July 6, 2012 - 11:56am
Look at the difference in slices....
This is the Tartine Country Bread.
I don't understand why the center slices DO NOT have the open irregular holes that the rest of the slices have.
Anybody know or have any suggestions?
Thank you for your time.
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What's your hydration and loaf forming process? I don't get large pockets in the centre on lower hydrations, but that could just be fluke.
Hydration is 77%
I let it overnight bulk ferment and then shape as the directions in the Tartine book.
Generally speaking, the very centre of a large-ish loaf will be less likely to have a very open texture because it's the part that heat takes longest to penetrate, plus the expansion of the dough in the centre has to overcome the resistance of the surrounding crumb and the crust. Basically what Davo says above. But this effect varies widely according to loaf size, shape, hydration, temperature, oven type etc. etc.
At any rate, your loaf looks pretty tasty.
Neil
The wieght of the loaf sometimes keeps the center from rising to much, as said above.
One way to help deal with this, is to change your shape or scoring method.
More cuts can let it expand a little faster. If you wanted to change the shape, oval shapes with longer cuts in the center would be the way to go.
This is in my experience th easiest way to control results when you KNOW the dough and shaping were no te problem.