July 24, 2012 - 9:49am
Crust question
Hello,
I was wondering whether anyone has any ideas about the crust in the picture below
Bread was baked at 440 degrees for about 40 minutes and was abou 205 degrees when pulled out. The crust is actually darker than the picture shows. The crumb is very light. I was happy with the bread, but didn't like the large chunks of cracking that occurred about 10 minutes after i pulled it out of the oven. As you can see the crust is fairly thin. But it is the large cracking that i'd like to fix. Hoping somebody here will have some ideas. Thanks!
Share
That crust that you wish to get rid of is the very crust that many strive for (often unsuccessfully). If it were me, I would leave that great crust just as it is. In the interest of answering your question, you could lower the oven temperature by 10 degrees. You could raise the hydration of your dough by a couple of points. Either or both of these would likely lead to a less crusty crust. There are other possibilities but it is hard to tell without seeing your recipe. Jeff
Thank you for the kind words. I am happy with the crust. The cracking of somewhat large chunks is a bit of a problem however because when one cuts the bread, large pieces of the crust tend to get broken off because they are already dislodged in part. So, it's a small point, but just wanted to see if anyone knew of anything. Thanks for the suggestions.
Jan White
www.foodforge.com
Can you give details how you got that crust? And a crumb shot. I've been searching for that particular crust. ...and it makes a mess all over the place! Lol! yes, yes, yes!
Type of flour, method, everything! :)
New link coming soon.
That singing crackly crust is the cats meow and near perfect! Please post the particulars of uour recipe and baking method by all means.
There are various combinations of factors that would cause excessive cracking, but you do mention that the crust is quite thin. If that's the case, the cracking (which is normal) could cause the crust to scale and slough off, which is not. This is a defect you sometimes get with baguettes, which should have a thin 'eggshell' crust. The ratio of surface area to volume is one thing that affects how much shrinkage occurs when cooling, and therefore the extent of the cracking. The greater the volume is proportional to the surface area, the more pronounced the cracking may be. Your loaf looks like a boule or batard, so it could be the thin crust (however that came about) and the shape/size of the loaf that is the problem.
That's just my immediate thought, though. There are many other possibilities.
Neil
I am going on a short vacation and will return next week at which time I'll provide the recipe and all process details!
Mark
if you dont want the crust to crack you have to make a richer dough...that is add more sugar and fat (oil or butter) that will help it to remain soft. If you want a nice crusty bread, then you will have to deal with the cracks. They are a sign of a nicely baked loaf of lean bread. That is, not a lot of dat or sugar.