December 19, 2012 - 7:38pm
Problem like this with rye breads only
This is driving me nuts! I only have this issue with rye breads. I am assuming this is due to underproofing but both of these loaves were from the same batch and one loaf is clearly worse than the other. I swear I am shaping them the same! This is Eric's favorite rye. I am doing the first proof until double in size and the second proof today was almost 2 hours in a pretty warm spot and I used the finger poke to test readiness. Some kind advice please?
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Were both of the loaves baked at the same time on the same level (side by side) in your oven, or was one baked lower in the oven than the other?
-Mark
Side by side! There are times that I have only done one loaf at a time and this still happens!
draped basket? Does the banneton have anything to do with which one bursting? (I like the bursted one.) Could one be absorbing more moisture than the other resulting in the "skins" being different? How is the feel when scoring? One cut easier than the other? The banneton might also be warmer, insulating the dough making a difference in the fermenting between the two loaves. Might not show up in wheat, but the addition of rye could be underlining the differences. If this applies, try getting both loaves rising in similar forms so they ferment at the same times.
Might also try increasing the moisture of the loaf. Rye has stretch issues and tears easily when rushed or too dry.
Thank you for responding! I was hoping you would given your experience with rye! YES the burst one was in a banneton and the other in a cloth lined basket! Good call! The scoring felt the same...so if there was a difference it would have been pretty slight. Do you think they are still underproofed? I know thats a tough question just by a photo... I was going to try putting them in a 500F oven then turning it down to 370F as the recipe indicates to see if that would make a difference. They certainly taste the same but the burst one makes slicing dicy and I make these for a local store. (They haven't complained though...) The dough is already pretty wet so I hate to lose any height by increasing hydration as they use these for sandwiches. Thank you!
say below 300°F while the oven is still preheating and then let the dough rise with the oven temp, rising above target and then turn it down after being there for 15 minutes. It may not work with a baking stone and my loaf is covered.
Another thought, you might try changing the angle of the score to the markings from the banneton. Try for a thicker band between scores and you may have to experiment with cutting across more lines than cutting with them. Got a picture of the banneton? What is the complete situation as the dough sits in both the banneton and draped form? Maybe one or the other should be treated differently. More information would be useful.
You're in for a debate if you think adding more moisture decreases height.
You mentioned letting them proof in a "pretty warm spot" does that mean that the basket loaf was possibly warmer than the banneton loaf? What was the heat source?
but both were placed in a plastic bag and put in my microwave above the stove with the light on which yields a temp of 78-80F
I use a baking stone and I opted out of the added steam except for spraying the loaves after scoring.
I won't debate you about hydration and height ;) This formula yields a nice crumb for sandwiches and does well as freestanding loaves
on my stone hence my fear of altering it :)
Look at this link to the Eric's favorite rye posting. See the differences? I know you probably scored the loaves the same, but the flour drying the skin from the banneton bumps may be making weaker spots in the skin so it opens differently. Next time, try a score on the banneton loaf that goes more across the loaf something half way between these two scores in the picture.
http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/5076/eric039s-fav-rye#comment-154634
Mini..thanks for all your help!