there.. I hardly make more than a large scratch, and I know that's wrong.. but in any case, do you think that's the issue with my loaf shape, or two separate things?
Hi Mike.
It could be your shaping technique or your placement of the cuts. Hard to tell without seeing a photo of the bread. On the positive side, sounds like you have a healthy sourdough culture!
Since you're apprehensive about scoring, here's a helpful tutorial.
Hi, Mike.
As Lindy said, a photo or two would help us advise you.
From your "word picture," I suspect a conspiracy of 3 factors: Under-proofing with exuberant oven spring, a very hot baking stone (which is generally a good thing) and, possibly, a problem with scoring. These are listed in probable order of importance.
Can you post a photo of your problem loaves?
David
Here we are.. not the best, but I nabbed some shots with the iSight camera.. what do you think?
And one more view here:
So, there's no opening on the top of the loaf from my slices, if you can even see them there slightly in the top photo.. and it's got that weird, oval-ish shape to it which you can clearly see in the lower photo. I've got a dough in bulk ferment as I type that should be baking tonight.. what do you all think?
Hi, Mike.
Thanks for posting the photos. From the appearance, I'd stick with my comments above.
David
Hmm..
I'm using the "finger poke" method to determine if the dough is ready to bake or not. If it springs right back, I let it go.. if it stays indented for a bit, I heat the oven and bake it. I usually preheat the oven for a minimal amount of time.. till the oven light goes off and says the temp is right, and my oven thermometer indicates the oven is actually correct. I'm not sure it's the baking stone, is what I mean.. which only leaves the scoring aspect. I hope to test that theory in a few hours. I'll report back..
The exact result you were tring for, looks like a nice loaf of bread to me.
I would add a comment about scoring. Get brave and score that loaf!!!
You are apparently having good success all the way around and need just a bit of fine tuning. Following Dan's comments about crust forming too soon....When you proof the loaf is it covered or open to the air? The crust could be drying too much at that point in addition to being in an oven without steam.
Be brave with scoring as it will all be part of your bread education and lead to better and better bread.
Jeff
p.s. there are many past threads on scoring with good info
OK, thanks for the pointers folks..
As far as this loaf goes, I was trying the ol' metal pan in the back of the oven with ice cubes trick on it. All of my previous efforts, I used a spritzer bottle to spray inside just before loading by a few minutes, as I loaded the dough, and then a couple minutes after.. all my loaves seem to have turned out the same, regardless of which method I use. When using ice cubes, I'd put in like, two.. then two more as I loaded the dough.. I think, overall, that's more water total than I got in there with the spritzer. I don't feel my crust is as nice as I've had in other breads.. I think it's lacking, I'm just not sure how to handle it right now. I'll have to poke around a bit more.
On the good news side, the loaf that I did while posting those above-pictures, I scored the tar out of.. and those opened up nicely! I can't comment on the proper crust color much though, as I burned the top pretty good 'cause I made an oval shape with it and, apparently, those cook sooner and subsequently burn faster than a boule does.<sigh> If it's not one thing, It's another.. ;) I think I'll go back to round loaves till I get my technique solid..
When using ice cubes, I'd put in like, two.. then two more as I loaded the dough.
Try using a whole cup of cubes! Or better yet boil up a cup of water in the pan on the stove and then put it into the oven as you put in the dough. Wet the surface of the loaf before slashing with wet hands while you're poking around. Have no fear, you'll figure it out!
Mini
If you want a better crust, have you considered trying a dutch over, or other covering? I found putting a round glass lidded casserole dish on the baking stone and letting it get hot with the oven, then turning my boule into it instantly changed my crust for the better. For free form loaves I bake directly on the stone, I cover with a large glass bowl (which I preheated with the oven, don't want to put a cold bowl on a hot stone!). Might be worth a try, because it means you don't need any steam in the oven (the moisture in the bread trapped under the cover provides all the steam you need).